Probiotics
Many healthcare practitioners believe that overall health begins in the digestive tract. Poor digestion compromises all parts of the body because the digestion of food provides fuel for all body processes, organs, and systems. The GI tract also plays a prominent role in immune health. The colonization of beneficial microorganisms has to be in place for the immune system to work properly. You would be shocked to know how many clients who have a compromised immune system are not on a probiotic.
Just like any living species, the environment for it to thrive in must be the focus. Individuals must be aware of what destroys the balance of the good and bad bacteria in their GI tract. If harmful organisms proliferate, the delicate balance is disturbed and it becomes very difficult for helpful bacteria to maintain their territory and to colonize the intestinal tract. Antibiotics from medications, certain foods and water tend to kill off both the beneficial and harmful bacteria, and thus disrupt the normal healthy balance of intestinal microorganisms.
Not all probiotics work the same. Individuals have different needs that require different strains of probiotics.
Probiotics vs. Prebiotics
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that are normally present in a healthy digestive tract. They are important for proper digestion, prevention of yeast overgrowth, and synthesizing vitamin K. Probiotic bacteria, or “good bacteria,” promote favorable balance of intestinal microflora. The human intestines harbor between 300 and 1000 different species of flora. Some people estimate that there are one hundred billion or one trillion bacteria per gram of colonic content in the large intestine. This amount is ten times as many cells as there are in the human body!
Probiotics are naturally occurring in various types of foods like buttermilk, cheese, kefir, miso, sauerkraut, tempeh, and yogurt. However, most individuals are not consuming enough of these foods to colonize the GI tract and are consuming foods that are destroying the few they do have. Bacteria are continually in competition for colonization space. Beneficial bacteria has to win this battle for homeostasis.
Prebiotics are the “food” probiotics live on. They’re carbs your body can’t digest. So they move to your lower digestive tract, where they help the healthy bacteria grow. Sources of prebiotics are apples, bananas, berries, garlic, green veggies, oats, tomatoes, onions, and wheat. Eating a diet full of these foods will help insure your probiotic is getting “fuel” for its job. This is also a warning to those who are on a continuous KETO diet. You need some carbs for fuel (prebiotics) to work for the probiotic.
Frontier Biotics
This is a general probiotic I recommend for individuals who have their health foundations in place and are looking for a general broad spectrum for healthy colonization.
Recommended use for:
• Daily Multi for GI Tract
• Normalizing Digestion
• Supporting Regularity
Frontier Biotics is a non-dairy probiotic formulation produced from an all-natural source of beneficial microorganisms. It is designed to support digestive tract health and provide ingredients that support proper immune function and microbial balance in adults. Frontier Biotics contains some species of the numerous microorganisms that naturally populate the human gastrointestinal tract.
About the Ingredients:
Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-14): well-suited for intestinal survival, strong adhesion to intestinal wall, enhances immune regulation, inhibits common pathogens.
Bifidobacterium lactis (Bl-04): high tolerance to survival in intestinal conditions (acid & bile), strong adhesion to intestinal wall, maintains & rapidly restores microbiota after antibiotic therapy, improves immune response, may reduce inflammation.
Bifidobacterium longum (Bl-05) and Bifidobacterium breve (Bb-03: discovered in 1899 in the feces of breastfed infants and are the most abundant species in the intestines of nursing babies. Adheres well to intestinal wall and survives acid and bile.
Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp-115): Occurs spontaneously in naturally fermented plant-based foods like olives, sauerkraut, & kimchi. Used as starter in sourdough bread, meat products, & wine. High survival rates in human intestines (bile, acid, pepsin, and pancreatin). Modulates immune system and fights disease-causing bacteria.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lr-32): Like the others, is well suited for survival in intestines (acid and bile) and adherence to intestinal wall. Anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory effects. Lactobacillus casei (Lc-11): Found naturally in fermented meat, milk, and vegetables, this strain is used as a started culture in fermented food products. This strain inhibits common pathogenic bacteria, is highly tolerant of acid and bile thus survives well in the human intestinal tract.
Lactobacillus salivarius (Ls-33): this species inhabits both the intestinal tract and the urogenital area. It modulates the immune system and inflammation, perhaps helping in colitis. Also inhibits common pathogens and is well-suited for intestinal survival.
