Importance of Good Probiotics

Probiotics are friendly bacteria which are crucial to maintaining good health. Without the proper balance of good bacteria in the intestines people start to experience a lack of vitality and suffer from common complaints like allergies, headaches, lack of energy, excessive fatigue, digestive disorders, along with a variety of emotional conditions from mild depression to mood swings and anxiety.

Probiotics keep bad bacteria in check. When your body lacks the good bacteria, it is not able to prevent bad bacterias such as E. Coli and Salmonella from overpopulating in your intestines. Health can be maintained even with 15% bad bacteria in the body as long as there is at least 85% good bacteria. The problem is that most people have it the other way around with bad bacteria making up 85% or more of the bacteria in their colon.

There are many things which disturb the natural homeostasis of bacteria in the intestines, this is why it is important to take probiotic supplements on a regular basis to keep healthy levels up. Probiotic actually means Pro-Life, while Antibiotic means Anti-Life or against life. On top of being able to strengthen your immune system, friendly bacteria also prevents yeast and fungus overgrowth and helps to reduce cholesterol in the body.

Probiotics are required in order to treat Candida, which is a fungal infection in the intestines which probiotics can keep from spreading. Probiotics are also needed to treat and prevent thrush, vaginal yeast infections, and athlete's foot.

According to the Mayo Clinic: "One study in Sweden found that a group of employees who were given probiotics missed less work due to illness than did employees who were not given probiotics. Other studies have found probiotics to be helpful in managing the signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)."

Bad eating, chlorinated water, stress, antibiotics and even birth control pills can damage your intestinal flora or friendly bacteria. As the friendly bacteria levels go down, so does your ability to absorb nutrients from food. You also begin to experience intestinal problems such as gas, bloating and constipation.

When choosing a probiotic supplement it is important to choose one that has a special coating to protect it from the acids in the stomach. If you end up buying one without the coating, the acids in your stomach will kill any beneficial bacteria that was in there. This type of probiotic is called "enteric-coated."

Where to buy probiotics

It has taken me some research to find some probiotics that wont dissolve in stomach acids. Buying cheap probiotics that aren't specially coated is pretty much worthless because they never get to where they need to go.

One brand I do recommend is Natures Secret Ultimate Probiotic 4 Billion. There blend includes 19 crucial strains of friendly bacteria. The thing that sets them apart from the others is their ability to deliver that friendly bacteria to the upper GI tract.

According to their product description: "Probiotics on store shelves today fail to disclose that up to 95% of their organisms die when they are burned by the harsh acids in our stomach."

"Each high tech tablet of Natures Secret Ultimate Probiotic 4 Billion forms a patented gel barrier around the capsule as soon as it comes in contact with the fluids in your stomach. This one millimeter thick protective gel barrier ensures that the delicate probiotic organisms inside are safely delivered into the low acid environment of your upper intestines."