Really? Yes, bacteria are critical to our health. We have perhaps 1,000 times more personal bacterial cells than cells our own. There are so many bacteria in our intestinal tracts that they weigh 3-4 pounds! If our gut was sterile for long, we would die. Experts believe that an imbalance of bugs precedes most degenerative health conditions.
What do probiotics do? They create vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, K & Biotin); feed the gut lining; help digest food (e.g. reducing lactose intolerance); detoxify dangerous substances; help remove hormone excess; crowd out harmful bacteria and fungi as well as produce substances to fight them; help maintain healthy cholesterol & triglyceride levels; increase the number of immune cells; help cells reproduce normally; reduce inflammatory response and stimulate cell repair mechanisms to name a few. You don’t have to be a doctor to realize how many aspects of health are helped by those actions and you can imagine that all heck breaks loose if the friendly bacteria (known as probiotics) become weakened and/or bad organisms (pathogens) take over.
How do the good guys get weakened? Perhaps the biggest threat to probiotics (which incidentally means “for life”) is antibiotics (which means “against life”). The drugs are of course intended to kill disease causing bacteria but get the good guys as well. Millions of pounds of antibiotics are used in agriculture and so there are residues in meat and dairy products.
Modern life is full of threats to our good bacteria: chlorinated and fluoridated water; diets high in sugar and other simple carbohydrates; and drugs such as hormones, stomach acid blockers and steroids. Stress and environmental toxins are problems as well.
What can happen then? When the good bacteria no longer have the upper hand and illness-producing bacteria and yeasts thrive instead, the condition is called “Dysbiosis.” These are some of the signs of that problem: allergies, heartburn, skin problems (like acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea), bad breath and gum disease, chronic unexplained fatigue, yeast infections, difficulty losing weight, gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, bone-thinning, frequent colds and other infections, joint pain/inflammation, insomnia and extreme menstrual or menopausal symptoms. In fact, virtually any risk factor (e.g. cholesterol), system (e.g. the nervous system-headaches or depression), organ (e.g. the liver) or disease (e.g. asthma) is worsened by a digestive system that isn’t working correctly due to insufficient friendly bugs.
How can we strengthen them? First, avoid the things above that damage the probiotics. Improve the diet to reduce sugar intake and include more fiber (it is food for the bugs). Take a probiotic supplement to replenish the supply of good guys.
Does it make a difference what brand? Absolutely. It simply isn’t possible to supplement our hundreds of strains, especially when you consider that each person has strains that are unique to them. Therefore, select a product that improves the gut environment and supports all beneficial bacteria. If you have heartburn or signs of dysbiosis, look for a brand that contains the potent TH10 strain which is an enemy of H. pylori and several strains of bacteria that cause disease. Read How to Select a Probiotic for more information.
Copyright 2008 Martie Whittekin, CCN
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