SBC II
Recommended to support a more aggressive approach for:
• GI health
• Immune System
• Yeast Infections
• Diarrhea
• Gastrointestinal Balance
Stains:
Saccharomyces Boulardii (BioOtic) is a nonpathogenic yeast that has been proven to support the gastrointestinal tract. Research studies have proven that S.Boulardii may work by modulating the body’s immune response, thus helping to improve the resistance to enteropathogenic bacteria.
Bifidobacterium lactis (Bl-04): high tolerance to survival in intestinal conditions (acid & bile), strong adhesion to intestinal wall, maintains & rapidly restores microbiota after antibiotic therapy, improves immune response, may reduce inflammation.
The Bl-04 strains benefits include:
- A long history of safe use
- Well-Suited for intestinal survival
- Gastrointestinal health and well-being
- Beneficial modulation of immune functions
Intestinal health and Immune function
• Over 60% of your bodies immune cells live in the mucosal cells of the intestinal tract. This provides the body with the first line of defense against any foreign invaders. It is designed to activate and fight off any foreign invaders such as toxins, bacteria, yeasts, viruses, chemical plus many other things we are exposed to on a daily basis.
• Maintaining a normal and balanced microbial ecological system is vital to maximizing the immune system. This very delicate and complex system contains over 400 different species of probiotics and over 1 trillion cells.
Super Biotics
Recommended to support:
• Maximum Strength
• Auto Immune Support
• Support Bowel Regularity
Super Biotics contains 12 species of microorganisms from non-dairy sources. Because each strain has an affinity for a different part of the digestive tract, and a unique mechanism of action, a product that delivers multiple strains is preferable to single strain products.*
Super Biotics is:
· Guaranteed to contain 50 billion CFUs of microorganisms in each vegetarian capsule.
· A non-dairy multi probiotic product to best mimic normal human flora.*
Recommended For:
· Individuals who are lactose intolerant*
· Normalizing digestion*
· Supporting regularity*
· Urologic support*
· Immune system support*
About the Formula
Lactobacilli (L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. casei, L. salivarius, L. Plantarum, L. Paracasei) are lactic acid-producing bacteria found in the human intestines. Many strains of bacteria from the Lactobacillus family have been shown to support bowel movement regularity, urogenital & vaginal health, production of the lactase enzymes and protection of the gut lining from unwanted materials.
L. salivarius is a probiotic strain that has been shown to survive low pH conditions. It has also been shown to support immune system function by modulating certain cytokines (IL-10 and IL-12). In vitro studies have shown that L. Salivarius strongly adheres to human epithelia cell lines. This interaction with the mucosa demonstrates its support of the intestinal immune system.
Bifidobacteria (B. lactis, B. longum, B. infantis) are located in the colon and produce lactic and acetic acids, making the gut an inhospitable environment for unwanted microorganisms. (2, 3). Bifidobacteria (and other species) have been shown to promote bowel movement regularity.
Streptococcus thermophilus is also a lactic acid producer, which lines the gut wall to protect the gut microbiome.* One animal study even showed that Streptococcus thermophilus helped alleviate allergic response and reduce airway inflammation in antibiotic-treated mice.
BioPro ENT
Digestion begins in the mouth and is dependent upon healthy teeth and gums. BioPro ENT is a chewable probiotic formula that contains ingredients targeted toward supporting microflora balance in the mouth and upper respiratory system.
BioPro ENT provides a combination of clinically-studied probiotic strains shown to support the health of the teeth, gums, ears, and sinuses. Featuring BLIS K12TM(Streptococcus salivarius K12), this mint-flavored chewable formula is ideal for promoting a healthy mouth and upper respiratory system.
Now that you have learned how important beneficial bacteria is, you may remember the statement earlier….Bacteria are continually in competition for colonization space. Beneficial bacteria has to win this battle for homeostasis. This leads the question, “Can you develop an overgrowth of beneficial bacteria?”
The answer is, yes. Rare, but it does happen. This is called SIBO…. Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. This causes pain, bloating and can lead to malnutrition. Some of the symptoms are pain in the stomach, especially after eating, bloating, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, regular feeling of fullness, and gas. As you can see, this can be very tricky to diagnose because these are similar symptoms to those who also need beneficial bacteria and enzymes.
A breath test is one of the easiest ways to diagnose this and usually an antibiotic is prescribed for treatment along with dietary changes. This begins the wheel again to colonize healthy bacteria.
The key factor here is balance. Too much of anything is NOT a good thing. Get your health foundations in place and live an 80/20 lifestyle.
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Disclaimer
All material on this website is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
