Probiotics

Probiotics – Do you need to take them?

There is a whole host of research available on the therapeutic effect of probiotics.  There is also a huge selection of probiotics to choose from.

I have spent a lot of time learning about the benefits of probiotics over many years and spoken to lots of experts and attended lectures by gastroenterologists. It’s definitely something that my experience shows the more you learn the less you know. Having attended lectures and had one-to-one discussions I now have a much better understanding of how important and valuable the balance of the bacteria, (microbiome) in your gut is. Without this amazing ecosystem we would die. Even with all this knowledge, I am sure we are only just scratching the surface of the micro-world of bacteria.

What I do know, and the scientific research is there to prove it, (type it into your web browser and see what you find!) is that probiotics help the immune system. They help with inflammation, which is almost always present in people with gut problems, and even what might seem like simple constipation. Probiotics have also been shown to help suffer with problems such as hayfever, dust allergies and rhinitis. Probiotics are now being identified as highly recommended for inflammatory bowel diseases, and gut related problems. It’s a massive subject which I can’t even begin to talk about here and I’m not an expert on probiotics!
Suffice to say, probiotics are believed to help with digestive problems and there is an enormous amount of evidence and research to support the advice.

One of the things that we regularly hear is that colonics wash out beneficial bacteria. This ignores the fact that a congested bowel is a breeding ground for non-beneficial bacteria and allows waste products from digestion to linger and stagnate. Surely it is better to empty this out and allow the ecobalance to re-establish itself properly and probiotics can help this process.