Probiotics for Health

100 Amazing and Unexpected Uses for Probiotics

Jo A. Panyko

• Publisher: Adams Media
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781507204283
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

Discover the many ways probiotics can transform your health, beauty, and overall wellness in this informative new guide. Probiotics—good bacteria found in fermented foods and supplements—are the newest health craze, and for good reason. Recent medical studies continue to reveal how probiotics improve gut health and contribute to overall wellness. Their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties can help combat chronic disease, including heart disease, certain types of cancers, and irritable bowel syndrome. They also provide all-natural relief for common ailments like allergies, flu, colds, urinary tract infections, and yeast infections. They are also effective beauty aids, and can be used for many things from fighting acne to healing dandruff. With Probiotics for Health, you will discover all the benefits that these good bacteria can bring from weight loss to better skin to a better immune system—without dangerous chemicals or costly procedures.

1: CALMS REACTIONS TO FOODS

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Different people react to foods differently. What may be nourishing to one person may be another person’s poison. We don’t normally think of foods as being poisonous because they usually are not deadly, but foods can be toxic to a person who is allergic, intolerant, or sensitive to them. The difference in toxicity may show in symptoms.

In a food allergy, there is an immediate immune reaction to the offensive food. Classic allergic symptoms such as tingling lips, burning/tightness in the mouth/throat, gastrointestinal upset, difficulty breathing, rashes, hives, and even anaphylaxis may be present. Although any food can cause an allergic reaction, the most common offenders are peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, fish, shellfish, eggs, soy, and wheat.

In a food intolerance, the body is not able to properly handle the food, but there is not an allergic reaction. A classic example is lactose intolerance. Please see the section on lactose intolerance for more information.

In a food sensitivity, the immune reaction is delayed, usually several hours to days after the exposure. Food sensitivities are the most difficult to determine since there is not an immediate reaction. These kinds of issues with foods can cause a wide range of physical and mental problems. An elimination diet followed by reintroduction is one of the best ways to determine a food sensitivity.

Food allergies and sensitivities both involve the immune system, albeit in different ways. Many types of probiotics can help modulate the immune system, and they can calm these conditions, not only via immune regulation, but also through prevention of intestinal permeability, improved intestinal motility, and communication with your genes.

2: LESSENS SEASONAL ALLERGY REACTIONS

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Seasonal respiratory allergies can cause itchy, watery eyes, scratchy throat, and an annoying runny, stuffy nose. Often called hay fever, seasonal respiratory allergies are your body’s response to otherwise innocuous substances such as pollen, outdoor mold spores, dust, and animal dander. These substances are allergens. Some allergens are only present in large quantities in the spring and fall. Others are present throughout the year. You might have allergies to different allergens that could leave you suffering year-round.

The reason for your suffering is an overreaction by your body to the allergens. Your body detects these allergens and mounts a massive immune response attack against them, including the release of histamine and other chemicals in a futile attempt to protect you. Many times there is a threshold at which you can no longer tolerate your total allergen load, and that is when symptoms balloon. Aside from monitoring allergen counts and avoiding allergens as much as possible (also vacuuming frequently, reducing carpeting, washing bedding frequently, and so on), did you know that there are other treatment options besides allergy shots and antihistamines?

Oral probiotics are helpful because 70−80 percent of your immune system is in your gastrointestinal tract, so ingesting various forms of probiotics can help balance your immune system from the inside out. Probiotics species in the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera as well as some Bacillus have shown efficacy in reducing seasonal allergic symptoms. Probiotics work best preventively, so take them year-round.

In addition to diet and lifestyle modifications, probiotics help get to the root of the problem and calm down the response of the immune system to seasonal allergens.

3: IMPROVES ANEMIA

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Are you feeling run down? Getting sick frequently? You could have a case of common iron-deficiency anemia. Your body needs small amounts of iron, carried in hemoglobin in red blood cells in your blood, to carry oxygen to tissues for energy production and to act as a catalyst in various reactions in the body.

Iron-deficiency anemia can be caused by blood loss (menstruation, ulcers, hemorrhoids, and colon cancer, among others); inability to meet the body’s needs (pregnancy, childbirth, recovery from injury, and cancers); and increased destruction of red blood cells (from inherited conditions such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, or toxins such as venom, drugs, or trauma).

Sometimes iron absorption from foods is not enough for your needs, and in the case of diagnosed iron-deficiency anemia, iron supplements may be necessary to bring your body’s stores of iron to normal levels. Probiotics can help your body better absorb iron from foods so that you get adequate amounts for your everyday needs, and they can help you absorb iron from supplements too.

One of the ways probiotics help is by producing acids that help keep iron in a soluble form. Lactobacillus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium, Lactococcus, and some Bacillus can do that. Another way is by breaking down antinutrients in foods such as phytates, which bind iron in unusable forms, so that the iron becomes available. Yet other ways probiotics help with your body’s iron needs is by maintaining the gastrointestinal (GI) barrier and combating ulcer development to prevent iron losses through blood, and by protecting GI mucus and cells that hold and release iron in the GI tract.

