http://www.wormdigest.org/articles/index.cgi?read=9
PATHOGENS
What are pathogens? Pathogens are the microorganisms (bacteria, fungi etc.)
that quickly increase their populations when the host, be it plant or
animal, becomes susceptible or weak. They grow rather slowly in the outside
environment, and in fact, tend to die with time. Thus, the presence of
pathogens in a living host can be seen as nature's way to indicate the
weakness of that host. They provide a signal to the host to take efforts to
build up its body strength. Once the host regains its vitality, pathogens
reduce their vigor and the host regains its normal health.
We often wage a war against pathogens because we do not appreciate this
natural mechanism, which is quite benign. Pathogens are not "bad guys" to
all, but only to those who themselves have become weak -- probably due to
bad habits. Once those habits or conditions are changed, pathogens no longer
are a problem.
Disease is possible only if two conditions are met. One is if the host is
susceptible, and the other is if the pathogens are present in the
environment. Not realizing that we could prevent disease by taking efforts
to avoid the first condition, we have put too much focus on eliminating the
second condition. This was also preferable because then the fault is outside
and not within us. Being outside it could conveniently be seen as the
"enemy" against which we could "wage a war," using the techniques that were
developed to "fight" disease.
Understanding pathogens in a new way would allow us to handle them with a
new outlook. What is that new outlook? While making all efforts to keep our
vitality high, a natural objective, we maintain a low pathogen count in the
environment so that they are there when needed -- as indicators of low body
vitality. Without those small signals to warn us of our lowered level of
health we may be prone to sudden death, without warning.
But, how do we maintain only a small pathogen population in the environment?
The answer is by insuring that the aerobic bacteria, the beneficial ones,
overpower them with their speedier growth. When organic residues are being
processed by aerobic bacteria in the soil, the pathogens cannot win and
their population is reduced.
And when do pathogens build up their population in the environment? This
occurs when they get food, right conditions and absence of any competition.
Again we have been giving our attention to the elimination of the first two
conditions and forgetting the third or most important one. We have been
incinerating organic wastes so that they do not get food and we have been
using poisons and other hostile techniques such as irradiation, low or high
temperature exposure, low or high pH, high salt concentration, low moisture,
etc. However, burning organic wastes not only destroys food for the
pathogens but also of the many other microorganisms that are benign. In fact
nearly 99% of bacteria are benign and even render valuable services to us.
Our skin with its normal beneficial bacteria protects us from skin problems.
When we apply antiseptics to our skin, the natural protection is diminished
and we become more dependent on these "poisons" which are absorbed by our
skin.
How does one ensure that the pathogens are not getting our organic residues
and the beneficial bacteria are? We are alerted to the presence of pathogens
by the strong odors produced by anaerobic bacteria. Since pathogens and
anaerobic bacteria consume food at the same rate, they can coexist without
competition. Aerobic bacteria, on the other hand, consume food much faster
than pathogens or anaerobic bacteria, out-competing them and reducing them
to an insignificant level. Thus if there is no odor, there is no alarm and
therefore, we can be assured there is no proliferation of pathogens.
How do we ensure that anaerobic bacteria do not grow? Anaerobic bacteria
grow only when they have no competition from aerobic bacteria. This occurs
when there is a shortage of oxygen in the organic mass. When inoculated with
an effective culture of aerobic bacteria the organic mass soon becomes
aerobic because of oxygen sucked in by the aerobic bacteria. A stinking mass
of garbage or human excreta becomes odorless and free from flies within a
few seconds of being inoculated with such bacterial culture. Rather than
pesticides, this is a much more eco-logical technique and we receive all the
good benefits of aerobic bacteria. Beneficial bacteria in an open
environment are aerobic.
Earthworms develop and maintain a culture of effective aerobic bacteria by
culling pathogens, fungi and anaerobic bacteria. They also ensure that the
organic mass is kept well aerated. Hence introduction of earthworm culture
to the organic wastes is a sure way to suppress pathogens and ensure that
our organic wastes are well utilized by the beneficial aerobic bacteria.
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