Regarding Bowel Movements

The piece below, by Denise Moffat, contains all you ever wanted to know about bowel movements (and were afraid to ask).

The point I hope you walk away with is that many maladies and conditions occur because of an improper diet.  Regardless of whether you think you eat well -if you suffer, your diet needs improvement.

The safest way (without prescription meds) for restoring your digestive health is through the use of probiotics supplements.

Whole Food Nation offers a sophisticated supplement (called Pop-a-Green & Pop-a-Purple) containing scores of natural whole foods (fruits & veggies), probiotics, metabolic boosters, digestive enzymes and much more. They are designed to get you healthy and keep you that way.  My family has been on them for 5 years and we have never been in better health, generally.  We also watch our diet.

 What, exactly is in those Pops? 

Something else that may be of interest as a more focused fix, if in distress, is the  Bowtrol probiotic supplement.

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With every new exam I ask the same question. . .

‘How many bowel movements do you have each day? Do you see any mucous, blood, diarrhea or constipation?’

Feces, crap, stools, shit, poop, manure, BM, #2, dung, droppings, and bowel contents are all the same thing. I use all these terms as sometimes my clients don’t know what feces or stool is. If I can’t communicate with my clients, I can’t help them.

Feces contains water, indigestible fiber, undigested food, sloughed off intestinal cells, living and dead bacteria, bile, and worn out red blood cells. A normal stool should be brown to light brown, formed but not hard or too soft, cylindrical but not flattened on any side, fairly bulky and full bodied but not compact, easy to pass, and it shouldn’t have an extremely foul smell. Each bowel movement should be in one piece, about the size and shape of a banana being tapered at the end. Sometimes this will not be discernable if the feces breaks up in the toilet. Some people feel that if the body is absorbing all the minerals from the food that the stool will float. Others believe that the stool should sink. I think the important thing is that there are no air bubbles in the stool and that it doesn’t drop like a brick in the toilet. It should be somewhere in between.

An occasional deviation from this pattern is acceptable. Any chronic deviation from the above pattern is not healthy and should be dealt with.

It’s amazing how many people don’t even look at their stools in the toilet. It’s so important. Stools can reveal a lot about your health if you learn to read them. Digestion happens. It’s a shame that few of us are unable to talk about them without embarrassment. For instance:

Air or bubbles in the stool can mean that we have a gut or flora imbalance and that gas producing bacteria are overgrown and competing with the healthier flora.

Alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation can be cause by irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, red meat, spices, sugar, alcohol, stress, lack of fiber, irregular bowel habits.

Color: Stools are usually the color of the food.

Constipation can occur leading to impaction–the presence in the rectum of a mass of feces too large to pass. Fecal impaction is usually the result of poor bowel habits, a diet with too little liquid and roughage, too much protein and inadequate physical activity.

Diarrhea, whether acute or chronic, can disrupt the bowel’s normal rhythm and lead to irregularity. It can mean that your large intestine is not functioning properly. The large intestine is in charge of removing excess water from the feces. Rule outs can include food poisoning, lactose intolerance, anxiety, stress, too many antacids, antibiotics, parasites like Giardia or Coccidia, Balantidia, Coccidoidiomycosis or other parasites, viruses, bacterial overgrowth, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. A healthy bowel will take about a quart and a half and condense it down to 1 cup of stool. That’s pretty amazing.

Frank red blood (obvious bright red bleeding) can be a sign of hemorrhoids, colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colon cancer or be caused from impacted stools passing through the rectum telling us we need to drink more water.

Horrible smelling stoolstoo much protein, flora imbalance.

If the stools are black, tarry and sticky (called melena), this can mean that there is bleeding from the small intestine. These types of stools usually have a distinctive bad odor. If you’ve ever smelled a dog with Parvo, corona or rotavirus, you know what I mean.

Light green stoolsToo much sugar, fruits or vegetables and not enough grains or salt (or in the case of animals, too much grass)Mucous can reveal diverticulitis and gut inflammation due to allergies or parasites.

Oily or greasy looking stools that usually float and can be large can mean that your pancreas or small intestine are not functioning well enough and not releasing enough digestive enzymes. Normal stools are about 1% fat. When this percentage increases to about 7%, the stool will look oily and greasy. This is called steatorrhea. High fat meals can cause this to happen but should be temporary.

Pale or clay colored stools can mean that your gallbladder or liver is not working correctly.

