I.M.120 Helping you to BE YOUR BEST SELF

 

Your colon, when healthy, is coated with more than 3 pounds of bacteria. This diverse community of good bacteria acts as a shield defending your body against unhealthy invaders. The colon is constructed with a very thin lining separating the outside world full of its toxins and pathological bacteria from your internal organs. Antibiotics either taken by prescription or that come laced in our food, sugar and simple carbohydrates that stimulate the growth of disease causing bacteria, and other pro-inflammatory toxins that are found in our food and water all contribute to a "leaky gut" that allows passage of unhealthy microscopic pro-inflammatory triggers from the outside world into our internal organs. 

 

 

Think of your front lawn. If you look out and see patches of dirt, it's only a matter of time before weeds and other invaders take over. Now you're left with a problem of either ripping them out or putting chemicals on them to control the problem. Probiotics act like rich mulch over seeding your lawn. The best defense against invaders is a thick healthy lawn that prevents unwanted weeds and bugs from establishing a foothold. Probiotics act as that rich  mulch over-seeding the lining of your gut, preventing disease and guarding against infection. 

 

 

Unfortunately, large commercial companies have caught on to the marketing appeal of probiotics and are starting to mass-produce inferior quality products. In one study, over 80% of commercial probiotics were found to contain nothing but dead bacteria, incapable of reproducing in your gut.  In other cases, the type and quantity of probiotics are fully inadequate to achieve an outcome.  Depending on the patient's clinical condition, we use products containing up to 225 billion or 3 trillion colonies of properly balanced probiotics.

 

 

Organic sauerkraut and organic, plain yogurts (those without fruit) are a couple of sources. Sweetened yogurts which include those that have fruit mixed in are inadequate to restore optimal got health

 

 

 

Some symptoms of dysbiosis (A condition of in adequate balance of healthy bacteria in the gut ) include; bloating, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea, sour stomach or heartburn. 

 

Even in the absence of symptoms, a regular use of a probiotic can reduce the assault on the body by pro-inflammatory toxins that can accelerate cellular break down and make us more vulnerable to chronic illnesses, everything from heart disease to arthritis to cancer to frequent bladder and prostate infections. 

 

For those of you with highly developed, low carbohydrate organic diets, intermittent restocking of the colon with healthy bacteria can be a reasonable approach. In this case, probiotics used once per week or for one week at a time per month, can be a healthy alternative. For the rest of us with an average American lifestyle, daily use is recommended. 

 

When it comes to fundamental elements of health maintenance, it always makes the most sense to consult with a health provider who is an expert in functional medicine. This can save you a lot of wasted time ingesting supplements of uncertain benefit.

 

To your best health,

Dr. Stephen Petteruti