Probiotics: A Solution for Bloating, Gas, IBS, Skin Infections, Tooth Decay, Diarrhea, and More

If you experience bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, skin infections, vaginal infections, or diarrhea, you’ll want to read more about probiotics and the benefits of taking a probiotic supplement every day.

Probiotics are live microorganisms (bacteria in most cases) that are similar to the beneficial microorganisms in the stomach. They are also known as “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria.” Probiotic bacterial cultures help restore your body’s natural intestinal flora.

Ideally, the colony of microflora in the digestive tract should be made up of 85 percent friendly bacteria and 15 percent harmful bacteria. This balance is affected by the use of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, steroids, exposure to radiation (X-rays and radiotherapy), consumption of chlorinated water, refined sugars and other refined foods, and by poor digestion, poor waste disposal, stress and an unhealthy diet.

When the balance of good and bad bacteria is negatively upset, your body becomes overloaded with toxins, leading to disease and chronic illness. Taking a probiotic supplement and eating foods that contain probiotics will help buffer stomach acid and intestinal bile, increasing the chances that the good bacteria will survive.

Benefits of probiotics:

• Improve digestion of food.
• Improve the absorption of vitamins.
• produce enzymes
• Increase the availability of vitamins and nutrients, especially vitamin B, vitamin K, lactase, fatty acids and calcium
• Helps kill viruses and parasites.
• Increase resistance to infection.
• Inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria.
• Regulate the pH value by producing lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide. Increases the acidity of the intestine (lower pH value) and inhibits the reproduction of many harmful bacteria and yeasts

Probiotics treat the following:

• Infectious diarrhea and traveler’s diarrhea
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• vaginal infection
• skin infections
• tooth decay
• Infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that causes most ulcers and chronic stomach inflammation
• Reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance
• Lower cholesterol levels when they are high

Foods that contain probiotics:

• Yogurt*
• Fermented and unfermented milk
• miso
• tempeh
• Sauerkraut
• Some juices and soy drinks

*Not all yogurts contain active bacterial culture. L acidophilus, L bulgaricus, and S thermophilus are the most common bacterial strains added to yogurt. These bacteria are on the ingredient list. More labels indicate “live cultures” or “active cultures”, which you want to look for. Avoid heat-treated yogurt after culture. This means that the added bacteria were pasteurized, which can destroy live cultures.

Why do you need probiotics?

• Drinking chlorinated water destroys your intestinal flora
• Farm animals are fed antibiotics to keep disease down. When you eat meat, you take these antibiotics
• When the ratio of good to bad bacteria is reduced, problems such as excess gas, bloating, constipation, intestinal toxicity, and poor absorption of nutrients begin to arise.
• Alcoholic beverages kill probiotics, encouraging the overgrowth of harmful bacteria and yeast
• The use of antibiotics directly kills all the bacteria in your intestinal tract. This is why probiotics are recommended while taking antibiotics.
• Birth control pills and many other medications damage the intestinal flora and the tissue of the intestinal wall.

How to choose probiotics:

You do not need a prescription to take probiotics, as they are available in supermarkets and health food stores. Taking probiotics when your body doesn’t really need them won’t do you any harm.

Consider the following when looking for a probiotic:

• The type of bacteria, including the genus and species.
• The potency or number of bacteria per dose.
• purity
• Natrol BioBeads is one of the most effective probiotic acidophilus on the market. Does not have to be refrigerated and only needs to be taken once a day

Start by taking at least 1-10 billion viable cells of L. acidophilus or B. bifidum daily in 3-4 divided doses. Take them on an empty stomach or at least 30-60 minutes before eating. Take 15 to 20 billion viable organisms daily to prevent diarrhea caused by antibiotics.

Maintaining a proper pH balance within the gastrointestinal tract is critical to the growth and health of probiotics. The pH within the small intestine should be slightly alkaline (7.5-8.0) and the colon should be slightly acidic (6.0-6.8). Without the correct pH, probiotics will not work properly. To achieve and maintain pH balance, it is important to eat the right foods.