Why Do We Need Probiotics?

In earlier times, when fermentation was one of the main methods for the preservation of food, the intake of probiotic bacteria was high. Today the situation is different. The use of freezers, refrigerators, the pasteurisation of food like dairy products and the use of different kinds of preservatives have replaced fermentation as a method for the preservation of food. The intake of probiotic bacteria, which is important for maintaining a healthy intestinal environment and immune system, has dramatically decreased.

What are Probiotics?
The term literally means ‘for life’ in Greek and it refers to live bacteria. Do you know that you are made up of more bacteria than cells inside you? To most people, bacteria could just be a dirty word, bringing in its wake dirt and disease. However, most of the bacteria in the human system are good bacteria. They are essential to keep you alive and kicking. Out of the many hundreds of kinds of bacteria that live inside of you, many of them are in your gut. That’s because the gut is where most of your immune system is located. So when there are enough of good bacteria in there, all’s right with your world. You need the good bacteria to overcome the bad ones. As long as that happy balance remains inside, things are fine.

What Probiotics Do
Your body can well tolerate a small percentage of bad bacteria. The good ones keep them in check and don’t allow them to get out of hand. However, when you fall ill or you have an infection and even when you have had a course of antibiotics, it could upset this balance and there aren’t enough of good bacteria to protect you inside. That’s when you need extra fighting power. You need to repopulate your gut with the good so they can bring your body back to a balanced state.

Things that can destroy our good guys are:

(a) antibiotic use
(b) too much alcohol
(c) eating foods impregnated with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotic residues, and

hormonal pollutants
(d) the over consumption of sugars and other refined carbohydrates
(e) the distress of too much stress
(f) the lack of nutrition from living fresh foods grown in nutrient-rich soil
(g) chlorinated water

Where Do You Get Probiotics?
There are various kinds of probiotics – they could be bacterial or of an yeast origin. In the bacterial group, there are different strains you will find within the two groups - Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Today, you get them in a whole range of products. It could be yogurt, yogurt drinks, cottage cheese, or even in a concentrated probiotic supplement. However, what is vital is that the bacteria count in the product you eat or drink be of the necessary amount. There’s no way this is visible so the best thing to do would be to make sure that you buy products from a well-known manufacturer. Probiotic products need to be stored well – the packaging will give you the instructions.

Is Regular Yogurt Enough?
Regular yogurt does not contain any strains of probiotics. Many people tend to equate probiotics with yogurt but this is a misconception. While yogurt can contain probiotic strains, all yogurts are not probiotic in nature as they could be made from various strains. This is why you need to read that label to ensure that you are getting probiotics in the product you are buying. There are some new probiotic yogurt products out there...but beware, they are not all created equal. It is still important to read your labels and stear away from too many added sugars, artificial flavorings/colors and CORN SYRUP! For this reason Activia is not a personal favorite of mine.

Who Should Take Probiotics?
We could all stand to get extra probiotics in our diet, but it becomes especially important if you have just completed a course of antibiotics. This is because the drugs don’t just kill off the bad bacteria, they also do away with the good so all you need to do is to put back the flora that your intestine needs. So probiotics goes great with medication.

Probiotics have also been found very useful in any kind of parasitic or bacterial infection like candida, vaginal and urinary infections, giardiasis, and even conditions like Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome. For small children, it brings about a lot of relief in allergies of the skin as well as digestive problems that are caused due to food allergies. All kinds of digestive abnormalities including IBS, indigestion, diarrhea and constipation benefit from probiotics. Also, probiotics can give nice support to the immune system, especially if you find yourself getting ill frequently. Finally, those suffering from lactose intolerance can find relief with probiotics.

Probiotics and Weight Loss
The latest news when it comes to weight loss is that probiotics is a great way to lose weight. A Stanford study seems to indicate that weight gain could be the result of a bacterial infection. When probiotics or the good bacteria populate the digestive system, the bad bacteria starts moving out.

Is Your Paraben Habit Making You Fat or Worse... Causing Cancer?

In recent years PARABENS have become a very hot topic. Many of you may be wondering what parabens are, where you find them and why they should be avoided.

