Essential Facts about Probiotics
Not sure where the term “Probiotics” originated, nor why it would be used to designate “friendly bacteria.” Pro means “for” or “in favor of” and bio means life. The food you eat, the breath you breath could be called “probiotic.” So why are so many people referring it to friendly bacteria. Ya got me?
Friendly bacteria isn’t much better except it at least suggests “bacteria.” Personally, I’ve never held a discussion with a bacteria so I don’t really know if they are friendly or unfriendly. This I do know: Bacteria are essential for life and a few bacteria are absolutely essential for good digestion and creating essential-for-health nutrients such as certain amino acids, B vitamins and the type of B12 that can be used by our bodies, as opposed to the cobalamin form of B12 so commonly used in B12 supplementation.
(Note:The cobalamin form of B12 is not useable by our bodies. Studies show that only methalcobalamin works for humans)
Conventional medicine, pharmaceuticals and the FDA would have us believe that all bacteria are bad, and maybe unfriendly too. Thus, they want to destroy every bacterium, friendly or unfriendly, that may have “invaded the internal domain of our body’s, including the friendly bacteria in fresh raw milk.) So they sell you militant drugs that are designed to kill any and all bacteria that happen to be exposed to their drugs. These anti-biotic drugs (anti = Against and biotics = Life), exterminate, in genocide proportions, very much-needed bacteria as well as pathogenic that we do not want.
Apparently many medical doctors do not yet know that we need “friendly bacteria” in our gut, for they never even think or suggest that we should ALWAYS take “friendly” bacteria supplements to replace the ones that had been exterminated by the Anti-Biotics. As far as I know, no medical doctor will have you do this, unless, they switched sides, and became an “alternative doctor.”
Now the big question: What bacterial supplement should we take after all our “friendly bacteria” have been slaughtered or if we have been constipated or not digesting our food, as we should, or if we are over acid, etc. The answer is very interesting and brings up a very important question. First the answer: There are two types of bacteria used for supplementation. 1. Extreme acid-producing or very slightly acid-producing. Extreme acid-forming bacteria include everything that begins with an “L”. L stands for “lactic acid:” lactobacillus acidophilus or L. casei, L. helveticus, L. salivarius, etc. etc. The by-product these bacteria excrete is an acid ranging from 4.5 down to 3.9 pH. They can be very beneficial when we have an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria or other microorganisms that are causing us problems, for they kill or inhibit the growth of harmful putrefactive microorganisms. They accomplish this by excreting extreme acids into the intestines that literally burn the pathogens to death. They may also excrete other metabolic by-products such as hydrogen peroxide, carbon dioxide and diacetyl, which are highly destructive to various pathogenic microorganisms and to our intestinal wall. In this way they are effective in helping to reduce abnormal bowel conditions produced by pathogen bacteria.
However, there is a problem here that is seldom noticed by most people, including doctors. 4.5 or less pH in the intestines is over 1000 times more acid than what the bowel must be if it is going to function as it was designed to function. The 22 feet of small intestines, where most of our digestion and assimilation takes place, must have a pH near 7.4 just like our blood. Should it drop below 7pH, the pancreatic enzymes and the other 22 known enzymes produced by the intestinal cells that line the intestines, rapidly loose the ability to digest our food properly. It is very, very important to our well being to be able to fully digest our food.
Therefore, we must not allow our intestines to maintain a dominant population of acid forming bacteria by taking lactic acid producing bacterial supplements for long periods of time. ACID FORMING BACTERIA SHOULD ONLY BE USED DURING A TYPE OF CRISIS. ONCE THE CRISIS IS OVER WE MUST REPLACE THE ACID-FORMING BACTERIA WITH BACTERIA THAT IS NATURAL FOR HUMANS. In other words, we should take these acid-forming bacteria only long enough for them to eliminate whatever offending microorganism that are present. Then we must stop using them and take bacteria supplements that are “human specific.” Meaning, normal for the human intestines.
There are four other problems in taking lactic acid producing bacteria:
1. They produce such an acid environment that they tend to kill themselves off. That’s why people taking lactobacillus bacteria supplements must keep on taking them or they tend to create constipation and other problems.
