The Benefits Of Probiotics
- From: rpautrey2 <rpautrey2@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 05:45:48 -0700 (PDT)
The Benefits of Probiotics
The human body is made up of an estimated 100 trillion bacterial cells
from at least 500 species, not including viruses and fungi. These
bacterias (probiotics) are referred to as "friendly" bacteria and are
responsible for several important biological functions. Some of these
functions include assisting with digestion, keeping other harmful
bacteria at bay and stimulating the immune system.
Researchers are hopeful that probiotics hold the answer to the growing
number of cases of antibiotic resistance and abuse. This has caused
consumers to search for other natural alternatives to treating various
health conditions.
Certain studies have proven the many health benefits of probiotics
such as the prevention or control of:
Food and skin allergies in children
Bacterial vagniosis
Premature labor in pregnant women
Inflammatory bowel disease
Recurrent ear and bladder infections
Chronic diarrhea
Although it's received little recognition by Western medical
professionals, the health benefits of probiotics have been known for
at least 100 years.
Probiotics are defined as "live microorganisms which, when
administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the
host." Unfortunately, most of the food and supplements being marketed
as probiotics contain little to no health value, according to
researchers.
There are two reasons for their ineffectiveness. First, they are
present in too small a quantity to offer any health benefits.
Secondly, many of the probiotics haven't undergone proper clinical
testing. Despite this evidence, companies continue to make claims that
their products are effective and consumers continue to believe them.
Experts agree that the absence of bacteria in the intestines is
unhealthy. This was apparent in the experiment of laboratory animals
that were raised to be germ-free and were frequently sick, exhibited
grossly underdeveloped immune systems and vulnerable intestinal
tracts.
To date, one of the most significant benefits of probiotics is its
ability to prevent eczema in babies with an inherited tendency to
develop allergies.
New York Times September 14, 2004
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Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It's great news that the benefits of probiotics are being fully
explored, and sought out as an alternative to the antibiotics humans
are increasingly becoming resistant to.
Although I am not a big fan of nutritional supplementation the way it
is currently practiced by most natural medicine clinicians, I have
found probiotics (beneficial bacteria) to be an exception.
It is the ONLY supplement I recommend for ALL new patients (unless of
course they are already on one). I don't believe that they need to
stay on it the rest of their lives, but one to three months are
usually beneficial until they are able to get their diet improved.
Total health begins in the gut so if your GI tract is not in optimal
health, then your overall health will be compromised.
I have also learned the value of fermented foods that are loaded with
good bacteria. They give the body similar benefits as consuming a
whole bottle of good bacteria, but at a fraction of the cost. One of
the best ways and least expensive to achieve this would be to obtain
raw milk and convert it to kefir. Kefir is very easy to make. All you
have to do is put one half packet of the kefir start granules in a
quart of raw milk at room temperature and leave it out over night. By
the time you wake up in the morning you will likely have kefir. If it
hasn’t obtained the consistency of yogurt you might want to set out a
bit longer and then store it in the fridge.
The quart of kefir has far more active bacteria than you can possibly
purchase in any probiotics supplement and it is very economically as
you can reuse the kefir from the original quart of milk about ten
times before you need to start a new culture pack so one starter
package of kefir granules can convert about 50 gallons of milk to
kefir.
Kefir is one of the secrets of health of the long aged eastern
Europeans and I can guarantee you that they did not use store
purchased pasteurized milk to make their kefir. Don’t even think of
using pasteurized milk as you really don’t want to consume that at
all.
Related Articles:
One Third of Probiotics, "Good Bacteria" Products Like Acidophilus,
Found to be Worthless
Beneficial Bacteria (Probiotics) During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Helps Protect Against Eczema
100 Trillion Bacteria in Your Gut: Learn How to Keep the Good Kind
There
Good Bacteria Work Even When They are Dead
Probiotics In Primary Prevention Of Atopic Disease
Good Bacteria May Relieve Autism Symptoms
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http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/09/29/probiotics-benefits.aspx
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