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Probiotics and Their Effect On the
Body
Probiotics are nutritional supplements that contain strains
of beneficial bacteria. You might wonder why someone would
actually introduce bacteria into their diet. Bacteria are
living in your body right now, over 3 pounds of it just in
your intestines. That probably makes you want to run to the
doctor's office and pick up a prescription for antibiotics.
But before you do, you should realize that not all bacteria
are the same. Everyone's body has a combination of good bacteria
and bad bacteria living in it. The object is to have more
good bacteria than bad, and this is where Probiotics come
into play. They replenish the good bacteria and allow it to
thrive and crowd out the illness-causing bad bacteria. And
overgrowth of bad bacteria can lead to, or complicate a variety
of diseases and even in an otherwise healthy person can cause
diarrhea and abdominal pain. Doctors in Europe have long recommended
probiotics to their patients, and finally, many doctors in
the United States are starting to follow their lead.
Bad bacteria can enter your body in a variety of ways. It's
in the food we eat. It's on the door handles that we touch
the phones that we answer. In short, bad bacteria are all
around us. It enters the body and takes up residence in the
small and large intestine, and once there, it flourishes.
It latches on to the intestinal wall and begins to affect
digestion. It causes inflammation of the intestinal lining
and begins to inhibit the absorption of many nutrients. It
even begins to produce toxic substances, like alcohols and
aldehydes. The least serious result of bad bacteria in the
gut is gas and bloating, mild abdominal pain, constipation,
or diarrhea. But there are serious side effects as well. Overgrowth
of bad bacteria is thought to contribute to many of the intestinal
disorders we suffer with, like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chrones
disease, and Leaky Gut Syndrome. All in all, bad bacteria
are bad for your body.
Lucky for us, researchers discovered probiotics, or good
bacteria. Most of you probably know more about good bacteria
than you think. We've all heard of Acidopholus, right? It
is the main culture of most commercially prepared yogurt.
We've all been told to look for the label stating "Live
and Active Cultures." In essence, yogurt is a very weak
probiotic. It contains a specific strain of bacteria that
is normally found in our bodies. But this is not the kind
of bacteria that makes us sick. This is a good bacterium.
And there are many different varieties of it. Good bacteria
enter our system, and again take up residence in the intestines.
It fights with bad bacteria for nutrients and food, and if
there are enough good bacteria, it will crowd out the bad
and leave us with a more balanced system. It reduces the amounts
of toxic substances in the gut and allows for the more effective
production of digestive enzymes, such as lactase, which is
needed to digest dairy products. In many cases, people with
food sensitivities notice a reduction of their symptoms when
they begin a long-term regimen of probiotics. Good bacteria
also protect the lining of the intestines and allow our bodies
to more easily fight off infection.
There are even more benefits to probiotics. Pediatricians
in Finland performed a double-blind placebo controlled study
with pregnant and nursing women. They found that women taking
probiotics during pregnancy and breastfeeding reduced the
chance of infants developing eczema, and also helped to prevent
allergies in babies. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a doctor
who uses a combination of holistic measures and standard drugs
to treat his patients, taking a probiotic every day can reduce
or reverse problems like acne, eczema, psoriasis, bad breath
or body odor, developmental delays in some children, yeast
infections, high cholesterol levels, chronic fatigue syndrome,
fibromyalgia, and frequent colds and flu.
So, while we should all probably take a probiotic every day,
there are some times in our lives when we should "double
up". Antibiotics are quite effective at killing off the
bacteria that make us sick, but they also kill off the good
bacteria. And science has shown that the bad always grows
back more quickly. You need to actively replenish your system
with probiotics to rebalance your body. You should also increase
your probiotic intake after vaccinations, when you are sick
with a cold or flu, and any time you have diarrhea.
Also, it is important to note that just eating yogurt is
not enough. You need a quality probiotics with at least 10
to 16 different strains of live bacteria. Each strain of bacteria
works slightly differently with your body, and some strains
only take up residence in the small intestine. Probiotics
are available in a powdered capsule form, and also as a liquid
mixed with dairy. For children, the capsules can be opened
and added to their favorite cold drinks. Many brands suggest
refrigeration, and probiotics in general have a relatively
short shelf life. In a perfect world, you should never heat
a probiotic, or add it to a warm liquid, as this will kill
the live cultures. But, a study done by Eyal Raz from the
University of California, found that good bacteria is just
as effective dead as it is alive.
Your doctor may be able to give you additional information
about probiotics, though many doctors in the United States
are just learning about these supplements. You may find it
helpful to search out a doctor who uses a combination of holistic
remedies and standard drugs. In any case, you should look
into probiotics as a way to improve your health.
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Author: Eric Choong
Please visit my website at: http://www.health-beauty-care.com
(You are granted the right to reprint this article but the
title
and content must remain unchanged and the authors name
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