Pencil thin or ribbon-like stools can mean you have a polyp or growth on the inside of the colon or rectum.

Presence of food: If the stool breaks up easily and you can see bits and pieces of the food you ate, maybe you are not chewing your food thoroughly enough. This can cause GERD, acid reflux, abdominal bloating and diarrhea.

Red or magenta stools– ingestion of beets.

Very dark stools: Too much red wine, too much salt in the diet, not enough vegetables. Blueberries, Pepto Bismol (the bismuth in it) and iron pills can also be responsible for dark stools.

Normal bowel habits not only improve the quality of life, they help prevent several common diseases–for example, diverticulitis and fecal impaction. Gall stones, appendicitis, colon cancer, hiatal hernia, diabetes, and heart disease have also been related to the quality of bowel movements and the foods that affect them.

Number of bowel movements: Healthy bowel activity is considered one or two movements of moderate size every day. Every other day or once or twice a week bowel movements can harm you because the bowel contents release toxins back into the body through the mucous membranes. You’ve got to keep that waste moving!

Fecal incontinence (uncontrollable diarrhea) should be dealt with by a professional. Often with this particular symptom (and irritable bowel syndrome) I will pick up a bowel parasite. A bottle or two of Bowel Pathogen Nosode drops does an awesome job most of the time in clearing up these cases.

Healthy bowel habits:

There is usually a time of day when bowel movements are more likely to occur. In anticipation of this time, the patient should participate in activities that stimulate a normal bowel movement. It is also important for the patient to recognize the urge to defecate and to respond right away to that urge. The longer stool sits in the rectum, the more water the rectum will absorb from it, making it harder and more difficult to pass.

The urge to defecate is often strongest in the morning: Just getting up triggers the movement of the large intestine. The stomach also sends a signal when it expands after a meal. This gastrocolic reflex is the reason many people, and especially children, need to go to the bathroom soon after eating. The reflex gets weaker with age, which is one source of constipation problems and the reason why good and consistent bowel habits are helpful.

Laxatives: Some patients are so convinced they need daily laxatives that they are afraid to do without them. It takes time for a changed diet to affect the bowels and for the bowel to regain its normal rhythm. Be patient. Enemas are a better solution.

Healthy bowel movements require ingestion of a large amount of liquids and bulk foods. The patient should drink two to three quarts of liquids every day. Bulk comes from unrefined foods. Oat bran, wheat bran, brown rice, green vegetables, apples, and pears are a few examples of high residue, high fiber foods.

Some patients will benefit from adding bulk preparations of psyllium, but others find that psyllium will cause extreme amounts of gas. For these people, the addition of WHOLE flax seeds (eat without chewing them) and bran will help. And one single 8-ounce cup of coffee in the morning often helps people get a regular bowel movement.

Natural Laxatives include:

Anti-Constipation Paste

Coffee

DSS (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate)

Glycerine suppositories

Nature’s Sunshine LBS II (excellent)

Oil enemas

Prune juice

Saline purges

Fleet enemas are used only for people and dogs. They are very toxic to cats and can kill them. These are OK to use occasionally, but the other enemas we are talking about are better for healing purposes.

Soap suds enemas can be a little harsh to the intestine. Use these only occasionally if necessary

Some Notes on Intestinal Bacteria Replacement: Inside a healthy lower intestine are billions of beneficial intestinal bacteria or microflora. These bacteria are of the Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bifidus strains and were transferred by breast-feeding into our intestines as newborn infants. The body uses L. acidophilus and L. bifidus in the final stages of digestion reproducing themselves as necessary to keep in total harmony with the body.

When the good bacteria can’t keep up, bad bacteria overpopulate the gut to give a gut flora imbalance resulting in lower bowel diseases, gas, diarrhea, IBS, and Crohn’s. The devitalizing effect caused by harmful bacteria in the intestine is rarely diagnosed near the beginning of this imbalance. Headaches, skin infections, weakness and constipation can also be symptoms of depleted intestinal bacteria.

What Causes A Gut Flora Imbalance?

Toxins, especially drugs such as antibiotics and narcotics.

Severe diarrhea can damage or destroy these beneficial bacteria, allowing harmful bacteria to take over producing by-products like ammonia, purines and ethionine, which can eventually cause colon cancer.

