I know not everyone can tolerate probiotics. However for those of us who can do so, this article adds credence to this site's recommendation to add Cultrelle Probiotics to the 8-week Pepto Bismol healing regime. This article also references IBS diseases and potential cures.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
(NaturalNews) For decades, natural health and nutrition advocates have advised paying attention to our internal environment for optimum health - specifically, to make sure the "good" bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract was plentiful by eating yogurt and other fermented foods and/or taking probiotic supplements. Once considered fringe, "health nut" advice, scientists have recently documented multiple ways probiotics can benefit health. Now, at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012 currently underway in Los Angeles, researchers have announced taking a probiotic supplement might help prevent heart disease.
According to Mitchell L. Jones, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and a research assistant in the faculty of medicine at McGill University in Montreal, taking twice daily doses of a probiotic lowered key cholesterol-bearing molecules in the blood, caused "bad" cholesterol level (the kind that clogs arteries) to plunge and made the total cholesterol count healthier.
This is a particularly important study for mainstream medicine to be aware of because of two reasons. First, it involved a double blind study in humans. And second, it shows that a natural substance can do something Big Pharma's side effect-ridden statins can't do -- lower "bad" cholesterol without potential harm.
In earlier studies, a strain of live probiotic microorganisms (Lactobacillus reuteri) had shown promise in lowering blood levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol. For the new study, the investigators looked to see if the same probiotic could lower LDL and reduce molecules of cholesterol attached to fatty acids known as cholesterol esters. A combination of elevated cholesterol esters plus high LDL has been tied to dangerous plaque buildup in the arteries, resulting in a heightened risk of heart disease.
The study involved 127 adult research subjects who all had high cholesterol. About half the patients took the probiotic two times a day, while the rest were given placebo capsules. After just nine weeks, those taking the probiotic had LDL levels 11.6 percent lower than those on placebos. In addition, cholesterol esters were reduced by 6.3 percent and cholesterol ester saturated fatty acids fell by almost nine percent, compared with the placebo group.
The people taking the probiotic had no side effects and, as the researchers noted, the probiotic strain L. reuteri has a long history of safe use.
As Natural News previously reported, other breakthrough research published in the journal Nature strongly indicates an imbalance of "good" versus "bad" bacteria in the intestinal tract appears to trigger Type II diabetes --and probiotics may help prevent or treat that condition, too. In addition, scientists have also discovered that probiotics can increase the body's immune response to the flu virus and may be an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
Sources:
http://newsroom.heart.org
http://www.naturalnews.com/026265.html#ixzz2BHr2nAlk
http://www.naturalnews.com
About the author:
Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in Newsweek, Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal, Optometry, Atlanta, Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI, UCLA's "Healthy Years" newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's "Focus on Health Aging" newsletter, the Cleveland Clinic's "Men's Health Advisor" newsletter and many others.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037884_probi ... z2CcG0S1VO
Probiotic zaps 'bad' cholesterol, Heart Disease, IBS Colitis
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
-
drdebc
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:15 pm
- Location: On a lake in the N GA mountains
Probiotic zaps 'bad' cholesterol, Heart Disease, IBS Colitis
Retired marketing Higher Ed PhD striving to heal myself with a minimal amount of prescription meds.
Diagnosed w/collagenous MC, Barrett's Esophagus, Celiac, Hypothyroidism.
Diagnosed w/collagenous MC, Barrett's Esophagus, Celiac, Hypothyroidism.
-
drdebc
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:15 pm
- Location: On a lake in the N GA mountains
Kefir(Probiotics)Can Relieve Symptoms of Microscopic Colitis
Thanks Julie
Here is another related article. I have also tried Lifeway real Lowfat Kefir cultured milk smoothie probiotic also. I get the plain unsweetened version and add a few drops of liquid stevia. It is available at the local Ingles grocery store in the town where I reside.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
source: http://voices.yahoo.com/kefir-probiotic ... tml?cat=70
If you have microscopic colitis, have you tried kefir, a probiotic? I have microscopic colitis and kefir thus far is the only effective natural treatment. I won't go the route of prescription or over-the-counter drugs because these only address the symptoms, if they work at all. In fact, Imodium will delay the inevitable by causing constipation.
Kefir apparently works by actually treating microscopic colitis. Essentially, kefir is yogurt in drinkable form, but it also contains live culture bacteria, or, the "good" bacteria, the beneficial bacteria that you need for optimum intestinal health. Kefir is a probiotic; probiotics are good or "friendly" bacteria that are an integral part of a healthy balance of microorganisms in human intestines.
