You are kidding me....GOOD bacteria?????....

I have intimate knowledge of the importance of probiotics.  This is the supplement that is being advised by most nutritional authorities.  You can get probiotics in food.  Yogurt and sour dough bread are the two foods that come to mind.  You can also get supplements with all different types of probiotics.  The thing you want to look for is "live and active cultures".

Sometimes, when you take too many antibiotics, your good bacteria gets destroyed and you get an illness called c-difficile....it is pretty nasty and it is very difficult to get rid of.  You have to take another special and ridiculously expensive antibiotic to get rid of it.  At the same time you take probiotics to repopulate your gut with good bacteria.  I had this for a long time.  I took tons of medicine and tons of probiotics and for now, I am going to continue to take probiotics and I have not taken an antibiotic (except the one to get rid of this) for 2 years.

The use of probiotics as an everyday supplement is debated.  They are live organisms and enhance digestion and nutrient absorption.  In Brendan Brazier's book "Thrive" he says, "By consuming probiotics on a weekly basis, your chance of infection- and therefore the need for antibiotics- is greatly reduced.  Consistent probiotic use has shown to dramatically improve immune function."  He says that daily use is not necessary, a few times of week would be helpful.  

You can get probiotics in your food or you can buy supplements.  Some foods with probiotics would be yogurt, sour dough bread, miso paste and tempeh.  I have used several different supplements, I am currently using one I found at Whole Foods that does not have animal products, dairy or gluten.  The older you get, the less good bacteria you produce and the supplement I take gives you a little extra.  It is also important that you look to see if the supplement you use needs to be refrigerated.  Some require refrigeration after a certain date because of the live organisms.

The brand I am using is called "Ultimate Flora"  it has a green label with a bright yellow cap.  It has 10 strains and 30 billion active cultures per capsule.  It also has no gluten, salt, dairy, corn, soy or artificial ingredients.  I bought it at Whole Foods.  I used to take a prescription too, if you would want to ask your Dr. for a prescription....I am not sure if insurance would cover it if it isn't in response to an illness.

Bacteria can definitely be our friend. ~Cathy