Fasting can also deplete the beneficial bacteria because large quantities of toxins are dumped from the lymph glands into the colon at the time of the fast. Also during a fast, with certain diets and with eating disorders, there is an absence of foods that the good bacteria thrive on.

Using enemas also depletes the beneficial bacteria, especially if chlorinated water is used.

To reestablish intestinal bacteria, do a couple enemas with liquid acidophilus or live acidophilus. These products should be stored and purchased refrigerated. Off-the-shelf products are not so effective for replacing gut flora. You can also mix a couple tablespoons of active plain yogurt to your enema mix along with a tablespoon of the liquid acidophilus. Add some warm water, but do not heat the mixture or use chlorinated water. After blending the mixture, pour it into the enema bag. Use less water for these types of enemas (only 1-2 cups) and try to retain the liquid within the colon for ten minutes to allow the beneficial bacteria to pass up through the intestine. This procedure will ensure that a healthy culture will propagate within the intestines.

You can also start adding L. acidophilus and L. bifidus to your foods a day or two before you break a fast. Use repeat dosages as per bottle instructions once a week for about 5 weeks.

FOS (Fructooligosaccharides) are also good for reestablishing gut flora. These are long-chain sugars that feed friendly flora. You can purchase this in concentrated pill form or eat lots of apples, Jerusalem artichokes, or pears. These foods have high amounts of FOS in them.

Well . . .That’s the scoop on poop. (Some people take things so seriously.)

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Acidophilus and Yeast Infections

Probiotics for relief of yeast infections in adults and kids is explored below.  Do you know anyone who might benefit from an excellent source of whole foods and probiotics?  This is for people who want to restore their digestive systems and curtail some of the side effects like yeast infections -like we did.  Whole Food Nation offers Pop-a-Green & Pop-a-Purple. Also contains over 50 fruits and veggies, 11 digestive enzymes, antioxidants, many more.   What’s really in those Pops? 

Lactobacillus acidophilus may cure different diseases according to some experts. It is a lactic acid producing bacteria that it is thought to have beneficial effects on digestion and overall health. Under some experts, yogurt with acidophilus culture and acidophilus on its own has been shown to clear up yeast infections and vaginitis in children and adults, among other properties.

 Acidophilus, experts explain, is a nutritional supplement product, which is often added to milk or sold as a capsule. It contains one or more bacteria which aid in digestion. Among these bacteria, you can find Lactobacillus acidophilus (A); Lactobacillus casei (C); Lactobacillus bulgaricus; Bifidobacterium bifidus (B) and Streptococcus thermophilus.

L. acidophilus, however, is not present in all brands of yogurt. So, you will have to check the labels of products. Acidophilus supplements usually work quickly and effectively. This occurs because they contain as many as one billion individual friendly bacteria per gram.

However, for those who cannot use milk products, acidophilus is also present in carrots, soybeans, rice starch, garbanzo beans and other sources. Health food stores carry a variety of acidophilus supplements in capsule, liquid and powder form. Some of the formulas contain bifidobacteria, another helpful bacterium, as well as vitamin C and other nutrients.

With the powder, you can make your own yogurt-type drink. For best results, acidophilus supplements should be taken on an empty stomach before breakfast, one hour before other meals. Many who have difficulty digesting ordinary dairy products often have success with cultured milk products, such as yogurt or acidophilus milk.

Do you know anyone fitting the description of our 3-minute video (below) on digestive system health -and who might be challenged with some of the symptoms?  Suggestions are offered to improve the situation.

"I Feel Like Crap." 

"Do you think the Surgeon General got it wrong about weight?" 

 "Staying Alive Press" 

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Perspective on Benefits of Probiotics Supplements

Benefits of Probiotics

The presence of probiotics in the colon is a natural phonomenon -that is, if one eats a natural diet.  -which Americans have gotten away from in recent decades.  More common now is the industiralized diet of processed food-like substances -offered to us by the food industry.  Our health is not foremost on their mind.  It needs to be on our minds.  Restoring your digestive health and maintaining colon health are linked to probiotics and nutrition.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and high in fiber goes a long way toward maintaining health for longevity.  It’s been called "Food for Damage Control."

Whole Food Nation is ahead of the curve on that -with their "Pops."  Pop-a-Green and Pop-a-Purple Whole Food supplements contain 50-something ingredients.  Fruits, veggies, metabolic boosters, Probiotics and more.

What’s really in those Pops?

The folowing piece elaborates on probiotics benefits.

