THE MICROBIOME OF PLACE

We have become increasingly aware of what we eat. But what about what we breathe?

We often think of the microbiome as something shaped by diet, supplements and digestive health.

But every day we are in constant exchange with the living world around us.

Each breath carries far more than oxygen. It contains a complex mixture of microorganisms, plant compounds, fungal spores and environmental particles that vary dramatically depending on where we are.

The air above a city street is different from the air beneath a forest canopy. The atmosphere of a coastal headland differs from that of an office building, a suburban home or a hospital ward.

We do not simply inhabit our environments. We inhale them.

Emerging research suggests that exposure to diverse natural environments may influence the composition of the human microbiome and immune system. Time spent in forests, gardens and other biodiverse landscapes has been associated with changes in microbial diversity, immune and nervous system regulation and inflammatory markers.

While much remains to be understood, these findings invite a broader perspective on health.

The modern conversation around the microbiome often focuses on what enters through the mouth. Yet we are also continually exchanging with the world through our skin, our lungs and our contact with the environments we inhabit.

The question is not only what we eat, but what surrounds us.

What microbial companions are present in the places we spend our days?

How often do we encounter diverse natural ecosystems?

How much of modern life takes place in sealed, filtered and increasingly sterile environments?

Perhaps the health effects of time spent in nature are not solely psychological. Perhaps part of what feels restorative about a walk through a forest, a swim in the ocean or an afternoon spent in a garden is that we are reconnecting with ecological relationships from which we have become increasingly separated.

We are not isolated organisms existing apart from nature.

We are ecosystems within ecosystems, in continuous conversation with the living world around us.

IMAGE SOURCE UNKNOWN - possibly Daniel Ribar. Please contact for credit or removal.