First, lets begin with the what: Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties.

Where you find them is almost every cosmetic product. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteralpharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives. Common parabens include methylparaben (E number E218), ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216) and butylparaben. Less common parabens include isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, benzylparaben and their sodium salts. These will always be listed in the ingredients section of the product you are purchasing.

Why should we care about parabens? Parabens are considered to be safe because of their low toxicity profile and their long history of safe use; however, a few recent studies have begun to challenge this view.

It seems as if parabens act as endocrine disruptors (they disrupt our hormone system), man or woman, estrogen or testosterone. What is an endocrine disruptor? Endocrine disruptors are chemical substances, primarily man-made synthetics, that interfere with the function of the endocrine/hormone system. These chemicals mimic, block or disrupt the actions of human (and animal) hormones and, unexpectedly, do more damage at low levels of exposure than at high levels.

These chemicals can also work in sinister yet subtle ways by disrupting the body's ability to produce adequate quantities of hormones or by interfering with the body's hormonal pathways. One single chemical can affect many parts of the endocrine system. Often minute amounts of several of these environmental hormone chemicals can combine to create effects thousands of times more potent than a single chemical.

The endocrine system regulates every function of the body. It consists of the thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands, the pancreas, the ovaries and the testes, all linked to the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus is like the mainframe computer of the body, sending signals to the glands that provide the instructions for creating hormones.

When you rub body care products on your body or hair dye on your scalp you can absorb or inhale synthetic chemicals that contain endocrine disruptors which may send false signals to your body's endocrine glands. When your glands are confused they cannot function normally and serious health problems result. In addition, when you bathe, whatever chemicals aren't absorbed by your body are washed down the drain into the drinking water supply, where they can cause a cascade of negative environmental problems. These endocrine disruptors are affecting algae and other microscopic life, fish, whales and birds. Humans are exposed when they drink the water and eat the fish contaminated by personal care product chemicals. The government has found sunscreen chemicals in fish and human breast milk.

Endocrine disruptors are stored in a body's fatty tissues and do not get flushed out with water, thus they accumulate over the years. It is now recognized that the dramatic increases of breast cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and thyroid cancer have been linked to exposure to environmental estrogens. In particular, parabens mimic estrogen, a hormone necessary for a healthy menstruation, reproductive system and fat cell activity.A Scottish study found parabens in human breast tumors.

In the past twenty-five years in the US, alone, thyroid cancer has increased more than 45%, with more women being affected than men, and has become the number one cancer in children under age twenty, many of whom suffered from fetal endocrine disruption.

How can you protect yourself? Read every ingredient on every personal care product label and be suspicious of every chemical ingredient.

Here is a list of common products that contain parabens:

Cosmetics Foundations, powders, concealers, eye makeup (liners, shadows, mascara), facial makeup (blushes), bronzes, makeup removers, lipstick, quick-dry nail products

Pharmaceutical Products Topical dermatological medications, eye, ear and nose drops, rectal and vaginal medications, bandages, parenteral products, including antibiotics, corticosteroids, local anesthetics, radiopharmaceuticals, vitamins, antihypertensives, diuretics, insulin, heparin, and chemotherapeutic agents

Personal Care Products Moisturizing lotions and creams, dentifrices, sunscreens, cleansers and other skin care products, antiperspirants and deodorants, soaps, including liquid hand soap and toothpastes, shampoos and conditioners, colognes, and perfumes

Food Products (E210-219)Marinated fish products, salad dressings, mayonnaise, mustard, spiced sauces, processed vegetables, frozen dairy products, jams and jellies, soft drinks and fruit juices, baked goods, and candies

Industrial Products Parabens are used industrially in oils, fats, shoe polishes, textiles, and glues.

More and more companies are making paraben-free products available:

• Dr. Hauska's Skin Care line


• Jergens just launched a natural lotion that is paraben free


• Tom's of Maine deodorant


• Burt's Bees makes some paraben free products


• Avalon products


• Some Kiehls products


• Juice Beauty


• Check your labels..there are many more on the market now that are paraben-free.