Perspective on Benefits of Probiotics Supplements 

I bet you never thought you’d actually WANT bacteria in your gut, now did you? Yet now that probiotics and probiotic supplementation have taken center stage in the fight to maintain vibrant health, more and more people who may have never even heard the word ‘probiotic’ before are starting to pay attention - close attention.

But how can you know which are the best probiotics to take? And what’s more, where can you find them?

Just in case you don’t happen to know what probiotics are, or what the benefits of taking probiotics supplements can be, let’s cover a little of the background first. (If you’re already familiar with the benefits of probiotics, you can scroll on down to the bottom of this article where I’ve provided a couple great links that will help you choose the best probiotics for you.)

What Do Probiotics Do?

I like short answers and short explanations, so let’s address the basic question of what probiotics do this way… Probiotics keep you healthy. Period.  According to many studies as well as a recent story on CNN, scientists have been aware of the connection between probiotics and vibrant health for decades.

If you’re old enough, you may remember those old Dannon yogurt commercials featuring a town in the former Soviet Union where many of the inhabitants were over 100 years old — and attributed their longevity to the fact that they ate lots and lots of yogurt-probiotics yogurt, thus getting millions of beneficial probiotics into their bodies every day.

Today, we’re a bit more sophisticated about it. Yes, yogurt — at least the ones that contain those "live and active cultures" you see on the label — do contain probiotics. But many times there aren’t enough, or the right kind, for us to truly get all the benefits.

In fact, many people take probiotics supplements that contain many different "strains" of probiotics to get the full effect. For example, some probiotics will help restore your body’s balance after a course of antibiotics (a well-known killer of the good bacteria that lives in your gut), but will do nothing for your overall immunity.  So, probiotics are beneficial to restore digestive system health and your natural immune system.

I could go on and on about which probiotic is best for every specific symptom or problem you may be experiencing — as well as which ones are best to give your overall health a giant boost — but to avoid repeating myself, you are encouraged to poke around the many articles and links found on this website to access further information about various conditions that are known to benefit from probiotics.  I dare to say -if probiotics were present in the first place, many of these maladies would have been prevented.

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Benefits of Using Probiotics Supplements with Antibiotics

The piece below by Bill Evans, makes a case for high quality probiotics supplements to accompany use of antibiotics.  Future chronic symptoms may be minimized by supplementing in this manner.

Natural probiotics is what you get with Yogurt and yeast infections are prevented as a result.  Probiotics is not necessarily considered a yeast infection medication, but it behaves as one and is one of the best vaginal yeast infection treatments.  To buy a whole food supplement containing probiotics and digestive enzymes that we use and trust, click here.

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Benefits of Using Probiotics Supplements with Antibiotics

With the increase in proliferation of broad spectrum antibiotics, there has been an equivalent increase in chronic GI distress and yeast infections. As a result, it is now well-understood and recommended to take a supplement of Probiotics. Probiotics offer the following four benefits:

* Prevents diarrhea

* Prevents yeast infections

* Reduces symptoms of IBS

* Reduces frequency of antibiotics

Oral antibiotic therapy can alter gastrointestinal (GI) microflora and result in troublesome gastrointestinal complaints and vaginal yeast infections (1,2). The bacterial flora of the GI tract plays an important role in maintaining the health of the GI tract and protects against colonization by invasive pathogens (2). Supplementing with the "good" bacteria lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium has been shown to reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea, traveler’s diarrhea, infectious diarrhea and vaginal yeast infections (3). This is not only beneficial for adults but probiotic for children can also help those who are constantly on antibiotics (4). Supplementing with probiotics may help reduce the frequency of antibiotics by up-regulating immune response (5).

Additional research continues to show the relationship of systemic yeast infections (Candida Albicans) with complaints about Chronic Fatigue Symptom (CFS), Fibromyalgia, Epstein Barr Virus, Lupus, M.S., Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s disease, as well as other chronic conditions.

In summary, antibiotics are certainly one of the greatest medical discoveries, saving countless lives when there was no other option. But the indiscriminant use that has become prevalent for minor infections has serious consequences that years later can develop into chronic symptoms that could have been minimized, if not alleviated entirely, if the recipient had simply supplemented with a high quality Probiotic.

