They're Alive!!!

What better time to finish the discussion about probiotics and digestion than a couple days before the biggest eating day of the year?! In the last post, I told you about the good and bad bacteria in the normal flora of your gut and the causes and symptoms of an imbalance in these bacteria. Well, you probably would like to know the best way to help fix this imbalance. The good news is that there are probiotics to help you replenish the normal flora!

What to look for in a probiotic

1. Type: There are hundreds of different strains of bacteria in your gut, so supplementing with the right "good" bacteria is very important. The Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families of bacteria have been shown to be very beneficial especially Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Be sure that the probiotic contains these types of bacteria.

2. Amount: The normal flora in our gut contains trillions of bacteria, so you need to use a probiotic that has an adequate amount of bacteria (at least 3-4 billion). Using something with only millions of bacteria is ineffective.

3. Form: Yes, there are probiotics in yogurt. Unfortunately, the probiotics in yogurt don't usually meet the first 2 requirements in this list. Look for a probiotic in a capsule, tablet, or powder form. Because it is live bacteria, you will often find a good probiotic in the refrigerator of the health food store. If not, be sure to store it in the refrigerator after opening to help maintain the potency. Both heat and freezing temperatures will kill the bacteria. Bacteria that is no longer living will not hurt you, but will also do nothing good for you!

If you find a probiotic that meets all 3 guidelines listed above, it is probably very good. Supplement a probiotic into your diet everyday, especially if you experience any of the symptoms I listed in the last post. If you do this consistently with a good probiotic, you will probably start to notice a change in your symptoms in 2-4 weeks. If you have tried using a probiotic in the past and you don't feel that it helped, be sure to try again with a high quality probiotic.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving! Don't forget your probiotics!!

Live Well.

Jump Start Your Battery!

We all know about the bad bacteria that cause different infections in our body that are often treated by prescription antibiotics. However, did you know that each of us has trillions of bacteria in our body and the majority of the bacteria are harmless or good. This is known as your normal flora. Most of this flora finds a home in the optimal environment of your intestinal system or "gut." Having a healthy gut flora is very important to maintaining good overall health.

I often tell my patients that your gut is like your car battery. If your car battery starts to lose some power, the rest of the car starts to malfunction. So, if you have an imbalance in your normal gut flora (too much bad bacteria or too little good bacteria) then your immune system and the rest of your systems start to get run down. You might start to notice bloating, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel, upset stomach, fatigue, headaches, and others. Unfortunately, more and more people are having imbalances in the gut flora. I believe this is due to 2 main reasons. Bad diets and the over-prescribing of antibiotics.

1. Bad bacteria love sugar and white flour! So the more sugar and white flour we have in our diets, the more bad bacteria we will have in our gut and the weaker our immune system will be.

2. Antibiotics are no doubt beneficial for BACTERIAL infections. However, too many antibiotics are being prescribed for viral and fungal infections that are not caused by bacteria. So, not only does this not help fight the infection, it creates an imbalance in your body's normal, healthy gut flora. Antibiotics not only attack the bad bacteria, but they also attack the good, healthy bacteria, so again decreases our healthy immune system.

So, if you think you have a sinus, ear, or other infection, be sure to find out first from your doctor if it is caused by bacteria before automatically going on an antibiotic. If it is bacterial, then be sure to stay away from sugar and white flour especially until the infection is gone. If you have chronic bacterial infections, you should consider completely taking sugar and white flour out of your diet.

Finally, along with a good diet, a great way to help impove the healthy gut flora is with probiotics, especially if you have been on a lot of antibiotics. Probiotics are made up of the good bacteria that are in your normal flora. I will talk next time about how you can get these probiotics into your diet!

Many of you have asked that I send an e-mail out when I update the blog. So, if you send your e-mail to me at drmcgowan@acucarechiropractic.com, I will include you in the update e-mail. Don't worry, I'll only sell your e-mail to a couple mass marketers! Just kidding, your e-mail will only be used for the update purposes!!

One final note to my patients... We have started our 5th annual toy drive for the Walter Payton Foundation for abused and neglected kids. Last year with your help we were able to collect over 100 toys! We will be collecting toys until Friday, December 5th. Please see our website at www.acucarechiropractic.com for more information about this year's toy drive. Thanks!!

Live Well.