The more scientists study probiotics, or good bacteria, the more we realize how essential they are to life and to health. You’ve read the articles that explain how beneficial bacteria can strengthen your immune system, help you to digest carbohydrates and absorb minerals, boost your production of certain vitamins, and more.
Amazingly, probiotics can also help protect you from the harmful effects of GMOs and ameliorate the effects of pesticides. But can good bacteria destroy potentially life threatening bacteria?
I recently read Michael Pollan’s book, Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, where I came across some really interesting information about good bacteria. Pollan introduces us to cheese-maker Sister Noëlla Marcelino who makes cheese the “old-world” way.
This Benedictine nun is also a microbiologist. The cheese she makes is raw, fungal-ripened, and made in a wooden barrel with a wooden paddle, both of which are covered in a white film consisting of milk solids and bacteria from the raw milk. The only cleaning the wood receives is a rinse in water.
In 1985, Connecticut state health inspectors insisted that Sister Noëlla stop using her wooden barrel and switch to stainless steel, a supposedly much more sanitary material. Because she believed that her wooden implements were essential to her cheese making success, and because she is a microbiologist, she conducted an experiment.
Sister Noëlla make two identical batches of cheese – one in her wooden barrel, and the other in a stainless steel vat. She then did something outlandish. She inoculated both with E. coli.
The results were astonishing. The cheese in the stainless steel vat had high levels of E. coli while the cheese in the wooden barrel had almost none.
The lactobacilli which lined the wooden barrel, as Sister Noëlla predicted, created an environment in which the E. coli could not survive. In this instance, the health inspector was a reasonable person and allowed Sister Noëlla to continue making her cheese in her wooden barrel, which she continues to do to this day.
Sister Noëlla is no fool. She insists that her raw milk be handled carefully and that using raw milk is not a guarantee of safety. Her studies have shown her that there are more virulent bacteria today than in bygone years, and that our digestive systems are not as healthy as those of our ancestors.
But to be sure, her filmy wooden barrel and paddle were not a breeding ground of disease, as the health inspector had assumed.
While E. coli infections are mild in most people, they can also be life threatening. Nurturing beneficial gut flora is always a good idea and I’ve noted several ways to do that in my post Nurture Beneficial Gut Flora.
Proper handling of all food is essential, but proper food handling does not always mean sterilization, which can itself be detrimental as Sister Noëlla has so beautifully demonstrated.
What do you think? Does good bacteria have a role in disease prevention that has been disregarded in our day of hyper-cleanliness and sterilization?
If you want to learn more about Sister Noëlla and her work, the 2006 documentary, The Cheese Nun will interest you.
Thank you for visiting Learning And Yearning. May "the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Num 6:24-26
Julie @ Seeking The Old Paths says
Very good. Mark McAfee did this same thing with his large raw milk dairy in California (Organic Pastures) – purposely infecting his raw milk with pathogenic bacteria. The good raw milk bacteria kicked butt and killed off the pathogens. He now puts up daily online their own results from testing their milk for pathogens. It keeps the ‘authorities’ off his back, because their numbers are consistently good…what can they say?
If we didn’t know better, we’d almost think that it was designed this way, huh? (tongue firmly implanted in cheek)
The studies on soil-based organisms being used to help people heal gut issues is another case in point. We *are* missing out dirt.
Which reminds me…where are my kids? I need to send them outside to get dirty! 🙂
Susan says
If only the powers-that-be would open their eyes!
HaHa! I love your sarcasm – and yes, I do believe it all was designed this way.
tonya lee says
I’m no expert but I thought what good bacteria actually does is crowd out bad bacteria, not kill them? Good bacteria leaves no “real estate” for bad bacteria to move into – they can’t develop. Hmmm, you’ve made me think. Going to go do some research. 🙂
Susan says
What Sister Noëlla’s experiments showed was that the good bacteria creates an environment where the bad cannot survive.
Daja at The Provision Room says
We watched The Cheese Nun last year as a family and LOVED IT! What an amazing and inspirational character she is!
And this little tid-bit is delightful! Will be sharing it with our FB readers!
Susan Vinskofski says
Thank you, Daja!
Dale says
Grew up on a farm with a “dug” well; about 50 feet deep. Never had any sort of illness attributed to that water source. Always have felt as long as I drank that water on a regular basis my immune system was stimulated to counteract any ‘harmful’ organisms it probably had.
Bob says
Why do hospitals only use mold to try to kill bacteria. Obviously good bacteria should be studied for beating bacteria even in the life threatening stages. Penicillins are not working anymore.
Susan Vinskofski says
Yes, absolutely!
bambino says
some good bacteria produce special substances which are harmful to the bad bacteria. bacteria is a living organism and bad and good confront each other. the more powerful wins. numbers also matter and when good bacteria is in higher numbers they can destroy bad bacteria, because they outnumber the bad guys, limiting their food for survival.
zaha01 says
Quality posts is the crucial to invite the users
to visit the web page, that’s what this site is providing.
client acquisition says
Heya outstanding website! Does running a blog such as
this take a great deal of work? I’ve absolutely no
understanding of programming but I was hoping to start my
own blog in the near future. Anyhow, if you have any suggestions or
techniques for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off subject nevertheless I simply needed
to ask. Thanks a lot!
Cape Coral RN says
This is really interesting, You are an excessively skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and stay up for in quest of
extra of your great post. Additionally, I
have shared your web site in my social networks
liposomes and ethosomes says
Do you have any video of that? I’d love to find out some additional information.
briefcases says
If some one needs expert view on the topic of blogging then i recommend him/her to
pay a visit this website, Keep up the good job.
slim couture says
Hi, I desire to subscribe for this web site to get newest updates, therefore where
can i do it please assist.