How effective are probiotics?
I treat many patients with digestive issues and if you suffer from digestive problems, then you know how they can make you miserable.
It’s not just the discomfort. It’s also the way digestive woes can keep you from doing things you want to do. Like go on a long road trip or eat your favorite foods.
More importantly, these digestive issues are often warning signs of deeper issues with your gut and overall health. Problems here can not only lead to more serious bowel and digestive issues— your gut is also responsible for essential nutrient absorption, healthy immunity, and even your brain health.
If you’re concerned about your digestion or your gut health, you’ve probably tried taking probiotics, or beneficial bacteria.
You may have heard how probiotics are essential for healthy digestion and gut health. And it is true that hundreds of studies show probiotics can help ease occasional:
GasStomach painIndigestionConstipationLoose stoolsHeartburnNauseaBloating
So why haven’t you gotten the relief you expected, even if you’ve been taking probiotics for years?
I have used dozens of different probiotics over the years, and while they do work for some of the people some of the time, I have observed that it’s almost as common to NOT get results with probiotics as it is to get them! In fact, recent research shows how probiotic supplements often don’t deliver.
The Evidence is In: Probiotics aren’t always effective on their own.
In a recent study published in the prestigious journal Cell, scientists gave participants either a probiotic with 11 proven strains of bacteria or a placebo for four weeks.
They also took samples from the participants’ digestive tracts at the start of the study, and then again at the end.
And they found that the probiotic bacteria were only able to colonize in the gut microbiome of 60% of the participants. Meaning the other 40% of participants had no colonization at all! That means the benefits with probiotics were either very short-lived or not effective, period.
No wonder so many people are disappointed by probiotics.
This study served to validate my own experience. I’ve learned over many years and dealing with thousands of patients that there’s a LOT more to your gut microbiome’s health than just adding good bacteria. That’s because your gut microbiome is an entire ecosystem that relies on other factors that are even more important than just adding probiotics.
I’ve distilled down my learnings to what I call the four key Digestive Essentials. Master these and you will finally restore healthy digestion and truly transform your gut.
They are
Balance your gut pH Strengthen your entire digestive system with potent herbs Deliver the right kind of good bacteria (strain and viability matter more than numbers) Nourish your good bacteria with the best prebiotics
In the rest of this article I will share insights about each of these areas and more importantly, give you steps you can implement today to start improving your results.
Digestive Essential #1: Better Balance Your Gut’s pH
Believe it or not, many digestive problems come from having too little acidity, not too much!
That’s because when you have low acid levels, your gut microbiome becomes a war zone for good bacteria while helping bad bacteria take over.
Even more surprising, the majority of people have low acidity levels in their stomach and intestines. Many things like aging… stress… and common medications all work to drive down your acid levels.
An effective way to improve this is through the amazing pH-balancing power of fermentation.
As you may know, many doctors recommend eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, instead of taking probiotic pills. One of the reasons is because eating fermented food gives you probiotics in a living viable state and these better produce organic acids that naturally balance your pH levels to the “Goldilocks” just right pH of 1.5- 3.5 acidity.
When your acidity is in the ideal range it
Provides an optimal environment for good bacteria to thriveCreates an environment where bad bacteria can’t survive or attach to your digestive systemPromotes the health of your entire digestive system
Digestive Essential #2: Potent Herbal Digestive Aids
Remember your entire digestive system is a complex ecosystem, the primary home where your microbiome bacteria need to live.
One of the best ways to improve that environment is with digestion enhancing herbs. Herbs have been used for centuries to treat heartburn, stomach pain, constipation, and more. And now modern research shows how they work to support your entire digestive system, with benefits including…
Fennel – Promotes healthy digestion and good bacteria in your gut microbiomeGinger – Delivers relief from occasional digestive upset and nauseaChamomile – Helps eliminate gas and bloating, soothes the stomach, and reduces occasional diarrhea.
Furthermore, if you activate these and other digestive herbs with fermentation, it can significantly increase their healing potential.
Digestive Essential #3: The Bacteria Your Gut Craves
All probiotic supplements and fermented foods provide various strains of good bacteria. But not all of them are as essential to your gut’s ecosystem as lactic acid bacteria.
