Literally meaning "for life", probiotics are supplements that contain selected strains of friendly bacteria that assist our health. Recent research shows that these live microorganisms provide a natural and simple way to ward off digestive disorders and immune problems and play a vital role in our overall health and well-being.

Thanks to TV advertising it is likely that just about everyone knows that they need good bacteria and they help us to be healthy. But what exactly is it about these bacteria that make them so good for us and why is it a wise choice to regularly incorporate the little critters into our diet?

Well, the latest best estimate say that we have about 10 trillion cells in the human body. That's a fairly spectacular number and an even more impressive statistic is that we have 10 times more bacteria living in the human ecosystem than we have cells. That's 100 trillion bacteria! In total they are thought to weigh up to 1.5kg (not including viruses and fungi). The majority of these bacteria live in the digestive tract where they play many important roles in optimal health. For example, the bacteria found in your stomach and intestines secrete almost 100 enzymes that break down foods into useable sugars an another 250 or so that orchestrate the energy you extract from a particular meal.

The bacterial DNA in your gut outnumbers your own DNA by a very large margin. This bacterial DNA controls immune function (80% of your immune system is located in the gut), regulates digestion and intestinal function, protects against infections and even produces vitamins and nutrients.

Your digestive tract is full of good bacteria that provide health benefits and bad bacteria that cause problems. It is the balance of these bacteria that are so important for optimal health. There are trillions of bacteria in your gut and they collectively contain at least 100 times as many genes as you do.

When the balance of bacteria is optimal the DNA works for you to great effect. One of their functions is to produce healthy fats (short chain fatty acids) that reduce inflammation and modulate your immune system. The bad bacteria on the other hand will produce fats which promote allergy, eczema, asthma and inflammation throughout your body.1

There are even more problems associated with the toxins that these bad bacteria excrete. They are difficult for the body to deal with and the liver can have a hard time trying to neutralise and get rid of them. This can lead to lowered energy, brain fog and difficulty concentrating and the body becomes progressively more toxic. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that giving a special antibiotic called Xifaxan to patients with liver failure could cure or prevent the delirium or brain fog that is so often associated with the condition and the build up of toxins. By killing the bad bacteria, the toxic burden on the body was reduced. 2

Clearly bacteria can influence our health in many ways, which raises a couple of important questions. How do we get the good and bad bacteria out of balance in the first place? And how can we restore the balance when we do?

There are several ways in which imbalances are created:

1. The number one cause of gut flora problems is the over use of antibiotics, vaccinations and other pharmaceutical drugs. Antibiotics not only kill your pathogens (the bad bacteria), they also kill helpful bacteria that inhabit your gut. Eradication of your gut bacteria (microflora) can clear the way for different strains of bacteria and can cause secondary infections that can be more challenging than the initial infection.

2. Enhancements in hygiene have lead to health improvements for many and in many respects, alongside the advent of refrigeration, are likely to be one of the main reasons why we live so much longer than we used to. However, living in an overly sterilised environment decreases the amount of bacteria we come into contact with and that leaves us susceptible to deficiencies and imbalances. So clean freaks beware! We are designed to come into contact with bugs and being overly protective with antibacterial soaps and surface wipes may very well leave you and your family vulnerable.

3. Last but not least we simply do not ingest enough of the good bacteria through our diet. This is largely due to intensive farming where we grow our food in mineral depleted soil and spray them with pesticides and herbicides. In days gone by we would have got a lot of good bacteria from our standard food supply, but sadly this is no longer the case.

Many people have been exposed to all 3 of these problems on a frequent basis and are therefore greatly out of balance. Here are four simple lifestyle tips to create a healthy gut and restore the good bacteria for a healthy life;

1. Eat a fibre rich, whole foods diet: it should be rich in beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables all of which feed good bugs.
2. Limit sugar, processed foods, animal fats, and animal protein: these provide food for unhealthy bugs.
3. Avoid the use of antibiotics, acid blockers, and anti-inflammatories: they change gut flora for the worse. It goes without saying that you must discuss any changes to your medication with a qualified GP in advance.
4. Take probiotics daily: these healthy, friendly flora can improve your digestive health and reduce inflammation and allergy. There are very few supplements that I recommend to everyone to take on a regular basis. Probiotics are certainly one of them. In this case it doesn't mean that you necessarily need to take them for life, but a smart move would be to take them for 1-3 months one to three times per year, depending on your lifestyle.

Finding a good quality probiotic supplement is a challenge, there are many out there in the market. A couple of key considerations are to look for brands that contain as many of these (listed below) as possible:

a) Bifidobacterium lactis - a friendly bacteria often found in yogurt that is known to help stimulate immune responses.
b) