Probiotics
PROBIOTICS
Why Probiotics? Can you live without them? Are they just another marketing hype? Is it just another buzz word fad that will go away? A resounding NO, NO, and NO!
Let’s start by talking about the bacteria in our gut. Why is it there? There are about 500 different species of bacteria that reside in and on our bodies. There are 10 times more microorganisms in and on us than we have cells that make up our body. Our bodies are made up of 10 trillion cells but we have 100 trillion microorganisms in and on us.
Intestinal bacteria are the foundation of our immune system which depending on its health, keeps us healthy or allows foreign and internal invaders to attack our bodies and cause disease at the weakest points. The bacteria is needed to break down food that has not been broken down further up the digestive system and they also control the harmful bacteria by keeping them in check.
Microorganisms are everywhere in and on our bodies, in and on our food, in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and on everything that exists UNLESS they have been killed by sterilization, by pesticides, by chemicals, or by radiation. In the past our food had an abundance of friendly bacteria that was good for us and when ingested kept the bad bacteria in check. Now most of the food supply is highly processed with chemical and preservatives and the fruits and vegetables that are not processed are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides killing the microorganisms.
Eli Metchnikoff, a Russian scientist and Nobel prize winner was the first to observe the positive role of certain bacteria in the early 1900’s. He thought the gut flora could be changed by introducing good microbes that would control and replace the bad microbes that had proliferated in the absence of the correct amount of the good aerobic bacteria. He isolated and named the microbe Lactobacillus Bulgaricus which is one of the main bacteria in the intestines.
What damages the bacterial balance in our gut? Antibiotics are one of the main reasons why almost 100 million Americans suffer from gastro-intestinal problems, illnesses, and diseases. The bacterial balance has been upset because of the drugs that supposedly kill the bacteria that cause colds and flu’s and infections. Unfortunately, these drugs cannot tell the difference between the good bacteria and the bad bacteria and they kill everything. In 50 years the medical industry will look back at the amount of antibiotics that were prescribed since they were first invented and for what reasons they were prescribed and it will recognize the doctors of today as being ignorant and barbaric. When antibiotics are taken, both the good and the bad bacteria are killed leaving a person wide open for anything that comes along. Any doctor who prescribes an antibiotic without also prescribing a probiotic is at best totally ignorant of what an antibiotic does or at worst negligent and irresponsible.
Antibiotics kill off the gentler beneficial bacteria first and then some of the stronger bad bacteria. The bad bacteria that are left behind take up residence in the vacated spots and flourish. When the intestine is impacted with bad bacteria, nutrition from food cannot be absorbed.
Besides the antibiotics we get from doctors, there are antibiotics in most of the meat and dairy products that people eat which also kill the bacteria that keeps our systems functioning. Chlorinated drinking water, showers, and swimming pools also kill bacteria that we so desperately need. The chemical preservatives in processed foods is another main bacteria killer along with cooking food. Is it any wonder why 95% of the population has the wrong ratio of good aerobic bacteria to bad anaerobic bacteria and are getting sicker and sicker?
Where do we naturally get the probiotics we need? Dairy products like yogurt and kefir have good bacteria in them but they are less likely to colonize than some of the other strains which means you have to keep eating the products to maintain the balance. The strains that will colonize are much more beneficial.
What are the good bacteria? Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium bifidum (Henry Tissier was the first to isolate this bacteria and he was also the one who named it). Bacteria that are beneficial to the human body include the genus names, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces. Specific microbes include: Lactobacilus bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. rueteri, Streptococcus lactis, S. citrovorus, Bifobacterium bifidium, Saccharomyces boulardii and many others.
What are the bad bacteria? Candida Albicans, add more to the list
What is the history of probiotics? It is generally believed that the term probiotics was first introduced in 1953 by Werner Kollath to describe supplements given to people “suffering from a form of malnutrition resulting from eating too much highly refined foods”. Even back then scientists recognized the damage being done to the body by processed foods and at that time the food wasn’t that bad compared to today. Then in 1954 F. Vergin suggested that antibiotics can “upset the microbial balance of the body and that it can be restored by a proper diet of probiotics”. There again, scientist in the mid 1950’s knew of the damage being done by antibiotics and the solution. Did your doctor ever recommend probiotics when you or your children were prescribed antibiotics? I didn’t think so. In 1989, Roy Fuller came up with a definition of probiotics that is generally accepted today. “A live microbial food supplement which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial balance.”
Who needs probiotics? People whose body ecology is in dysbiosis (dysbacteriosis) and not symbiosis (symbacteriosis). People who eat the standard American western diet need probiotics to regain the correct ratio of bacteria in the gut. People who are overweight and obese are also in need of probiotics. Their bacterial balance is way off because of their diet and prescription drugs they take. Most gastro-intestinal problems including acid reflux and GERD are rooted in an overgrowth of bad bacteria.
Dysbiosis comes from the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, parasites or fungus but it can be dealt with by using “Bioecological Medicine” – probiotics, a natural product not a prescription drug. Just like in gardening where weeds can take over if allowed to, your digestive tract “weeds” can take over if allowed to. If you control the weeds, your internal garden will flourish - so feed your garden plant food and not weed food.
Once your intestinal tract has the right ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria, your body is able to deal with the flu or colds much more easily. When the intestine is impacted with bad bacteria, nutrition from food cannot be absorbed and conversely, when your intestines are ecologically balanced, you are able to absorb all of the nutrients from the foods you eat.