Maintaining adequate levels of iron in the body is important for health, and probiotics can help!

4: SOOTHES ACHY JOINTS

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Do you ever feel like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz movie? Having osteoarthritis can feel like you need lubrication in your joints to get you moving. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage in a joint becomes damaged, joint movement is restricted, and pain ensues. The most common joints affected are the knees and hips, and it is not uncommon to experience OA in multiple joints.

Many people believe that OA is a normal wear-and-tear condition and that getting it is inevitable as you age. Indeed, statistics in the UK show that 33 percent of people forty-five years old and older and 49 percent of women and 42 percent of men aged seventy-five years and over have sought medical treatment for the disease.

However, even though there may be some genetic links, experiencing disabling osteoarthritis is not inevitable as you age. Being overweight is a major risk factor for OA development, mainly because your joints were not meant to move excessive amounts of weight, but also because carrying extra weight increases your body’s inflammatory state. That is why anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, are commonly prescribed for OA.

Taking anti-inflammatory medications can help with inflammation and pain, but they are not addressing some of the root causes of why OA happened in the first place. Weight loss, smoking cessation, eating a diet focused on vegetables, taking popular supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin (among others), and taking probiotics may soothe your achy joints. Caring for your gut health with a variety of probiotics can help OA by reducing the inflammatory chemicals, which attack collagen in the joints and contribute to inflammation and pain, produced by pathogens and problems in your gut.

5: LOWERS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ACTIVITY

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Do you have joint pain with swelling and stiffness, and possibly redness, especially that which lasts longer than a half-hour in the mornings? These could be symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune form of arthritis that attacks the lining of your joints. This means that your body mistakenly attacks its own tissues due to immune system dysregulation. RA typically begins in the joints of the feet or fingers, but it can affect any joints and is likely to progress if no action is taken. Repeated episodes of joint inflammation can result in damage to joints and instability in joints, with deformities being common. This repeated inflammation can lead to great disability.

Conventional treatment of RA involves painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (which target inflammatory molecules), and steroids to suppress the autoimmune attack. Genetics may play a role in RA, but it is not the cause. Cold, damp weather may aggravate the condition, but it is not the cause either. As with most autoimmune diseases, it takes a trigger to switch on the autoimmunity. The trigger could be something such as diet, lifestyle, environmental toxins, or stress. The keys to preventing or managing RA are to lessen repeated triggers and keep the antioxidant and immune systems balanced so that inflammation is minimized.

Since 70−80 percent of your immune system is in your gastrointestinal tract, oral probiotics offer a nontoxic way to balance it. Research into specific probiotic strains and RA is in its infancy, but trials with Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Bifidobacterium bifidum have shown promise in significantly decreasing the RA disease-activity scores of participants.

6: IMPROVES ASTHMA

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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory immune disorder that affects the airway passages of susceptible children and adults. Symptoms can include wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Asthma sufferers typically also have allergies.

The most common prescribed medications to treat asthma are steroids to suppress inflammation, bronchodilators to open airways, and medications to block an allergic response. Peak flow meters are often used as a simple test of lung function to alert asthma suffers of the status of their breathing capacity.

Many studies suggest that the best time to prevent asthma is in infancy, when a child’s immune system is undergoing rapid maturation. Therefore, most studies involving probiotics in the management or prevention of asthma are conducted on infants and young children. Results show that children with a more diverse bacterial community are less likely to develop asthma. Chewable tablets or oral drops of probiotics, and beneficial microbes from raw produce, fermented foods and drinks, and supplements, can help with immune system development and microbial diversity in young children.

The microbial balance in airways also is disrupted in people with asthma compared to those without. Studies with probiotics for asthma in adults are limited, but recent treatments including probiotic formulas containing Bifidobacterium breve or Clostridium butyricum were shown to improve asthma.

RELIEF MAY START IN THE GUT

Asthma is a complicated disease, with many triggers and unspecified causes, but it is known that asthma is an immune disorder. Since 70−80 percent of your immune system is in your intestines, and since immune molecules can travel from the gastrointestinal tract to sites all over the body, including the airways, balancing the microbiota there with the help of targeted probiotics to counteract the dysbiosis present may provide asthma symptom relief.

7: SHOWS PROMISE FOR HELPING AUTISM

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Autism is a wide-spectrum developmental disorder triggered in early childhood and characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulties in social interactions and communication. There is no recognized cure. The exact trigger is unknown, but some interplay between genetics and environmental factors is suspected. One theory that is gaining momentum is that an imbalance in gastrointestinal (GI) microbes sets the stage for autism to develop.

An imbalance in the GI microbiota has the potential to directly affect the digestive system, immune system, brain/nervous system, and endocrine system, and inflammatory molecules from the GI tract can travel throughout the body to other systems. Since children’s immune systems develop over time after birth, any assault to the digestive, immune, nervous, or endocrine systems via an imbalance in GI microbiota has the potential to affect development.

