Chapter 1. The World Before Us
The Planet of Microbes. Life on Earth began with microbes, and they still govern the cycles of matter, climate, and ecosystems. Without them, plants, animals, and humans would not have emerged.
Viruses - the Engine of Evolution. Viruses transfer genes between organisms, accelerating evolution. Most of human DNA consists of former viral inserts that now perform protective functions.
Our Common Metagenome. We are a symbiosis of humans and microbes. Their genes are hundreds of times more numerous than ours, and they control digestion, immunity, and metabolism. Health is impossible without this unity.
Chapter 2. The Loss of Old Friends
Allergy of the Civilized. In a sterile environment, the immune system loses its training and begins to attack harmless substances. Allergies and autoimmune diseases are the price of excessive cleanliness.
The Hygiene Hypothesis. Contact with microbes and parasites in childhood is necessary for tuning the immune system. Their absence makes us vulnerable to chronic inflammation.
The Village Effect. Children raised on farms or among the Amish are less likely to suffer from allergies: constant contact with natural microbes strengthens the body's defense systems.
Raw Milk and "Parasite Therapy." Unpasteurized milk and safe microorganisms help form a resilient immune system. Losing connection with the microbial world, humans have lost part of their natural protection.
Chapter 3. The Spirit of the Age of Epidemics
The fight against infections became a triumph of civilization, but at the same time, it created a fear of microbes and a cult of sterility. 19th-century Europe, tired of cholera and filth, turned cleanliness into a new religion.
After the discoveries of Pasteur and Koch, microbes were declared enemies, and medicine focused on destruction, forgetting about restoring balance. The victory was won by activist medicine - treating symptoms instead of strengthening the system.
Ehgartner reminds us: health is impossible without cooperation with microbes, as true "magic bullets" are our own defense mechanisms.
Chapter 4. The Largest Attack on the Microbiome
Antibiotics, which became a symbol of progress, destroyed microbial balance and weakened immunity. The fight against Helicobacter pylori and the widespread use of drugs showed how easily medicine loses allies, considering them enemies.
Modern sterile food, preservatives, and antiseptics undermine the intestinal flora - the main organ of the immune system.
Ehgartner warns: the real threat lies not only in resistant bacteria but in the degradation of the human microbial world. Even a single course of antibiotics can alter the flora for years, and in livestock farming, their use makes "antibiotic" a part of our diet.
He calls for awareness: natural childbirth, live food, and moderation in medications are the keys to restoring the alliance with microbes.
Chapter 5. The Powerlessness of the Guardian Angel
The immune system is our "second brain," formed with the participation of microbes. Without microbial diversity, it loses orientation and begins to attack its own body. Childhood is the time for training the immune system, and a sterile environment makes it inadequately sensitive. Diseases are part of natural adaptation, and attempts to eradicate them deprive the body of experience.
Ehgartner links the rise of autoimmune diseases and autism with early interventions, antibiotics, and immune system overload. He emphasizes the importance of transparency and an individual approach in vaccination.
Today, immunity is overloaded with sterility, stress, and chemical factors, turning into the "dragon of civilization" - a system that attacks itself.
Chapter 6. On the Path to Medical Dictatorship
The author describes how the pharmaceutical industry has transformed into a global structure that governs medicine through fear and dependence. People have been conditioned to see everything as a threat - from microbes to the sun, turning health into a market.
Screenings, gene mania, and early diagnosis often create sick individuals from healthy ones. The medical system "feeds" on diseases, and the belief in its infallibility generates anxiety and the nocebo effect.
Forced vaccination and control over the human body, according to Ehgartner, lead to the loss of freedom of choice. He calls for restoring medicine's true role - to help the body heal, not to subjugate individuals to the system.