The human GI tract contains both good and bad bacteria, and problems can arise when there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria. In fact, it's been conjectured that microscopic colitis can be caused by an overgrowth of bad bacteria; or, to put it another way, an imbalance in the ratio of good to bad bacteria in the intestinal tract.
Dr. Kenneth Fine, a gastroenterologist who has studied microscopic colitis, believes that the bacterial imbalance has a genetic component. However, the expression of this genetic predisposition can be triggered by a few factors:
1) The body for some unknown reason "attacks" the bacteria that grow in the colon, thereby offsetting the balance;
2) This can be triggered by NSAID's and aspirin, antibiotics and eating certain foods that favor the growth of "bad" bacteria.
Because kefir is a probiotic, ingesting this drink helps restore a more optimal balance of good bacteria and bad in the gastrointestinal tract. From an anecdotal perspective, this is why this thick, probiotic drink pretty much puts my microscopic colitis out of commission (albeit with occasional diarrhea).
I've gone off kefir several times, and every time, the symptoms return: a lot of diarrhea and large amounts of undigested food in my stools. When I'm on the probiotic, my stools more often are well-formed, rather than loose and easily-dispersed (what I call semi-diarrhea), and based on the appearance of my stools while I'm on kefir, there's less malabsorption of food.
Kefir is recommended for controlling diarrhea caused by antibiotics and infections. According to webmd.com, probiotics may one day be more universally recommended for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease -- and microscopic colitis is a form of IBD.
If you have microscopic colitis, go straight to the kefir, because it's drinkable, which makes it more convenient than yogurt (which also comes in probiotic form). Probiotic pills have not worked for me at all, but this doesn't mean they won't work for you.
Source: http://www.finerhealth.com/Educational_ ... tis/#cause
Here is another related article. I have also tried Lifeway real Lowfat Kefir cultured milk smoothie probiotic also. I get the plain unsweetened version and add a few drops of liquid stevia. It is available at the local Ingles grocery store in the town where I reside.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
source: http://voices.yahoo.com/kefir-probiotic ... tml?cat=70
If you have microscopic colitis, have you tried kefir, a probiotic? I have microscopic colitis and kefir thus far is the only effective natural treatment. I won't go the route of prescription or over-the-counter drugs because these only address the symptoms, if they work at all. In fact, Imodium will delay the inevitable by causing constipation.
Kefir apparently works by actually treating microscopic colitis. Essentially, kefir is yogurt in drinkable form, but it also contains live culture bacteria, or, the "good" bacteria, the beneficial bacteria that you need for optimum intestinal health. Kefir is a probiotic; probiotics are good or "friendly" bacteria that are an integral part of a healthy balance of microorganisms in human intestines.
The human GI tract contains both good and bad bacteria, and problems can arise when there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria. In fact, it's been conjectured that microscopic colitis can be caused by an overgrowth of bad bacteria; or, to put it another way, an imbalance in the ratio of good to bad bacteria in the intestinal tract.
Dr. Kenneth Fine, a gastroenterologist who has studied microscopic colitis, believes that the bacterial imbalance has a genetic component. However, the expression of this genetic predisposition can be triggered by a few factors:
1) The body for some unknown reason "attacks" the bacteria that grow in the colon, thereby offsetting the balance;
2) This can be triggered by NSAID's and aspirin, antibiotics and eating certain foods that favor the growth of "bad" bacteria.
Because kefir is a probiotic, ingesting this drink helps restore a more optimal balance of good bacteria and bad in the gastrointestinal tract. From an anecdotal perspective, this is why this thick, probiotic drink pretty much puts my microscopic colitis out of commission (albeit with occasional diarrhea).
I've gone off kefir several times, and every time, the symptoms return: a lot of diarrhea and large amounts of undigested food in my stools. When I'm on the probiotic, my stools more often are well-formed, rather than loose and easily-dispersed (what I call semi-diarrhea), and based on the appearance of my stools while I'm on kefir, there's less malabsorption of food.
Kefir is recommended for controlling diarrhea caused by antibiotics and infections. According to webmd.com, probiotics may one day be more universally recommended for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease -- and microscopic colitis is a form of IBD.
If you have microscopic colitis, go straight to the kefir, because it's drinkable, which makes it more convenient than yogurt (which also comes in probiotic form). Probiotic pills have not worked for me at all, but this doesn't mean they won't work for you.
Source: http://www.finerhealth.com/Educational_ ... tis/#cause
Retired marketing Higher Ed PhD striving to heal myself with a minimal amount of prescription meds.
Diagnosed w/collagenous MC, Barrett's Esophagus, Celiac, Hypothyroidism.
Diagnosed w/collagenous MC, Barrett's Esophagus, Celiac, Hypothyroidism.