The majority of children with autism have severe GI disorders such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, or irritable bowel disease. These disorders in adults and children without autism have been linked to gut microbiota disruptions.

Studies show that children with autism also have less bacterial diversity in their GI tracts, and in general, less diversity is associated with reduced health. To explore the gut microbiota–autism connection, recent trials with probiotics and fecal transplants in autistic children and in animals with induced autistic symptoms have shown great promise by improving the microbial diversity, digestive health, and behavioral symptoms in those subjects.

RESEARCH IT

Several prominent doctors, including Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome and creator of the GAPS diet, focus on the status of the GI tract for prevention and in their treatments of autism and other disorders. More information about her and her GAPS diet can be found at www.doctor-natasha.com.

8: REDUC...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Probiotics and Their Many Health Benefits
• 1: Calms Reactions to Foods
• 2: Lessens Seasonal Allergy Reactions
• 3: Improves Anemia
• 4: Soothes Achy Joints
• 5: Lowers Rheumatoid Arthritis Activity
• 6: Improves Asthma
• 7: Shows Promise for Helping Autism
• 8: Reduces Vaginal Inflammation
• 9: Combats Bacterial Vaginosis
• 10: Reduces Risks Associated with Burn Injury
• 11: Adds to Breast Cancer Prevention Arsenal
• 12: May Help in Colon Cancer Prevention
• 13: Offers Help in Liver Cancer Prevention
• 14: Reduces Cardiovascular Disease Risks
• 15: Helps to Balance Cholesterol
• 16: May Reduce Duration and Severity of Colds
• 17: Soothes Colic
• 18: Relieves Constipation
• 19: Helps with Complications of Cystic Fibrosis
• 20: Offers Help for Diabetes
• 21: Regulates Diarrhea
• 22: Boosts Immunity Against Flu
• 23: Minimizes Food Poisoning Ambush
• 24: Manages Digestive Health in Food Tube Feeding
• 25: Lessens Risk of Gallstones
• 26: Reduces Heartburn Triggers
• 27: Improves Digestion
• 28: Helps IBS
• 29: Eases Indigestion
• 30: May Reduce Postsurgical Infections
• 31: Enhances Female Fertility
• 32: Enhances Male Fertility
• 33: Banishes Intestinal Cramps
• 34: Reduces Kidney Burden
• 35: Lessens Risk of Kidney Stones
• 36: Improves Lactose Intolerance
• 37: Protects Liver Function
• 38: May Reduce Risk of NAFLD
• 39: May Help Prevent Conditions Leading to Lymphoma
• 40: Promotes Eye Health
• 41: Decreases Vaginal Dryness
• 42: Offers Help for MS Symptoms
• 43: Lessens NEC Risk
• 44: Helps Reduce Risk of Acute Pancreatitis
• 45: Battles Periodontal Disease
• 46: Eases PMS
• 47: Impedes Pneumonia Pathogens
• 48: Fights Pouchitis
• 49: Reduces Risk of Preterm Birth
• 50: Addresses Radiation Enteritis
• 51: Lessens Rotavirus Impact
• 52: Improves Short-Bowel Syndrome
• 53: Promotes Sinus Health
• 54: Enhances Sports Performance
• 55: Limits Stomach Flu
• 56: Thwarts Stomach Ulcers
• 57: Helps Resolve Thyroid Problems
• 58: Lessens Toxic Shock Syndrome Risk
• 59: Helps Consequences of Major Physical Trauma
• 60: Promotes Urinary Health
• 61: Limits Yeast Infections
• 62: Improves Alzheimer’s Disease
• 63: Reduces Causes of Anxiety
• 64: May Help with Bipolar Disease
• 65: Clears Brain Fog
• 66: Alleviates Depression
• 67: Addresses Headaches
• 68: Improves Hepatic Encephalopathy
• 69: Soothes Irritability
• 70: May Help Schizophrenia
• 71: Reduces Sugar Cravings
• 72: Minimizes Acne
• 73: Reduces Aging from Sun Exposure
• 74: Fights Athlete’s Foot
• 75: Battles Bad Breath
• 76: Reduces Belching and Burping
• 77: Minimizes Bloating
• 78: Lessens Sweaty Body Odor
• 79: Improves Fishy Body Odor
• 80: Fights Cavities
• 81: Diminishes Cold Sores
• 82: Lessens Dandruff
• 83: Relieves Eczema
• 84: Whitens Eyes
• 85: Reduces Smelly Gas
• 86: Fights Bleeding Gums
• 87: Lessens Hair Loss
• 88: Combats Nail Fungus
• 89: Makes Nails Stronger
• 90: Builds Stronger Bones
• 91: Calms Psoriasis
• 92: Minimizes Rosacea
• 93: Reduces Diaper Rash
• 94: Improves Dry Skin
• 95: Soothes Skin Redness
• 96: Diminishes Wrinkles
• 97: Whitens and Strengthens Teeth
• 98: Battles Thrush
• 99: Aids in Weight Gain
• 100: Helps with Weight Loss
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• References
• Index
• Copyright