Ask the Nutritionist
Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH, author
of “The Cleanse Cookbook”
When I am asked by nutrition
clients, “What is the most important supplement to take daily?” My answer
is always Probiotics. The reason being is that a good quality
probiotic formula supports your overall digestive and intestinal health.
If your digestive and intestinal health is compromised, then you may have
problems with digesting, assimilating and utilizing your nutrients
properly, which can lead to mal-absorption, leaky gut syndrome, and a
myriad of other colon health and general health issues.
Dr. Bernard Jensen, DC, ND, PhD
states: “It has become crystal clear that poor bowel management lies
at the root of most people’s health problems."
Dr. John Harvey Kellogg said over
a century ago that “90% of diseases are due to improper functioning
of the colon.”
I agree with these great pioneers of
natural health. I believe our gastrointestinal health is the key
cornerstone to our overall health and well being. When I am consulting
with clients on health and dietary issues, I always begin with their “gut”
health including their digestion, absorption and elimination, regardless
of what their health concern is. A big part of gut health is probiotic
organisms, which are bacteria that support a healthy intestinal eco-system
by keeping harmful bacteria and viruses in check.
Cause of Bacterial Imbalances:
The delicate balance of bacteria in
the gut can be compromised by many factors in our modern lifestyle
including:
-
Antibiotics
-
Chlorination in our water and soil
supplies (drinking, bathing and ingestion)
-
Oral Contraceptives
-
Cortisone-type Medications
-
Excessive Stress – long term
mental and emotional
-
Poor Diet
-
Excessive Sugar and Alcohol
Consumption
-
Over-the-counter drugs that alter
the pH (acid/alkaline) balance of the intestinal tract
-
Carbonated beverages, especially
sugared sodas
-
Artificial Sweeteners
-
Lack of Beneficial Bacteria
(Probiotics) in Colon
Symptoms of Dysbiosis (Intestinal
Bacterial Imbalances):
When this balance of intestinal
bacteria is compromised, a condition called Dysbiosis can occur. Dysbiosis
is a condition when unhealthy pathogens (overabundance of unfriendly
microorganisms) take over the delicate balance in the intestines –
creating a multitude of symptoms that can lead to the following to name
just a few:
-
Poor Digestion
-
Leaky Gut Syndrome
-
Constipation/Diarrhea
-
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
-
Food Allergies and Intolerances
-
Spastic Colon
-
Bloating and Distension of the
stomach and colon
-
Flatulence
-
Candida Yeast Overgrowth
-
Colon Cancer
-
General Health Decline – including
fatigue, poor complexion, bad breath, body odor
-
Other Digestive, Colon and
Elimination symptoms and conditions
Immune and Colon Health Connection:
Did you know that when your
intestinal health is compromised, it can also affect your immune health?
Studies show that at infancy about 70%, and in adulthood about 40% to 50%
of the immune cells are associated with the intestines?
According to gastroenterologist
and internal medicine doctor, Dr. Joseph Brasco in the
"Restoring Your Digestive Health" book, “The gut-associated
lymphatic tissue (GALT) secretes special ‘killer’ cells into the mucosa
of the intestines to fight bacteria, viruses and toxins. These cells
include macrophages, natural killer cells, mast cells and
intraepithelial lymphocytes. Their job is to identify and destroy
dangerous substances to keep them from permeating the walls of the
intestines and poisoning the body. The intestinal tract is the first
line of defense against disease.”
Since so much of the immune system
is associated with the intestines, bowel imbalances, conditions and
diseases can create health issues not only in the gastrointestinal tract
but also with vital immune functions. Also, when the immune system in the
intestines fails, toxins and bacteria are able to permeate the through the
intestinal lining and toxify the body (a condition called leaky gut
syndrome).
Probiotics to the Rescue!
Probiotics or intestinal flora
provide our initial line of defense for our intestinal health. The word
“Probiotics” is derived from Greek: pro (for) biotic (life) and literally
means “for life.” But not all probiotic supplements are as effective at
restoring bowel health and balance. For those of you that are familiar
with my writings on
whole food vitamins, you know that I recommend using
whole food vitamins rather than isolated vitamins because
whole food
vitamin supplements are made from whole foods and provide all of the
cofactors and nutrients needed to absorb and utilize the nutrients
properly, whereas isolates do not.
I believe the same is true for
Probiotics – many probiotic supplements are bacterial isolates (isolated
from their culture medium) and lack the valuable cofactors that are needed
for proper assimilation and colonization in the intestines. Whereas, whole
food, fermented probiotics are absorbed and recognized by the body. So in
addition to eating high quality, lacto-fermented foods, I also recommend
daily consumption fermented, whole food probiotics.
This fermentation process of
whole-food probiotics duplicates the lacto-fermentation process in that
the probiotics are grown in the proper growth media for the microbes. At
completion of the growth process, the microbes are then dried at low
temperatures. Including the substrate from the growth media is the key for
this fermentation process because of the synergistic, chemical reaction
process that occurs – resulting in a host of additional co-factors,
enzymes and healthy bacteria that enhances the potency and absorption
value of the fermented probiotic.
HSO’s - Homeostatic Soil Organisms
– Dirt’s Hidden Gold for Health:
My top two recommendations for whole
food, fermented probiotics are called
Primal Defense and
Primal Defense Ultra by
Garden of Life. Both of these probiotic formulas are fermented
from whole food sources and also contain a more resilient and hardy strain
of bacterial organism called Homeostatic Soil Organisms (HSO’s) which are
tiny bacterial microorganisms that originate in nature’s soil. Their
function is to provide the soil and plants with nutrients, by releasing
enzymes into the soil that kill off molds, yeasts and other pathogens that
obstruct plant growth. HSO’s provide the same benefits for our G.I. tract
as they do for plants and soil by destroying pathogens including: fungi,
molds, yeasts and viruses. HSO’s also help maintain homeostasis (balance)
by clearing harmful pathogens and facilitating the absorption of food and
nutrients. HSO’s are able to withstand stomach acids and temperature
unlike most other types of probiotics.
Due to our modern lifestyle and
commercial farming practices, many of these life-enhancing HSO’s are no
longer prevalent in our foods. Practices like pesticides and other farming
chemicals, chlorinated water, pasteurization and heat food processing have
all decreased and/or eliminated these health supporting HSO’s in our
diets. For more research and information on the value of HSO’s, see the
recommended reading resources below.
Primal Defense and Primal Defense
Ultra Probiotics:
Primal Defense and
Primal Defense Ultra by
Garden of Life are both shelf-stable, fermented, whole food
probiotics that contain Homeostatic Soil Based Organisms. Both of these
formulas support a healthy gastrointestinal environment, support regular
bowel function and support a healthy immune system. The key probiotics in
these formulas are able to thrive in stomach and bile acids for maximum
effectiveness. The HSO’s in the Primal Defense probiotic formulas support
normal absorption and assimilation of nutrients in the G.I. tract.
For those with looser bowel
movements, I recommend using the
Primal Defense probiotic formula
and for those who tend toward constipation or drier bowel movements, I
recommend the
Primal Defense Ultra. Both of the
Primal Defense probiotics contains 12 - 13 species of beneficial
probiotics, including the HSO’s.
For
more information on the Primal Defense probiotics, click here.
For more information on the Primal Defense Ultra, probiotics, click here.
For more information on G.I. health,
click here for the "Restoring Your Digestive Health" book.
Additional Probiotics Resources:
To Your Vibrant Health & Well-Being!
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