2. Do to the caustic and irritating action upon the intestinal cells our body never stops trying to get rid of these lactobacillus bacteria. In other words, acids produced by these bacteria are very harmful to the intestinal wall, which forces the intestines to protect themselves by creating mucoid plaque. This can cause a chain reaction that leads to future health problems that can eventually become serious.
3. The body is forced to secrete sodium bicarbonate to try and bring its pH environment back to normal and this can cause deficiency in organic sodium. A deficiency in organic sodium, as opposed to inorganic sodium used in typical table salt, can cause another chain reaction of harmful events that can lead to chronic and degenerate conditions.
4. Many studies now show that over weight and obese people have a dominate population of, can you guess? Lactic acid producing bacteria; lactobacillus.
What are Human Specific Bacteria – the type of bacteria designed for man?
Important Note: Natural-to-humans bacteria, once adopted by the human gut, do not kill itself off nor will our intestines attempt to kill them off and once we repopulated our intestines with these probiotics, we do not need to keep taking probiotics. However, if we are eating or drinking something that kills them, or unless we have something in our intestines that continues to kill them off; parasites, acid bile, deficiency of organic sodium, yeast, etc., then we may need to take more.
Babies are born without any bacteria in their intestines and with very little exception the first bacteria to colonize are Bifidobacterium infantis. These little guys are also naturally found in healthy children and adults. They should be the most dominant bacteria in an infant’s gut until after they are no longer being breast-fed. As children become older and their bowel environment changes as the result of food being eaten, then Bifidobacterium breve along with B. infantis, will be the dominant bacteria. B. Breve is more closely related to both B. Infantis and B. Longum than to any other species of the genus. Bifidobacterium longum probably evolves from B. Infantis as it is closely related to B. Infantis. Found in healthy adult feces. Bifidobacterium bifidum is found in feces of human infant, children and adults. It is also found in the healthy human vagina. There are other Bifidobacterium’s found in humans but the above need to be the most dominant for they are most important and can evolved into various other forms according to how the bowel environment changes.
Lactobacillus acidophilus are not naturally found in humans until they drink cow milk, which is unnatural to humans. Just as cows do not drink human milk, neither should humans drink cow milk. Some Lactobacillus is naturally found in the foods we eat. In sauerkraut we find Lactobacillus plantarium and is considered very good for humans and maybe what made the German people so healthy and strong, or at least so in the past. Now the health of the German people has plummeted to the same level of the American people. They’re not doing very well since they have adopted the Standard American Diet.
Interesting Note: Mother’s of all animals naturally wean their children after a certain period of development. This is the natural order of life and human are no exception. We naturally lose our ability to fully digest milk around two years of age. Continuing to drink milk after two years is unnatural and unhealthy except to those who profit by it; dairy farmers, grocers and conventional medicine.
Another interesting Note: In nature, it is the rare exception for a baby of any specie to drink milk that does not come from its own specie. If humans must drink milk, they should drink their mother’s milk and no other. Fresh raw goat milk would be the best alternative milk a child could drink, the truth is fresh raw organic carrot juice is even better.
One more Interesting Note: No animal pasteurizes its milk. Pasteurized cow milk is very harmful to humans and is the main cause of so many ear, throat and sinus infections in children and acme in teenagers. Eating too much dairy is a major contributing factor to the poor health in America. No human can efficiently digest pasteurized milk.
When taking Probiotics be sure that the Bifidobacterium is the dominant bacteria in the formula
Understanding a little medical physiology makes it clear that we need the natural-to-human bacteria
Okay, I’m rambling a bit here, but it is important stuff.
The right bacteria (‘good’ bacteria) in the right amounts are essential for a strong immune system, the assimilation of vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and for the manufacture of B-vitamins (including B-12), vitamin K and various amino acids.*
Bifidobacterium
- Help maintain intestinal health and serves as a natural antibiotic against potentially harmful organisms
- Play an essential role in many of the gut’s life supporting metabolic functions
- May help ease symptoms of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- Combat diarrhea associated with antibiotic use, travelling, etc.
- Enhance immune function
- Improve digestion of lactose
- Relieve allergy symptoms
- Help prevent vitamin deficiencies
- Help prevent amino acid deficiencies
Finally, as many as 750 trillion bacteria reside in your stomach at ?any one time…make sure they’re the good ones!