If a fungus can overtake an ant's body and control its mind making it a zombie...

in #health6 years ago (edited)

...could a fungus control us and is our gut reaction a second brain governed by bacteria?

Did you know that there are more bacteria in us than cells of our own body? The latest research shows how these bacteria can control our mood and appetite.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-humans-carry-more-bacterial-cells-than-human-ones/

There is also much research suggesting that the bacteria’s intelligence is what we call ‘gut reaction’. So it is the collectible intelligence of the bacteria that may act as a ‘second brain’ offering us another set of information regarding an incident or future event. Its something we always refer to after an event, with words like ‘I had a gut feeling not to do it.’ Is it even possible that the gut can analysis and predict outcomes better than out own minds? This battle between the logic of the mind and the intuition of the intestinal tract is not only gut wrenching but mind blowing.
Read more here: http://thespiritscience.net/2016/04/12/gut-instincts-scientists-prove-you-have-a-second-brain-in-your-stomach/

The finely balanced system in the gut is like an independent ecosystem, incredibly complicated and something we don’t fully understand. However we interfere with this at our own peril.

Taking antibiotics to kill an infection will also kill the ‘good bacteria’ that we need in out gut sending that specific ecosystem into chaos.

The wrong flora in our gut causes us to behave in a way that is not good for our well being. We crave foods that are good for the bacteria but not us, like sugar. It's the bacteria or fungus that wants the sugar and not us. The incredible autonomous system of our bodies is effectively being overtaken by alien invaders. Do we effectively become zombies devoid of freewill?

Candida is is a classic example of a fungus that 'controls' us.. There are many types of Candida resulting in infections of mucus membranes like thrush. Candida Albicans is the type that can infect the intestinal tract. One effect of Candida is believed to cause ‘leaky gut’, whereby the intestinal walls opens ‘holes’ letting undigested food food particles (food that hasn't been broken down into its component parts) directly into the blood. Our bodies immune system goes into overdrive to destroy these foreign particles, which can lead to a chain reaction ending in aggressive allergies to that very food. So a food that we ate that was harmless and nutrients can suddenly become effectively toxic to our systems.
read more here: https://www.nationalcandidacenter.com/Leaky-Gut-and-Candida-Yeast-Infection-s/1823.htm

The good news is that allergies like this can be reduced once the situation that caused them is reversed. First stop the intake of that food substance and eliminate the Candida. Once the intestinal flora is rebalanced the food can be slowly reintroduced.

However when we have an Candida imbalance, how else does it effect us? Cravings for sugar is accepted. On the pioneering edge of cancer research there are indications that candida imbalances can lead to cancer. The thought is that Cancer is a type of fungal infection caused by Candida. Cancer behaves like a fungus. It evens spores in our bodies. Cancer also does not thrive on aerobic respiration like most cells needing oxygen but is anaerobic, remaining it needs sugar to survive. To such an extent that it deprives the body of the basic energy it needs often leaving to weight loos in cancer patients called Cachexia

So if sugar feeds cancer. Cancer kills us the host, so is the parasitic behaviour that clever or is there something else going on that we don’t yet understand? Is (refined) sugar a food of death? Would a medical doctor agree with this. Nope, not many would at all. Ive seen cancer patients offered sugary foods in leading cancer hospitals as the doctors try to help the patients regain weight.

This is a controversial subject and if this post proves popular, I’ll post more detail on this in the future.

ZOMBIE ANTS

If all this sounds crazy, look at the example of fungal infection that leads to what is known as ‘Zombie ants.’

A fungus called Ophiocoirdyceps overtakes the ant’s mind and freewill makes the ant climb high into the tree tops where it locks its jaws into leaf and dies. As the ant’s body is firmly secured to a good vacate point, it then becomes a source of nutrition for the fungus that grows a structure out of it’s head forming a long stalk. This stalk then bursts showering spores down onto the other ants in the colony below - the cycle continues. This is the material of zombie movies.
Read more here: https://www.wired.com/story/climate-change-made-zombie-ants-even-more-cunning/

This fungus is even smarter than the above gives credit for. The fungus seems to know when the ant is in a deciduous area. This means if the ant gave its final lock jaw death bite into a leaf, the leaf could fall in autumn before the fungus was ready to spore. In these areas the fungus controls the ant to bite into a twig and not a leaf hence meaning the parasite wilt survive the autumn fall of leaves. The fungus will also not spore in the colder times as the ants are not in abundance.

As scientists wonder how a fungus could ‘know’ these things, next time your doctor offers you an anti biotic for a cold (which is a viral infection meaning antibiotics wont work) or for a non serious infection it is worth thinking twice before accepting it.

Next time your ‘sweet tooth’ causes your arm to extend and reach for the the refined sugary food, wonder if its you that really desires the sugar, or an alien invading intelligence governing your wishes.

But most importantly, considering the ‘good bacteria’ of a a healthy digestive system, next time you have a gut instinct, it might be worth listening more closely than before. If there are more cells of bacteria in you than human cells this effective ‘second brain’ caused but the pure mass of non human life inside you, might offer insights that are out of this world.

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