The hot topic for 2017 is the human microbiome and its impact on health. There has been some new findings about the microorganisms that live inside our digestive tracts and recent research is supporting that these microbes hugely impact our overall health and well-being! Special strains and species of probiotics are proving to be extremely helpful in certain functions in the human body.

Digestive Imbalance?

When the gut microbiota is out of balance, numerous symptoms arise. To name a few, there is bloating, passing gas, stomach pain or discomfort, frequent colds and flu (yes, you read it right, even if this was somewhat far from the digestive areas), and allergies.

Several factors that can cause gut imbalance vary from consumption of certain medications such as antibiotics, alcohol consumption, eating processed foods, and as well as stress. A combination of these factors causes undesirable bacteria levels to increase, and good bacteria to be insufficient. This imbalance is linked to conditions such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases.

In order to restore the balance, probiotics  can be re-introduced into the system with the help of laboratory produced probiotics strains. Probiotics act to rebuild the disturbed environment inside the guts and regulate both the good bacteria promoting its growth, and the bad bacteria keeping it at minimal levels.

Which Probiotic Strains Should I take?

In short, there are too many to list. Just imagine if probiotics were like different people. You have school teachers, rubbish collectors, engineers, gardeners, etc. To repair your building, you would need an engineer, so if you just got a random person to try to fix your broken building, you would have a hard time getting the job done.

Different strains have different functions in the body, and has different health benefits. And different dosages have different effects too. In order to address your individual need, and identify the correct dosage suitable for you, it is best to consult a naturopath.

Some strains that the Practitioner may prescribe are:

Bifidobacterium animalis ssp lactis
This strain helps rebuild the gut microbiota.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus, also called, the LGG
This strain helps regulate the body’s immunity, and may help in the treatment of allergies, and autoimmune diseases.

To know more about probiotics and which ones would be best for you, it is advised that you consult with a Practitioner. This ensures that you will be getting the proper dosage and the proper sets of strains.