(1) Witsell et al, Effect of lactobacillus acidophilus on antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal morbidity, J Otolaryngol 1995 Aug; 24(4):230-3

(2) Levy, The effects of antibiotic use on gastrointestinal function, Am J Gastroenterol 2000 Jan;95(1 suppl):s8-10

(3) Elmer et al, Biotherapeutic agents. A neglected modality for the treatment and prevention of selected intestinal and vaginal infections, JAMA 1996 Mar 20;275(11):870-6

(4) Vanderpool et al, Use of probiotics in childhood gastrointestinal disorders, J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1998 Sep;27(3):323-32

(5) Erickson et al, Probiotic immunomodulation in health and disease, J Nutr 2000 Feb; 130(2S Suppl): 403s-409s

Author: Bill Evans

Bill Evans is President of Applied Health Solutions.

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Planet Lactose: GoodBelly - the Anti-Antibiotic

Of course, the GoodBelly folks don’t limit their claims for goodness just to times when you’re taking antibiotics. They tout their probiotics for all seasons.   Read more…

Probiotics

I think probiotics are a good idea, because if you have taken enough broad-spectrum antibiotics over the course of your life, it kills the good bacteria in the digestive tract along with…   Read more…

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Homeopathy, Probiotics Supplements Offer Natural Alternative Relief for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

To learn more about one of the best whole food supplements containing probiotics, visit Whole Food Nation. a simple staightforward resource for people who want to improve and maintain their health for the long haul, like us.  Click: WFN 

Do you know anyone who might like to know about a good Probiotics supplement to tame their Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?  This one comes highly recommended: click Here.

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The following article by Ryan English makes some valid points regarding the relationship between one’s lifestyle and diet -and one’s overall health -as regards irritable bowel syndrome (sometimes called ’spastic bowel’).  If the proper diet and adequate exercise is in place, it goes a long way toward restoring digestive health.  The introduction of natural probiotics is another valid factor.  This is achieved through the use of probiotics yogurt or one may choose to buy some good probiotics supplements.  Probiotics benefits are many.  A good whole food supplement containing probiotics and digestive enzymes is a huge plus in improving the diet.  One that has helped us over the last five years can be found here.

Homeopathy is a natural alternative cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that is based on treating the health and lifestyle of each individual with medication  providing long lasting relief. Some people are dedicated to Homeopathy as a long-term way of life, whilst others turn to this treatment as a last resort only when they feel that all else has failed them. But just what does this involve?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome manifests itself in various ways, different for each person affected. It may show up as constipation, as diarrhea, or as excessive flatulence, all accompanied by abdominal pain to a greater or lesser extent. In many cases, bouts of constipation alternate with bouts of diarrhea. Certainly, constipation is both the most common and the most painful, whist diarrhea is the most inconvenient and flatulence the most embarrassing. It must be remembered however, that other health factors in the body may be responsible for these problems so careful self-diagnosis is essential to determine the possible causes.

As in the many IBS cures for that are available, general health and lifestyle, including diet, are the areas that must be considered first, as every person is different, as are the causes of IBS. Homeopathic treatments are tailored to suit each individual to give relief individualised and are tailored according to your body constitution giving you long lasting relief.

While regular, physical exercise in itself may not directly cure IBS, its effect on the body’s general health cannot be disputed and an improvement in general health will contribute greatly to making IBS remedies more effective and quicker to show a positive effect. A low-fibre diet is a common cause of constipation and an increase in grains, fruit and vegetables is beneficial, and certainly better than the over-reliance on laxatives!

What is certain is that Homeopathy is a natural, alternative cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with a specific medication for each different bodily condition as in the following brief overview of constipation-relieving examples:

Bryonia: Used when a person feels out of sorts or tense with worries.

Silicea: Used when a person feels nervous and mentally acute, but also frail and tired.

Calcarea carbonica: Used when a person feels sluggish, weak, or anxious.

Graphite: Used when a person feels slow to become alert in the morning.

Lycopodium: Used when a person feels has frequent indigestion with gas and bloating.

Sepia: Used when a person has cold hands and feet, and is weary and very irritable.

Nux vomica: Used when a person feels impatient, tense, ambitious and consume excessive stimulants or alcohol, and spicy food.

