Aren't all Probiotics the same? Probiotics - Part 3

Ellerman says (& he names the researchers etc);

"many so-called probiotic species on the market actually stimulate bad bacteria, rather than suppress them which is what we want them to do."

When I saw him speak he also said that a lot of strains are dead before you buy them. So you must make sure that the one you take is a survivor!

"Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI strain L10 (good bacteria) has been shown to switch the immune system away from an inflammatory response and toward an increased resistance to infection, presumably by inhibiting and displacing bad bacteria.

The result is that asthma, hayfever and eczma can potentially be significantly reduced. The same strain has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of bouts of the common cold and to reverse chronic fatigue in athletes."

"......combinations of the resistant starch, Hi-maize 958 and Bifidobacterium lactis LAFTI strain B94, facilitate the deletion of cancer cells in the rat colon."

So probiotics are important for maintaining good health but they are not all the same and they are not all effective. So choose carefully.

Why Bother with Probiotics? Probiotics - Part 2

1. The human body contains roughly 10 trillion human cells. However, the intestine contains 90 trillion bacterial cells! Within this bacterial biomass there are about 1000 different species and the capacity to dramatically impact on health if the balance of good and bad bacteria is seriously disturbed.

2. Increases in certain bad bacteria are known to produce neurotxins which cause paralysis of the bowel that leads to constipation.

3. If bad bacteria bind to structures in the small intestine called "Peyer's Patches" in greater numbers than good bacteria the immune system will switch towards a more inflammatory response and reduce our resistance to infection.

4. Bloating in the small intestine can be caused by an overgrowth of yeast or bacteria or both. What we eat feeds the overgrowth and produces gas which is trapped in the gut, hence the bloating.

5. An overgrowth of bad bacteia also can cause the small intestine to 'leak' by compromising the barrier properties of the small intestine. So harmful bacteria can travel across the wall of the intestine into the bloodstream triggering auto immune diseases in those of us who are genetically predisposed.

6. If large food molecules "leak" across the broken barrier into the bloodstream antibodies form to fight the 'invasion' leading to food sensitivities to these foods.

Allergies & Detoxing

We've been inspired this week to include a section about "causes & triggers" of CFS in our e-book. We've had a nephew undergo allergy testing for nuts who needs an epi-pen. This is the 3rd child in our very close circle of kids (neighbours & family) who now has an epi-pen for nuts and it's just made us realise how common these allergies have become.

Allergies are often part of the symptomatic make up for a chronic fatigue sufferer(& other chronic "western illness" sufferers). We have both developed allergies far worse, than we ever had as children, following CFS. We both were mildly allergy prone as children so for those who say it's all genetic, We do not deny that genes play a part.

However, from what we've read, allergies, and many of the other symptoms of CFS seem to be at least triggered, if not caused, by the following 3 things in the body;
*toxic chemicals
*other toxins caused by fungi & bacteria overgrowth
*heavy metals in the body (including the mother's body for babies, both through breast milk & the placenta).

These can all damage or change cellular structure or function, disrupt the endochrin system by upsetting hormone producing glands, even change DNA, and wear down the major organs of the body.

How do they get into our bodies?

Many of these toxins & heavy metals are;
*ingested in contaminated foods(ie pesticides, insecticides, animal medication & air & waterborne pollutants)

*ingested in drinking water (we have read statistics from UK that claim 700 chemicals/heavy metals in one glass of unfiltered tap water - we will find out the Australian stats for our book)

*breathed in from our environment.

*absorbed by the skin from personal care products or cleaning products at home or in work environments. (Your skin is an amazing organ it absorbs so much that is then sent off via the blood to other organs. Rub garlic or onion on the sole of your foot, it will be absorbed into the bloodstream and you'll be able to taste it within about 5 minutes)

*caused by overgrowth of candida and other "bad" fungi & bacteria in the body that exhausts the immune system & produces a bi-product that toxifies the system, causing allergies & skin irritations (among other things). The overgrowth can be caused by: carbohydrate (sugar) heavy diet, too many antibiotics & medications (eaten in meat as well as prescribed), stress, toxins & heavy metals.

The body is like the proverbial camel's back. There will be signs that things are getting heavy as we overload it but it will keep going until that final straw. Allergic symptoms are often a sign that it is overloaded. Plus they contribute further to the overload of the immune system so it becomes a vicious cycle.

We've talked a little on this blog already about detoxing your home and your body through diet. This blog outlines a bit more thoroughly one of the reasons why we think detoxing is important.

We'll outline heaps more of this in our e-book & include more more ways to detox.
We will make it available for free on this site soon. Probably chapter by chapter due to the iminant arrival of Baby #3. So keep a look out.

Diet Consistency - Try it. It works.

Over the 9 years one or both of us have been CFS suffers we've tried a number of different approaches to diet. Certain things have worked well. Others haven't. One thing is certain. Unless you, the sufferer, can call the shots & have a will of iron or be supported by a cook dedicated to improving your health, it is hard going.

Our culture and society in general does not support the kind of diet you really need to follow as a sufferer of CFS with all it's side affects. Although in 9 years things have improved.

When you make a complete change to the way you eat, most people think you are a 'wierdo' despite seeing you flourish. People will tell you you're crazy or a fundamentalist, offer absolutely no support and stop inviting you for dinner because it is too hard to cook for you. Or they will ask you about it non-stop because they can't get over how different it is. Or they will try to find every processed, pre-packaged, 'easy' version of the diet - This is particularly a problem with 'Low GI' diets. Some will even become an expert on it & drive you insane with their over informed advice that they would never see reason to follow themselves.

Few people will embrace a complete lifestyle change just to help you (or themselves). It is too hard. We've talked with husbands & wives whose spouse has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In most cases when it is only one person who has the 'problem' it is only one person who has the 'special diet'.

This makes it so hard on the sufferer to be consistent and this is what is needed. They feel unsupported so they give up often. They also get tired (and there is not room for more tiredness) being the one responsible for their diet and lose motivation easily. Starting again is always hard going so they sometimes don't.

The people who we know who've had success are couples or families who have all made the change (when at home) to willingly support and accomodate the CFS sufferer. They have all read the information, gone together to appointments with Naturopaths and nutritionists. They have all eaten the same food and the wrong foods are no longer in the house. They all have a common purpose. To help the one with CFS get well because it would help everyone if they were well.

As a side effect they usually they all see improvements in their own health because the diets for CFS sufferers do promote health.