How to Be Healthy

The importance of bacteria found in the bowel has been known for almost a hundred years. A real understanding of how pro-biotics function began when the Nobel Prize winning Russian physiologist, Elie Metchnikoff (1845 - 1916), introduced his intoxication theory. He stated that the main cause of aging is “toxicants” formed by intestinal putrefaction and fermentation and suggested drinking beverages such as yogurt containing lactic acid bacteria would prevent aging. Lactobacilli, the best known of the pro-biotics, suddenly attracted world attention.

Lactobacillus was first identified by Pasteur, the pioneer of modern microbiology (1845 - 1895) in France. There are almost 400 different strains of friendly bacteria in a healthy bowel. Each one of them has a specific function in the overall scheme of things. Some are responsible for producing B vitamins, some for protecting and healing the interior lining of the bowel wall, and some for fighting off the bad effects of potentially dangerous bacteria responsible for food poisoning. These complex flora, comprising a large range of different bacterial species, play multiple roles including stimulation of our immune function. On the other hand, any kind of disturbances in this ecosystem can leave us more vulnerable to exogenous (caused by outside infection) and endogenous (caused by internal infection) intestinal infections as intestinal bacteria have also been involved in some chronic and degenerative diseases of the gut.

Recently, thanks to remarkable advances in microbiology and intestinal bacteriology, it has been made clear that lactobacilli play important roles in human health. Metchnikoff’s assumption has been substantiated and even become common knowledge in the health sciences. Sadly all of these vital allies in bowel function and overall health are destroyed whenever broad spectrum antibiotics are used or when we eat mostly cooked foods, which kill naturally occurring pro-biotics called homeostatic soil organisms. How many of us can say that we have never been exposed to antibiotics during the course of our lifetime? Since it was first produced towards the end of the Second World War, these drugs have been the most commonly used in the history of human kind. They have saved many lives over the course of the last seventy years but sadly they may have run their course. Most of the bacteria that antibiotics used to kill easily have grown immune to their effects. In fact, some strains of streptococcus actually can use penicillin as a nutrient. These resistant strains pose an increasing danger to health care workers and the public. There are no drugs that can kill some of these strains. Even the strongest medicines are no match. These strains are called vancomycin resistant strains and include the much feared flesh eating disease.

  With modern production methods and research, high-quality effective pro-biotic capsules are available now in most health food stores.  Since the digestive process doesn’t end once the food leaves the stomach, it only makes sense to ensure that one of the primary participants in the digestive process, the bowel, is working to the best of its ability.  This can only occur if proper levels of pro-biotics are present.  There are more pro-biotic bacteria found in the bowel than there are cells in the body.  I’m talking about 60 trillion bacterium, a truly staggering number.  This means that pro-biotic use should be a daily occurrence, especially if there has been any history of use of antibiotics which would entail a complete rebuilding of the pro-biotic population in the bowel.

  Indeed, at the very foundation of our health and well-being lies the ecosystem of our intestinal microbes.  There is strong evidence that pro biotic use is excellent for treatment of diarrhea in children and when it’s associated with travel such as Mexico’s Montezuma’s revenge.  There is also strong evidence that certain probiotic strains are able to enhance overall immune function especially in the elderly and very young.  

  There is some research that suggests that gargling and brushing with pro-biotics can help protect teeth from cavities and gingivitis as well as being helpful in treating tonsil, sinus and inner ear infection.  Why not allow the health benefits to start in the mouth and continue all the way down to the intestinal gut?

  The bifidobacteria, including B. infantis, B. bifidum and B. breve, should represent the largest population of beneficial bacteria in babies, whose immune defences are not yet fully working.  The natural vaginal birth process allows babies to be inoculated with the bacteria found in the birth canal during the birth process. There’s a major disparity in bacterial levels found in babies born by Caesarean and by those that came through the birth canal.  60% of naturally born babies had substantial levels of B. infantis compared to 9% born by Caesarean.  Breastfed babies also have substantially higher levels of this beneficial bacteria in comparison to formula fed babies.