The Human Superorganism - Evening Program with Book Signing

Are we sanitizing ourselves to death? It’s quite possible that our desire to live in a germ-free environment is fueling a global epidemic of noncommunicable (chronic) diseases, from Alzheimer's, allergies, cancer, and heart disease to diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and even some forms of depression. The effects are being felt in skyrocketing healthcare costs and an erosion in quality of life for people everywhere.

Costs - $20 Smithsonian member, $30 others.

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Rodney Dietert, a professor of immunotoxicology at Cornell University, addresses the consequences of the assault on the microbiome—microorganisms that comprise about 90 percent of the cells in and on our bodies—in his new book, The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life. Understanding the microbiome is only one part of a new biology paradigm Dietert describes. First, we need to think of ourselves as superorganisms—human ecosystems—and he outlines specific steps we should take to sustain ourselves. Dietert identifies foods that best serve that purpose—not fad foods but nutrition that has made sense for millennia. He explains protective measures to take against unsafe chemicals and drugs and offers a self-care guide and a blueprint for a revolution in public health, which are all beginning steps back to a healthier world.