Can Probiotics Help You? Do you really need them?
Probiotics have become overly popular today. Probiotics or Beneficial Bacteria as they are sometimes called, are the good bacteria that live mostly inside our small and large intestines and are imperative for our health. Also called Microflora, it is estimated that there are between 40–300 trillion of these microorganisms in our bodies.
Most recent research states that our whole body has/and or is made up of beneficial bacteria. They are on our skin, our eyes, and in every part of our body.
These little organisms do many important functions for us, including killing harmful organisms such as bacteria & fungus, and build important B vitamins for our nervous system, which is especially helpful for times of stress. In addition, our Appendix holds a reservoir of beneficial bacteria.
Probiotic Life Cycle
Probiotics are living organisms and have a life span of a few months to a few years, depending on the strain. When I took microbiology many years ago, we did an experiment.
We put these delicate intestinal florae into several petri dishes. We put the dishes in the freezer, the fridge, on the counter of the classroom, and near a window (I was living in California at the time — so this was a warm area for this petri dish). We then analyzed the probiotics in the petri dishes each day to see if they were still alive.
The probiotics in the freezer lived the longest. Slowing down their life cycle allowed them to stay alive. The probiotics near the window died quickly because of the heat. The colder these organisms are, the longer their life span. The warmer it is, the shorter their life.
That is why many probiotics you see are refrigerated or frozen to ensure their natural life span. Many new strains out on the market are now sold as ‘shelf-stable’ — meaning they do not have to be refrigerated. It is still not recommended to leave them in a hot car or a windowsill with the sun shining on them.
Because beneficial bacteria have a life span, you should always check the bottle for an expiration date. If there is no date, I recommend not purchasing that brand. Most beneficial bacteria cannot survive in stomach acid. So, some brands coat their tablets with enteric organisms to bypass the stomach to deliver the helpful bacterial to the intestines for best results.
What do probiotics eat?
Some probiotics are food-based — meaning they eat/live off of foods, like yeast, carrots, dairy and some eat short- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), a type of carbohydrate found in plants. When you look at the probiotics bottle, there should be food in there for them to eat. If there is not food in the bottle, the organisms won’t survive, so be sure to read labels.
Some probiotics are soil-based. Unfortunately, much of our food supply is so treated with pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones, genetically modified organisms or void of soil-based bacteria, that it often prevents us from naturally getting these beneficial organisms in our diet.
What kills probiotics?
Antibiotics (which kill helpful bacteria in addition to harmful bacteria), birth control pills, alcoholic beverages, and many other drugs also contribute to the destruction of this valuable intestinal flora.
Two of the most damaging substances to our delicate organism balance are chlorine and fluoride — which is in most tap waters. It can also be very informative to know what each prescription you are taking depletes out of your body.
You used to have to purchase a book or have access to special programs to see what nutrients or probiotics are depleted by each medication out of the body. But now you can just do a simple web search. Simply type the name of the medication of concern in any browser — sample: “amoxicillin probiotics depleted” or “metformin nutrients depleted”.
Poor eating habits, stress, and antibiotics used in our foods also can wreak havoc in the gastrointestinal area by destroying good bacteria and allowing bad bacteria to multiply.
Why do we need Probiotics?
When your body is low on beneficial bacteria, it can cause gas, bloating, bad breath, constipation, diarrhea, intestinal toxicity, and poor absorption of nutrients. Taking probiotics helps people that are under stress by building important B vitamins.
If you already have an infection and are taking an antibiotic, it may be beneficial to take probiotics when done with your medication. This will replace what the antibiotic killed. Some people find if they are having symptoms while on the antibiotics, that probiotics can help. Check with your health professional for the best results.
Replenishing Probiotics
Many people think that if they eat some yogurt or take an L. Acidophilus capsule after a round of antibiotics, that will be sufficient. But this is just one of about 600+ known strains of probiotics that live in our bodies.
1- Typical yogurt available in stores is loaded with sugar and other ingredients impeding the growth of decent supply of bacteria.
2- Probiotics not coated with enteric organisms to make it past your stomach acid to your small intestine, may be a waste of money.
3- Dairy yogurt is most likely not helping overall. Yogurt made from coconut or hemp milk would be a better option. You can read about the problem with dairy here. And soy can also be an issue, and nut milks are high in lectins which causes digestive issues for many.
So much misinformation and confusing marketing messaging makes this challenging for consumers, so do your research to get the best results for your body.
Best Sources of Probiotics
There are many types of probiotics available, L-Acidophiles, Bifidobacteria, lactobacillus, and many, many more. One series of probiotics that I have used with my clients is a three-step process which helps people who have just had major surgeries. They have helped immensely with getting people on the road to recovery. And if you don’t have an Appendix, you may find taking probiotics beneficial for your body.
However, if you don’t take medications, haven’t had recent surgeries and/or have your appendix intact, there may be other nutrients your body needs more than probiotics. Work with your health professional to determine what is best for your situation.
Although taking probiotics in supplement form can be beneficial for some, the best source of probiotics is fermented foods. Fermented foods include, kombucha, kimchi, fermented pickles, and fermented sauerkraut to name a few. Go for the fresh pickles or sauerkraut in the deli, not the ones on the shelf which have no probiotics and harmful additives. One serving of fermented foods provides a plethora of beneficial bacteria for our bodies. Imagine what eating them several times a week would do.
As always, the options, choices and results are all yours.
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About the Author
Kasara is educated as a Mental Health Therapist, Master Herbalist, Traditional Naturopath and Energy Worker with over 35 years of helping thousands of clients find alternative health options that work. She writes articles on Medium, and on her website http://truhealth.com/. You may subscribe to her Medium account or her newsletter to stay connected.
