Critical Thinking: Your Brain on Parasites

Did you ever crave eating something that you consciously know that you did not want?

During the ’80s and ’90s diets were seen as fads. Oprah Winfrey spent hours interviewing people on how individuals could keep their excess weight off. According to research shared by CNBC, the US dieting industry is currently a $71 Billion industry with a 95% failure rate. Well, if you haven’t read or listened to Kathleen McAuliffe’s book (or read the research elsewhere), you might be quite shocked that little bacterial boogers swimming around in your gut may just be demanding your brain to eat that sweet chocolate cake, the additional cookies or additional bites of food that you don’t really want.

And, since they live so comfortably in your gut, how might you just rid yourself of the little boogers? The research covered in her book, from 2016, suggests that fecal transplants of good bacteria just might do the trick! But wait! What about your child’s performance in school? What about manic depression? Could those be the fault of parasitic creatures living in your child’s brain? The next time you get an I.E.P. from a teacher, you may want to consider what other creatures might be the culprits of unenthusiastic behaviors. The book: it’s worth a listen–and, it’s worth much further research as well.

This is your critical thinking task for the week!