Probiotics - The New Buzzword

What Will The New Buzzword In Healthcare Be?

You’ve probably already heard of it, but you didn’t realize how big this little thing will be! Lately there has been a lot of talk about how beneficial yogurt is because it has L. acidophilis in it. You may have even heard people talking about talking acidophilis, but you didn’t know why.

Acidophilis is just one of the many beneficial PROBIOTICS, (the new buzzword in healthcare). Probiotics are defined by www.pdrhealth.com as live microorganisms, including Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species and yeasts, that may beneficially affect the host upon ingestion by improving the balance of the intestinal microflora. Yes, it does seem really gross to think that we have trillions of bacteria in our digestive tract, but believe it or not, 85% of those bacteria are supposed to be beneficial for us.

Unfortunately with the stress levels we, as a nation, carry, the diets we eat, the sleep we don’t get, and the lack of activity we have, has all led to the beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract only accounting for 15% of the bacteria in our bodies. Research will soon show that this disruption in beneficial bacterial in our digestive tracts actually accounts for the beginning of many diseases we can suffer from.

One thing you must realize is that just taking a probiotic “cure all” pill may not help you very much at all. What will help you is correcting the ill health habits we as a nation have adapted and balancing our new habits with probiotic supplements. If you have any questions about probiotics, please ask Dr. Hendricksen.

The following are various yeasts and bacteria used as probiotics:

· BIFIDOBACTERIUM

· LACTOBACILLUS

· LACTOCOCCUS

· SACCHAROMYCES

· STREPTOCOCCUS

· THERMOPHILUS

· ENTEROCOCCUS

Probiotics may have antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, anticarcinogenic, antidiarrheal, antiallergenic and antioxidant activities.