| Dr. Kestner: A friendly bacteria you should know |
Related Articles
|
|
|
Posted: Sunday, September 20, 2009 6:43 am
|
 Email  Print
|
Typically we think of bacteria as something we want to avoid.
In fact, our culture (oops, pun purely accidental) spends billions of dollars annually in efforts to kill bacteria. Some of the most common prescriptions written are for antibiotics … drugs specifically intended to eliminate bacteria. We are all familiar with the potentially deadly effects of some bacterial infections.
As far as your health is concerned, there are bad bacteria and good bacteria. Some bacteria actually play a very important positive role in keeping you healthy. One of the most important good species of bacteria is lactobacillus. Lacto is a Latin word related to milk, as in lactation. Bacillus refers to the rod-like shape of the bacteria.
There are more than 50 strains of the lactobacillus bacteria. The most commonly mentioned is lactobacillus acidophilus. If you are thinking you may have heard that term before, it is because there are currently many commercials advertising it as an ingredient in milk, yogurt and other dairy products as an aid to your digestion and immune system. (Yes, it works.)
Lactobacillus actually does help your immune system in several substantial ways. In your intestines, there is normally a healthy balance of several types of microbes. As mentioned in last week’s column, we are all playing host to thousands of various forms of microbes, including bacteria, viruses and fungi.
One key to good health lies in keeping all of these populations in balance.
Have you ever received a prescription for an antibiotic?
The various types of antibiotics are selected because they tend to interrupt the life cycle of specific forms of bacteria. The intention is to match the specific medication to the type of infection that is being treated. Unfortunately, these medications often are very effective at killing friendly bacteria that are acting as a valuable aid to your immune system. The result can be unwanted side effects.
An example is the increased likelihood of a yeast infection after being treated with antibiotics.
Yeast is one type of fungus that is always present in our bodies. However, the healthy balance of friendly bacteria keeps the yeast colonies from overgrowing and creating a yeast infection. Antibiotics interfere with that balance and yeast often multiplies very rapidly after antibiotic treatment.
In contrast to “antibiotics,” there is a relatively new form of treatment being used by doctors called “probiotics.” Probiotics promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in your body, and this can bring significant relief for many common symptoms.
Lactobacillus is one of the most commonly used probiotics.
The use of this bacteria culture is increasing as more people find that their symptoms can be reduced or eliminated by taking lactobacillus supplements.
Some women with recurrent vaginal yeast infections have found that taking daily lactobacillus supplements, either through a pill form or in a dairy product that contains the lactobacillus culture, can help them recover to the point that the vaginitis disappears.
Patients with chronic constipation, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome have found significant relief. The lactobacillus culture helps digestion. Probiotics can also safely help infants and children with digestion problems. This type of treatment can also often help patients with allergies or chronic sinus congestion.
Since there are several different subspecies of lactobacillus, it is worth noting that some strains are more beneficial than others. For example, lactobacillus acidophilus is the most commonly used culture in yogurt and milk products (Purity dairy has had an acidophilus milk available for years). A different strain called lactobacillus GG is often cited as being more helpful for some conditions.
To obtain a wide selection of probiotic cultures in convenient, easy-to-use capsules, a visit to the health food store might be required.
Recently, however, grocery and pharmacy stores have begun carrying some probiotic supplements as their use is becoming more wide spread.
Probiotics were considered alternative medicine for years, but as a result of the proven benefits, you will see many more products of this type in the near future.
Look for products that contain live cultures and be sure to check the expiration date.
Next week: a story about a patient with a very common problem, and their uncommon solution.
Dr. Mark Kestner
mkestner@DrKestner.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Login and voice your opinion!
|
Digg
Facebook
MySpace
Yahoo!