The Germ Files: The Surprising Ways Microbes Can Improve Your Health and Life (and How to Protect Yourself from the Bad Ones)

by Jason Tetro

Overview

SOME GERMS ARE OUT TO GET US. . . . But we shouldn’t let a delinquent, pathogenic minority taint our view of the other 99.9 per cent.

The microbes living on and inside us outnumber the cells in our bodies three to one. Many provide services on which our well-being, our moods, our very lives depend. They help to digest our food and operate the immune system. They trade information about potential mates when we kiss.  They alert the brain to problems in different locations around the body. The balance of their populations in our gut is a crucial factor in our physical and mental health. 

The effect of germs on our lives is not, however, a one-way street. We can help their efforts by the way we lead our lives.

The Germ Files is a one-stop source of the most up-to-date, life-changing information on our relationship with microbes, presented in concise and highly readable items grouped by theme. Areas covered include health, hygiene, sex, childcare, nutrition and dieting.

The Germ Files will answer your questions about everything from preventing flu to selecting probiotics, while constantly surprising you with revelations about the miraculous workings of the microscopic world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385685771
Publisher:	Doubleday Canada
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	436,402
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

JASON TETRO is a microbiologist who has spent the last 25 years learning about the effect germs have on our lives. In 2007, he ventured out of the lab and into the TV studio for a Q&A news segment on CTV Ottawa as "The Germ Guy." He has since broadcast and written for a wide range of media, including the Toronto Star, Scientific American, The Huffington Post, the CBC and his own blog. In 2011, he was awarded an honourary PhD in Social Media from Social Media University Global in recognition of his work to improve hand hygiene through social media using the hashtag #handhygiene, which has now been adopted by the World Health Organization. He lives in Toronto.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

1 Meet Your Germs 1

2 The Environment 25

3 Hygiene 51

4 Beauty 69

5 Antibiotics and Probiotics 87

6 Health 115

7 Food 155

8 Diet 205

9 Sex 225

10 Childcare 237

Acknowledgments 265

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

National Bestseller

"Jason Tetro has provided an owner's manual for the trillions of personal organisms that we cannot live without. It's an easy read guide to how they participate in health, food, beauty and even sex. It will change the way you look at your entire being." —Bob McDonald, host, CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks
 
"Reading this book is like going on safari with a smart and experienced adventure guide. Sit back as Tetro brings into focus a world of magnificent microscopic creatures, and reveals what their fascination behaviour means for human well-being." —Ziya Tong, Host, Daily Planet, Discovery Channel.
 
"When you flush the toilet, keep the lid down. If you want fresh breath, chew a stick of gum for two minutes. The Germ File is filled with incredibly practical advice like that, backed by the latest scientific evidence. Jason Tetro curates a breezy take on the bacteria, viruses, fungi and other little beasties among us. But behind the easy read is an important message. Some germs are our best friends. Others are our worst enemies. Knowing which is which makes your life better and might one day even save it." —Brian Goldman, host, CBC Radio's White Coat, Black Art

From the Publisher

02/15/2016
Canadian microbiologist Tetro is known as "The Germ Guy." On TV and other outlets, especially social media, he has made it his mission to clean up the reputation of germs when appropriate, and point out the bacteria about which to be really concerned. His previous book, The Germ Code, explained the history of the relationship between germs and humans, and this title aims to detail contemporary facts and how best to live with ever-present microbes. He starts by examining the biology of germs: achieving immune tolerance is optimal; are the germs friend, foe, or bystander; how the environment affects and is affected; the difference between infection and coexistence; and the bottom line about hygiene. Eight more chapters address specific topics such as beauty, antibiotics and probiotics, food, and child care. Within these chapters he gives practical advice, (e.g., sanitize your hairbrush once a week), as well as in more vital areas of concern such as combating chronic disease. Written in an engaging, fluid style that is nonacademic, this book also imparts a plethora of in-depth information. VERDICT Best for general science readers and those interested in consumer health rather than academics.—Elizabeth J. Eastwood, Los Alamos Cty. Lib. Syst., NM

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