There are an almost endless number of treatments that prove Homeopathy is a natural, alternative cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Related Articles:  Top rated IBS Treatments 

Discuss Medical Irritable bowel syndrome

 Digestive enzymes and probiotics.  Kim, who also suffers from bad diarrhea, says: “I tried taking digestive enzymes with acidophilus and found significant relief within three days. Read more…

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Kefir: The Natural Probiotic « HAKKANI – Defender of Truth

Kefir: The Natural Probiotic. Posted by hakkani under Misc Thoughts.  As with many discoveries that we make, my introduction to Kefir came …   Read more…

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Doctors Recognize Probiotics Benefits

The following piece by Mike Homisak talks about the gradual acknowledgement by the mainstream medical establishment of probiotics benefits for a healthy gut.  Which is to say -a healthy digestive system / immune system. 

Doctors Recognize Probiotics Benefits

It is only recently that mainstream doctors are recognizing the benefits of probiotics supplements. For many years (and to some degree even now), probiotics have been misunderstood - at times even dismissed as a farce. However with well known mainstream doctors such as Dr. Russell Blaylock M.D.* recommending them for a growing list of ailments, other medical practitioners are standing up and taking notice.

Many cases have been documented** of patients presenting with a myriad of digestive complaints like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Diverticulitis and other conditions that show the benefits of probiotics on their conditions over time. Some patients show an improvement almost immediately, others have taken longer. Some recover completely while others have reported varying degrees of relief.

There is no magic potion when it comes to digestive ailments which can be very difficult to diagnose and treat, but for the people suffering from these conditions, any improvement is welcomed. In some cases, patients have spent years of their lives suffering. Taking probiotics has in at least one person’s case "Given me my life back".

Another big reason doctors have recently recognized probiotics is because stress and poor diet do their part in causing digestive problems as we get older. The best way to go about restoring your digestive health as we age is to supplement our diets with a quality probiotic.

While some are attempting to repair damage caused by bad diet, others are in a preventive mode of thinking.  With use of a good whole food multi containing probiotics, many digestive ailments and the common complications associated with them may never be an issue. 

As time wears on, it is very likely that probiotics will be something we hear more and more about - especially as the medical community continues to recognize their benefits and recommend their use for a growing list of conditions.   Buy probiotics and use them -see for yourself.

* Dr. Russell Blaylock M.D. is a well known Neurosurgeon, Author, Educator and Lecturer and Publisher of "The Blaylock Welness Report".
** Case studies have been documented and can be reviewed here.

Author: Mike Homisak

Below: Natural Probiotics as Kefir

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Keeping the Balance -Probiotics with Antibiotics

The following from Olwen Anderson highlights some reasons for probiotics supplements

when using antibiotics, as well as, making probiotics a part of your daily habits.  If you are looking to buy probiotics, Some links can be found there to a couple of products we trust.  Follow the link to information for your review process.

If Taking Antibiotics, Don’t Forget the Probiotics

We are all carrying some extra passengers in our intestines: Friendly bacteria, over 400 species in fact. As we have evolved, these bacteria have evolved with us to create a mutually beneficial relationship.

These friendly bugs help us absorb vital minerals and nutrients, and boost our gut immunity. They compete with pathogenic (bad) bacteria for space and resources, and actually produce substances which help keep the population of bad bacteria in check. If you’re stressed or run down, your gut environment changes, making it easier for pathogenic bacteria to take over.

Antibiotic medication will kill the good bacteria in your gut as well as the pathogenic ones. You can often tell when the bad bacteria have taken over; they produce lots of toxic gases, bringing on abdominal bloating, discomfort and some very anti-social levels of flatulence. The toxins they produce can inflame your gut wall too, which makes it harder for you to absorb nutrients from your food. Sometimes they’re active enough to bring on feelings of queasiness too, as your liver struggles to cope with the high level of toxic byproducts from their intestinal party antics.

If you are taking antibiotics, here are some important steps you can take to re-populate your intestines with good bacteria and improve your well being at the same time.

- Start taking probiotics supplements, and continue for a few weeks after you have finished the course of antibiotics. Buy a small bottle, and choose a different brand every time as each brand will supply a different blend of friendly bacteria. You can buy probiotics at your local health food store.

- Take your probiotic supplement in the evening, with a fibre-based food like fruit or legumes, as more bacteria will survive the trip to your intestines when they can hitch a ride on fibre. Ever noticed that advertisements for probiotics boast of the high numbers of bacteria in each dose?  That’s because some of the bacteria won’t make it past the very acidic environment in your stomach.

- You should take your probiotic supplement in the evening, as your gut is more active overnight.

