What Do Probiotics Do? Five Myths You May not Know.

I'm sure you have heard about probiotics on TV and in women's magazines.  They seem to be the latest darling of the nutritional world with a general agreement between doctors and other allied health professionals as being a good and safe supplement.  Yes, they're popular,  but what do probiotics do?

First, an explanation of what probiotics are.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that support the good organisms in your intestine.  Your gut contains roughly seventy to eighty percent of the body's immune cells along with hundreds of natural bacteria that work to fight infection and promote overall health. 



The typical American diet along with our lifestyle and other factors such as environmental toxins and aging reduce the number of beneficial bacteria and as a result, our immunity is compromised.  Adding beneficial bacteria back into the gut can strengthen and restore digestive health and overall healthy immune function.



How can you use Probiotics in the right way to get the maximum benefit?

What do Probiotics Do?  Five Myths you may not know:

1)  Eating yogurt when you take antibiotics WORK to lessen the side effects of stomach pain while on antibiotics. 

NO, Antibiotics will rid the body of invasive bacteria and it cannot differentiate between good and bad bacteria.  So eat yogurt and your antibiotic will DESTROY the good bacteria. 

     SOLUTION: Take a yeast based probiotic that will not be affected by the antibiotic, or space out your probiotic supplement with your antibiotic in order to give the probiotic time to populate in your intestines.  Continue to take your good bacteria supplement to replace the friendly bacteria optimum levels in your gut for at least a month after antibiotic treatment.

2) Single strain probiotics are just as good as multi-strain probiotics. 

NO, products like Align and many other brands carry one to three strains of probiotics.  The more strains the better and the most comprehensive benefit is achieved.

     SOLUTION:  Search for products like Nutriclean that has ten strains of probiotics. At the very least, search for five strains.

3) All probiotic supplements make it into the digestive system.

NO. delivery is the number one criteria for probiotic success.  Most probiotics are dead on arrival in the stomach. 

      SOLUTION:  A controlled release formula is specially coated to protect the probiotic from gastric acid.

4) You need to take a probiotic supplement every day like a multi vitamin.

NO. Once your digestive system is colonized properly, you can back off the supplements keeping in mind to eat plenty of enzyme rich, raw fruits and vegetables.

5) Probiotics are safe for everyone.

NO  Probiotics are generally safe for everyone, however those with compromised immune systems should not take probiotics because they can raise the risk of infection.  Ask your doctor if you are are immuno-compromised before adding probiotics to your diet.

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