When is the best time to take probiotics? A half hour after a meal seems to be the best time to take a probiotic because the pH of the stomach is the highest at that time. The pH of an empty stomach is about 1 or 2. The pH of a stomach after a meal is 4 or 5 because the gastric juices have been diluted by the food. The higher the pH, the more bacteria will survive the journey to the small intestine. The more that survive the better your ecology will be. Most of the bacteria that enter our bodies in and on our food, air, water are killed by the gastric juices and acids from our mouth, esophagus, and stomach. It’s one of our bodies defense mechanisms to protect us from pathogenic bacteria that exist everywhere. To be a probiotic, a bacteria must be resistant to gastric, bile, and pancreatic juices in order to survive the trip and arrive in the small intestine alive and able to do its job. Lactobacillus is one of them that is resistant to the acids.
What probiotics are the best?
Strata Flora is the best place to start your journey towards true health and wellness or to jump start your ongoing quest. Strata Flora is an amazing product. The label says, “An Intestinal and Whole-Body Cleansing Formula plus An Advanced Probiotic Flora Complex”. The ingredients are a who’s who list of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that the body needs for survival. The probiotics are a blend of 100 billion active organisms including soil based organisms. There is a synergistic fiber complex of ground seeds, chlorella, and hemp nut. There is an essential fatty acid blend, an herbal blend, and a mineral blend. If your body
ecology is off and needs a boost, Strata Flora is the place to start. The 1st container will last a month and the 2nd container can last up to 4 months depending on how fast your body ecology reacts to the Strata Flora. After the Strata Flora, Iridesca would be the next step. These 2 products are by far the best super food powders you can buy. Yes, they are expensive but they work. What they do to your immune system is worth at least a 1000 times their cost.
SBX is about half the cost of Strata Flora and is less agressive. It is a combination of probiotics, soil micro organisms and super nutrients. It has spirulina (blue-green algae), barley juice powder (super food), minerals, trace elements, enzyme proteins, fructo-oligosaccharides and aerobic bacteria. What sets SBX apart from many other products on the market is the Homeostatic Soil Micro-Organisms. The amazing health benefits of HSM’s were discovered over 30 years ago. In nature the HSM’s will interact with fungus and mold and turn them into something good that promotes healthy plants. In the human body they help balance the good bacteria with the bad bacteria. They will destroy destructive micro organisms and help restore the immune system so it can protect the body from pathogens. The HSM’s also help rid the intestinal tract of impacted waste material that has built up over the years from eating “normally”. With a cleaner intestine, nutrients from food are more easily assimilated and absorbed into the blood. Candida, which is a problem for many people, may be helped by SBX. Intestinal health is the key to true health and wellness and SBX can play an integral role in helping to regain and maintain it.
What can help the probiotic work more efficiently? Prebiotics are foods that help the probiotics function better. Prebiotics aid in the growth of the good bacteria in the intestines. It’s food that the probiotics thrive on. Things like chlorella, a single cell algae, will allow the bacteria to grow up to 4 times its normal growth. Other highly nutritious super foods also encourage this bacterial growth.
What feeds the good bacteria? Probiotics require food like any living organism and they feed on prebiotics.
What feeds the bad bacteria? The bad bacteria feed on the refined sugars that are eaten and most Americans consume way to much on a daily basis. Refined grains and dead foods (processed) are also favorite meals for the bad bacteria. Bad bacteria feed on bad food which is not really food at all. Processed foods have given up the right to be called food because most of the nutrients have been compromised in one way or another. The “normal” diet is responsible for most of the problems with the unbalanced gut flora.
www.bacteriamuseum.org is an interesting website about pathogenic bacteria
www.usprobiotics.org is a website that has a lot of good information about probiotics. However, since they are partially funded by the Dairy Industry you must question some of their “facts” and conclusions.
In a healthy person there are 100 trillion microorganisms from about 400 different species. They help with digesting food, they help with the absorption of the nutrients and they help produce vitamins (B) and enzymes. They especially play a highly strategic role in the maintenance of our health and immune system by disallowing the harmful bacteria from getting too large a foothold.
The AEROBIC BACTERIA is not an end all cure for everything that ails you. It works synergistically with the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the nutrients that we absorb, and even our emotional state. If one part is tweaked the whole system is tweaked. The key is to balance everything in your life and not to become obsessed with one part of the whole.
Before starting any protocol which includes probiotics or diet change you should check with your doctor. He or she is a professional health care provider and knows you inside and out and can properly diagnose your "problems". If you are a good customer, I mean patient, he or she will have your best health in mind. You might ask him or her how much training they received in medical school on preventive medicine and nutrition. Most likely not very much. In that case you might consider looking for a professional health care provider who has been trained in how the body really works. I may sound a bit cynical about the medical industry but for good reason. Both of my parents died prematurely because their doctors didn't know how to solve their problems. I have been at this for over two years and with my limited knowledge I could have helped them to live many more years. The DRUGS they were given to mask over symptoms only created more problems.
Okay, I am now relaxing and thinking good EcoAerobic thoughts!
MAY EVERY CELL IN YOUR BODY RECEIVE EVERYTHING IT NEEDS TO REGAIN OR MAINTAIN HEALTH !!!
