Healthy human gut microbial communities exhibit differences in composition but share many of the same functions
Universal interest in human-associated microbial communities in recent decades has galvanized both citizens and researchers alike to probe, analyze, and perhaps even biohack our bugs in an effort to potentially improve quality of life and ameliorate disease. Many commercial companies offer a glimpse into the inner workings of your microbial inhabitants through the use of at-home testing kits while countless others present opportunities to shift the microbial balance in one’s favor through the use of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, phages, helminths, quorum sensing inhibitors, immune modulators, skin creams, body washes, vaginal suppositories, and more. …
Incredibly powerful poem full of resistance, resilience, and perseverance in the face of oppression, adversity, and attempts at perpetual bondage. Each word is so carefully chosen, each couplet carefully constructed. The literary personification of the promise of Lady Liberty adapted to the immigrant struggle, thank you.
How her success could revive female entrepreneurship
Only 22 women have launched and lead their startups to an initial public offering so far. When Bumble, the company behind the titular feminist dating and networking app, went public in February of this year, CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd became the youngest to do so at the age of 31.
Entrepreneurial women face a host of challenges when starting their own businesses. A 2019 Silicon Valley Bank report revealed that only 28% of startups have a female founder, and companies with all-women teams account for under 3% of all venture capital dollars.
a poem in the style of e.e. cummings
I was taken aback by the pearls of wisdom wrapped in this beautifully constructed vignette. Lessons in emotional autonomy are so simple but so incredibly profound.
Sending you warm wishes for a smooth recovery post-surgery, Shefali. Power to you for advocating for yourself and insisting to be included in your medical decisions. I faced a similar disillusioning experience several months ago after abdominal surgery. One nurse told me that I had woken up several times in the middle of surgery crying. When I came to, I was in so much pain that I couldn't breathe and the sedating opioids had dried out my vocal cords to the point that I couldn't speak. That night was the longest of my entire life. I wept the entire time…
Microbiome research conducted over the past couple decades has made it abundantly clear that the microbes we harbor have a profound impact on our well-being. The way in which we enter the world (vaginal birth or Caesarean section) impacts our initial seeding of microbes, which is then subject to additional alterations through breastfeeding or formula feeding, the introduction of solid foods, and environmental exposures.
In general, having a more diverse array of gut microbes is associated with a lower risk of allergies, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome. …
Interesting perspective! I also find my perfectionism clashes with my desire for productivity, but being from a minority background, I would never think to attribute that habit to white supremacist culture. Maybe on some subconcious level, I believe that I have more to prove, that because I am a minority, my words and actions will be more critically scrutinized and my mistakes will be construed as a mark of my character rather than as a sign of my humanity.
Dear Demeter, you are beautiful inside and out. As a particularly scrawny girl, I've always been in awe of well-endowed women. In ancient times, extra pounds were regarded to be a symbol of status and wealth. If you ask me, the purported preferences for thinness are nothing more than the result of decades of social conditioning forced down our throats by the media conglomerate. Stay gold. Much love, Nita.
Loved your take on a personal habit that most of us seldom consider in the context of climate change. Really informative and engaging read!
