My Philosophy About Taking
A Probiotic Supplement
By
Sally Robertson, M.A., M.A., LPC
I am not a medical doctor, but am a reporter of information about
health. Over the years I have studied healthy foods, nutritional
supplements, herbs and probiotic supplements. This is how I view
them:
Foods:
All foods are substances that the body needs to nourish itself
and maintain health. They are needed continually. Most nutritional
supplements are actually foods; vitamins and minerals fall into
this category.
Herbs:
On the other hand, herbs are substances that operate close to
foods and they nourish the body so it can repair itself and maintain
a state of health. They have gentle effects on the body such as
stimulating tissue, soothing tissue, contracting and toning tissue
or loosening and softening hard tissue. They may help the body
to remove toxins or build strength. Echinacea and sage are examples
of herbs.
Probiotic
Supplement: Probiotics are friendly organisms that live
in the intestinal tract and clean the colon, improve constipation
and aid in the absorption of vitamins, minerals, supplements and
foods. They produce specific proteins that act as antigens and
stimulate the immune system. They fight pathological molds, yeast,
fungus, viruses and parasites and stimulate B-Lymphocyte and related
anti-body production. Also, soil-based probiotic supplements produce
uncoded antibodies that are held in reserve and ready to be used
by the immune system to fight specific disease-causing pathogens
the moment one is exposed. They produce Lactoferrin which helps
with iron absorption. While probiotics are not foods, they are
considered to be in the general class of nutritional supplements.
Lactobacillus acidolphilus and bifidobacterium bifidum are two
well-known examples.
Medicines:
All medicines are substances that would be very toxic to the body
in great quantity. They are given in very small amounts and have
powerful and specific effects on the body. Except for some drugs
sold over-the-counter, these substances should be prescribed by
a medical doctor. Prozac is an example of a medicine.
I recommend that anyone with a serious medical condition consult
with a doctor and anyone under a medical doctor's care remain
so until healed. If you decide to take nutritional supplements,
herbs or probiotic supplements to assist with your health, please
let your doctor continue to monitor you and tell you when you
have built enough strength to stop taking any medicine that has
been prescribed.
One
further note about probiotics: I personally have found that soil-based
organisms are more effective than milk-based bacteria. It seems
that there is virtually no research on soil-based organisms so
I do not have medicial research to back up this claim. I have
talked to a number of people who have found this to be true for
them, but not everyone I talk to has had this experience. Many
people get tremendous results from acidolphilus and bifidobacterium
bifidum.
I
have been writing articles about probiotics and submitting them
to the following website:
