Why Would YOU Need Probiotics?

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

Approximately 2600 years ago Hippocrates said that all disease beings in your gut and based on my work with thousands of clients through the year, I would share that this quote is right on. With this said, gut issues are most often overlooked even though these disorders are affecting at least 70 million Americans.

The reality is that ALL of us need probiotics for a healthy digestive system, healthy brain, healthy immune function and also for thyroid hormone conversion and more. Let's take a look at each of these individually.

First off with your digestive system it is important to recognize that there is more bacteria in a healthy gut than there are cells in your body. Astounding isn't it?! 

To add, you are looking for approximately a ration of 9:1 good bacteria to bad bacteria. This provided the optimal balance for a "rock star" digestive system and more.

I suggest addressing the billions of tiny micro flora (beneficial bacteria) into your digestive system through the use of a high quality prebiotic/probiotics formula. These beneficial bacteria will aid in keeping your entire GI tract in optimal function and the prebiotics
are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria in the digestive system in ways claimed to be beneficial to health. The prebiotics are a recent discovery that were first identified and named by Marcel Roberfroid in 1995.
 
Recent studies also suggest that the use of a quality prebiotic/probiotic formula may also assist with fat loss in the body...just an added bonus.

In the history of any indigenous culture, we would have consumed naturally fermented food on a regular basis but this is simply no longer the case. Due to this lack of consumption of raw naturally fermented food, the need for taking a prebiotic/probiotic formula supplement is essential in my opinion.

I will share that not only do I recommend taking a daily prebiotic/probiotic formula to all of my clients but myself and my wife take them personally every morning upon waking.

Some individuals have told me in the past that they do not need probiotics because they eat yogurt of kefir regularly. The big challenge with this is the understanding that our conventional dairy products are pasteurized which will destroy the beneficial bacteria. Dead bacteria does not provide any benefit, the bacteria needs to be alive and active. If you are consuming the yogurt or kefir raw, you would enjoy the bacterium benefit but unfortunately there is a low percentage of people actually enjoying raw dairy. 

So how about the brain!

The most significant factor with brain health actually ties directly into gut health. Understand that 90% of your brain output goes right down the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest of the cranial nerve with its name derived from Latin meaning "wandering" due to length and reach of this nerve. True to its name the vagus nerve wanders from the brain stem through organs in the neck, thorax and abdomen and right back to the brain. With this said if you have gut issues, you will have brain issues. The gut and the brain are truly not tow different systems, they are two systems working together as the gut/brain connection. So in the end, too little good bacteria in your gut will absolutely affect your brain function.

Immune system function is another significant area to address when discussing good bacteria. This is a rather simple but often misunderstood connection. You see, about 70 to 80% of your immune system function actually originates in your gut. "A new understanding of the essential role of gut microbes in the immune system may hold the key to dealing with some of the more significant health problems facing people in the world today, Oregon State University researchers say in a new analysis." To read more about this visit this article. 

So simply understanding that an imbalance in your gut flora due to deficiencies in good bacteria, will essentially lower immune function and leave you susceptible to chronic illness.

Another misunderstood factor is with thyroid hormones. First understand that your thyroid will produce protein bound hormones that need to be converted into active forms of these hormones. Without this conversion, the body cannot function properly due to thyroid hormone depletion. 

You may ask, what does this have to do with probiotics?

This answer is simply, 20% of this conversion into active forms of thyroid hormones actually occurs in the gut based on a balance of good bacteria. Too little good bacteria leaves your body in a deficiency of active thyroid hormones which in turn will leave you fat, fatigued and frustrated. This problem with probiotic deficiencies is often the culprit when you have symptoms of an under active thyroid, yet your labs "appear" to be normal.

So the moral of the story is, you NEED probiotics. For a high quality prebioic/probiotic formula click here. The Depke Wellness Prebiotic/Probiotic Formula contains more than 20 billion of the "good guys" or beneficial bacteria at time of production and more. The more is the prebiotic that is missing from most formulas on the market today. This prebiotic assist the environment of the gut and adds a necessary food source for the bacteria in your gut. So if you want the optimal "one/ two punch" grab yours today. 

For the month of March the Depke Wellness Prebiotic/Probiotic Formula is on special for both a single bottle purchase as well as a 3 pack. As always with Depke Wellness, no charge for shipping and handling. Yay for you!