- If you are not dairy intolerant, 100g of plain yogurt every day is a great natural probiotic supplement, and has been used in many cultures for centuries, along with other fermented foods, to promote bowel health. Make sure the yogurt is young (fresh) and enjoy several different brands for the best effect.

The probiotic bacteria will start to elbow out the bad bacteria, and help calm any bowel inflammation they have caused.  Now that you know how important those good bacteria are, remember to buy a bottle of probiotics when you pick up your antibiotic prescription.

Author: Olwen Anderson

Olwen Anderson is an accredited naturopath based on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. Visit her web site for free health information, subscribe to her monthly Health e-News for up to date natural health information; and read more articles that can help you take control of your health.

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Why Probiotics?

 Probiotics Benefits (What are Probiotics?)

The following piece by Rita Lambros-Segur touches on a few of the many reasons to clean up one’s diet.  Flora Probiotics are an important link to restoring your digestive health.  A healthy immune system begins in the colon -which is linked to a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables and probiotics / friendly flora.

Probiotics supplements are sometimes beneficial.  Examples of some supplements we are familiar with (and buy ourselves) are here for your review.  We like the Pops for the diverse ingredients, as well as probiotics and friendly flora.    Additionally,  this one is a good choice for the probiotics element alone.

You Need Probiotics For Better Digestion and Overall Health

Inside your body there are thousands, even millions of living organisms. They make up two pounds of your body weight.  Don’t let this scare you - not all bacteria are bad.

There are harmful bacteria and helpful bacteria. The hard-working, friendly bacteria produce a variety of substances than can prevent cancerous tumors, deactivate viruses, produce natural antibodies, reduce cholesterol and enhance the immune system.

They even produce and distribute vitamins (such as the B-complex) among your organs. One particular strain of bacteria called lactobacillus salivarius produces acidophin, an antibiotic that helps protect against harmful bacteria.

What’s the significance of all this? If you’ve even taken traditional medicine, you know that it doesn’t always do what it’s supposed to.  Modern medicine that is designed to kill bacteria does exactly that - it kills bacteria, regardless of whether it is the helpful or the harmful kind. Medicine like that can actually poison your body by having a negative influence on the helpful bacteria.

The exciting news is that you can take probiotics to supplement the friendly bacteria your body already produces. Having the right amount of probiotics in your body to work in conjunction with enzymes is essential for good health.

While many agree on the efficacy of friendly bacteria, many are not aware that totally stable cultures that are strong enough to survive in the acidic environment of the stomach are the only ones that allow 100% of the good bacteria to remain alive and active in your system.

Probiotics, often referred to as the "good bacteria" in your body, play a vital role in your good health:

1.) Probiotics create natural antibiotics that destroy harmful bacteria. Phenomenal for food poisoning!

2.) Probiotics change the levels of acidity in various parts of the body, depriving harmful bacteria of nutrients needed to survive.

3.) Probiotics create their own antibiotic substances, which kill harmful bacteria, viruses, and yeasts.

4.) Probiotics produce enzymes to break down waste in the colon for elimination and even help strengthen the immune system.

5.) Probiotics have been shown to help reduce high cholesterol levels and help recycle the female hormone estrogen, which reduces the likelihood of menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.

Your body cannot function properly without probiotics. However, due to diet and environmental toxicity, most people do not have adequate colonies of friendly flora in their intestinal tract, which leads to a host of health problems.

Where do you come into contact with bad bacteria? Airplanes, cars, hospitals, malls, movie theaters, public rest rooms - anywhere there are people you will find bad bacteria.

Any inorganic food you eat is packed with antibiotics, which destroy the good bacteria in your intestinal tract. More than ever, people need to replenish their friendly flora!

Article by Rita Lambros-Segur, M.H. of Electrical Body, Inc. Rita has helped thousands of regular folks improve their health-restoring strategies.

(Below) A Lesson in Digestive Health from Jamie Lee Curtis

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Probiotics and Relief for Chronic Diverticulitis

The following article by Dr Hoberman speaks to the benefits of probiotics

to treat or prevent Diverticulitis.  Studies are cited, with references. 

Whole fruits and vegetables can be an important link to colon health.  Many foods contain probiotics and are another important link.  It is also true that the American industiralized diet is distictly lacking in fruits and veggies for many people.  Probiotics supplements are useful for people who know they don’t eat right, like us,  and want to stay on track to treat or prevent serious conditions such as diverticulitis and / or irritable bowel syndrome.  Immune system health begins with a healthy colon.

