By Heather McCauley
Even if you are a person who swears by all-natural healing and supplements, you are likely to have been prescribed a dose of antibiotics at some point in your life. Antibiotics go to work attacking what ails us and successfully abolish whatever demonic force that dared invade our body. The problem with antibiotics is that they are not selective in their quest to conquer. Yes – they successfully overthrow the bad bacteria (and they are necessary in emergency medical treatment). However, antibiotics take away our friendly bacteria at the same time. This is when adding a good probiotic can speed your recovery and help prevent recurrences.
It takes nearly six months for friendly bacteria (gut flora) to repopulate the intestines once antibiotics have done their damage. A healthy balance of flora in the intestines is critical to our vitality as over 75% of the cells that create immunities call the intestines their home. Reduced or diminished flora leads to a weakened immune system and other problems such as gas, bloating, and irregular bowel movements. By restoring balance in the intestines, we promote healthy and regular elimination of waste – our bodies’ natural method of detoxifying. There are no current standards for physicians to recommend probiotics when prescribing antibiotics but millions of people would benefit if the issue were addressed.
Anyone can benefit from probiotics in their diet – not just individuals who have taken antibiotics. In lieu of adding to your good gut flora, you can opt for foods which provide the live bacteria: yogurt, kefir, olives, buttermilk, some aged cheeses, and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kim chee. Taking a probiotic supplement is also a good idea but buyer beware; studies have shown that over 40% of probiotics on the market delivered undetectable amounts of live bacteria – and almost 50% were mislabeled, listing the incorrect strains or amounts delivered. A good probiotic will also survive the acidic environment of the stomach to reach its delivery site – the intestines. I have discovered a very high quality product which has a patented delivery system and guarantees the claim for live bacteria. If you would like to know more about it, check out this website holistic health/probiotic. Wishing you good health!
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