Our healthy gut depends on high levels of lactic acid bacteria. And we used to have plenty of this type of bacteria.
But today our low-nutrition processed-food diet, dairy pasteurization, high levels of stress, and many medications have significantly reduced the levels of these critical bacteria in our gut microbiome.
Scientific evidence and my experience points to these strains as some of the most therapeutic:
Bifidobacterium lactisBifidobacterium longumLactobacillus acidophilusLactobacillus caseiLactobacillus rhamnosusLactobacillus salivariusLactococcus lactisStreptococcus thermophilus
Plus, these bacteria also work to keep your gut’s pH perfect. So the fermentation and the acids produced start to rebalance your gut’s ecosystem to be welcoming to good bacteria while showing bad bacteria the door. And then the good bacteria themselves are like insurance, keeping your pH where it needs to be.
This combination of fermentation, herbs and live beneficial bacteria form what I call “nutrient synergy”. Their collective effect is greater than the sum of its parts. They supercharge each other to deliver even more health results than when taken individually.
Digestive Essential #4: The Ultimate Prebiotic
Simply put, prebiotics are the food your bacteria eat. Just like with any food for any living thing, quality matters.
But while many probiotic formulas include a prebiotic, none of them include a prebiotic like PectaSol-C® Modified Citrus Pectinsometimes referred to as Pectic Oligosaccharide (POS).
Pectasol is the superfood foundation that I base all my health programs on. There’s nothing else on the planet that so rapidly and effectively transforms your cells from dangerous, reactive “survive mode” to regenerative, proactive “thrive mode”.
It turns out another way Pectasol transforms health is by acting as ideal fuel for feeding your good bacteria, helping them thrive while blocking bad bacteria.
I encourage you to find multiple ways to incorporate these digestive essentials into your lifestyle.
Additionally, I am excited to make you aware of a new solution that my team and I have developed at ecoNugenics.
It’s called ecoProbiotic. It uniquely incorporates these 4 concepts together in one synergistic living nutritional solution. Until now, ecoProbiotic was only available to patients at my clinic. But now, based on the remarkable and consistent results we get, my team and I see an opportunity to help more people finally overcome their digestive misery and get all the other benefits of a healthy gut—so we’re making it available to you.
With ecoProbiotic you will get…
The power of fermentation to balance your gut’s healthy pH, help good bacteria thrive and inhibit bad bacteriaProprietary digestive herb infusion including ginger, basil, and other top digestion-boosting herbs8 different cultures of the live lactic acid bacteria your gut microbiome cravesTrace amounts of the ultimate superfood prebiotic, POS, to feed your good bacteriaSynergy created by fermenting the combination of bacteria, digestion-boosting herbs, and POS to make each of them even more potent than when used individually
Again, we have incorporated our knowledge of the 4 key variables to produce a unique formula that balances and renews your gut ecosystem and delivers fast relief.
When I used the initial product, I felt the effects from this cocktail in just minutes. It was better than any other digestive product I have taken. And my patients reported immediate results… and the improvements just keep coming.
Plus, these results came without the rumbling stomach and “adjustment period” of other probiotics.
Even better, it’s a liquid product enjoyable to drink on its own or add to other healthy beverages. There are no pills to swallow. And no rules about when and how you can take it.
To my knowledge it’s the first and only gut health solution to work all four ways to restore a perfectly balanced ecosystem in your gut microbiome.
Visit www.ProbioticBliss.com to learn more about this revolutionary formula.
While many probiotics give you billions and billions of bacteria, ecoProbiotic delivers the exact right amount of the most essential bacteria. Even better, they’ve been activated and preserved, thanks to the power of fermentation. That way the bacteria are alive and ready to go to work to put an end to your digestive problems and keep your whole gut ecosystem running smoothly.
Good digestion is the foundation for longevity, vitality and healthy aging. ecoProbiotic delivers powerful, fast acting support for optimal digestive function, microbiome vitality and more, so you can exceed your health goals and truly thrive.
The post The Untold Truth about Probiotics appeared first on Alternative Medicine Magazine.