The Impact Of Probiotics On Diverticulitis

Now that we are starting a new year, I want to share some relatively new information regarding another benefit of taking probiotics: the potential impact of probiotics on diverticulitis.

Recently, there have been studies evaluating probiotics as a therapy for diverticular disease of the colon.

First, a little background information; Diverticular disease is a western world disorder of the colon or large intestines. Diverticula are outpocketing of the colon lining that protrude through the muscle wall of the colon. These developments are often the result of a diet low in fiber.

Why fiber? Fiber absorbs water, helping to make our stools larger and softer. Our western diet, lacking enough fiber, leads to smaller stools. As the colon contracts to release these stools, pressure increases on the colon wall. This increase in pressure can lead directly to the development of outpockets or sacs, prevalent primarily in the lower half of the colon (1).

As we age, the development diverticula is very common. Studies have found that by the age of 70, upwards of 60% of the population have diverticula or diverticulosis of the colon. This development generally begins after the age of 30 or 40 (1,2).

Most people who have diverticulosis have no symptoms and are not aware they have this condition. Usually the diverticula are found during a colonoscopic exam or a barium enema x-ray.

There are, however, approximately 20% of individuals with diverticulosis who will experience an inflammatory complication called diverticulitis. This is a bacterial infection involving one or more diverticula (2).

For years it was thought that an infection occurred in a diverticulum when a plug of stool or a food particle lodged in the diverticulum. The result was inflammation of the pocket lining and an infection or an abscess developed, eventually rupturing to create a localized perforation of the colon.

Fever and pain in the lower, left abdomen can be symptomatic of acute diverticulitis. Today, a CT scan of the abdomen can usually confirm a diagnosis of diverticulitis (1,2).

Treatment of diverticulitis is dependent upon the severity of the episode. Patients are typically started on antibiotics and prescribed a restricted diet. Sometimes patients require hospitalization, IV fluids and antibiotics. In severe cases surgery may be performed.

Once an episode resolves, patients are instructed to increase the fiber in their diets and, in the past, were advised to avoid seeds, nuts and particulate foods like popcorn. Recent studies have disproved the theory that seeds can precipitate an episode of diverticulitis (3).

The new notion is with regard to the associated inflammation of the lining (colonic mucosa) that surrounds a colonic pouch or diverticulum. Colonoscopic exams have revealed this inflamed lining and biopsies disclose findings of microscopic colitis. It is believed that this low grade inflammation can progress to acute diverticulitis.

It has been proposed that the microscopic colitis around a diverticulum is due to a change in the intestinal bacteria or microflora. The alteration in the microflora results in a chronic inflammation that can lead to diverticulitis (4).

There have been several trials that have studied the benefits of adding probiotics to individuals who have had diverticulitis. The results have shown that probiotics seem to lessen recurrent episodes (4,5,6).

Further studies are being conducted to evaluate the long-term benefits of probiotics for individuals who have recurrent diverticulitis. In the meantime, it seems reasonable to add a good probiotic, to a daily regimen of a high-fiber diet to prevent diverticulitis.

1) Diverticulitis: new frontiers for an old country: risk factors and pathogenesis.Korzenik JR; NDSG.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2008 Nov-Dec;42(10):1128-9.
2) Diverticular disease and diverticulitis.Sheth AA, Longo W, Floch MH.Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Jun;103(6):1550-6. Epub 2008 May 13. Review.
3) Nut, corn, and popcorn consumption and the incidence of diverticular disease.Strate LL, Liu YL, Syngal S, Aldoori WH, Giovannucci EL.JAMA. 2008 Aug 27;300(8):907-14.
4) Probiotics and their use in diverticulitis.White JA.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2006 Aug;40 Suppl 3:S160-2. Review.
5) The effect of non-pathogenic Escheriachia coli in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease of the colon. Rric P, Zavoral M. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2003;15:313-315
6) Mesalazine and/or Lactobacillus casei in maintaining long-term remission of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease of the colon.Tursi A, Brandimarte G, Giorgetti GM, Elisei W.Hepatogastroenterology. 2008 May-Jun;55(84):916-20.

By: Dr. Hoberman

Lawrence J. Hoberman is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He currently focuses his practice in Texas on health and wellness with an emphasis on preventive medicine.

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