Shit Happens

New research on the human microbiome proves that our gut is home to more living beings than any other habitat on earth. Our poo teems with life. Sometimes, it makes us sick. It’s to blame for many debilitating, sometimes fatal conditions. This book explains how it can also make us better, through Faecal Microbiota Transplantation. Behind the provocative title is a vital message. The last frontier to explore is the world within our own bodies, where great armies of billions of microbes make war to determine whether we, their hosts, shall live happy, healthy lives or degenerate, decay and die. Professor Tom Borody has been studying and researching the human microbiome for a lifetime. It is a microcosm of our world, which we have damaged through ignorance or carelessness of the consequences. We have laid waste to the living universe inside us with antibiotics. They have upset the balance of our microbiome and laid us open to a whole host of ‘incurable’ illnesses, not just gastric conditions but Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s Disease and many more. There is hope. If we are smart and swift, we can repair the damage. In 1988, Professor Borody performed the first Faecal Microbial Transplants (FMT) in Australia. He gave his patient back her life and livelihood. Hundreds of thousands more FMTs have taken place since then, worldwide. Right now, there is a desperate need for more research and more large-scale clinical trials. Big Pharma won’t support it because it won’t generate more pills and potions for them to sell. It turns out the most effective remedy for our many ailments was deep inside us all the time. This book will change forever the way you think about your own body. No shit.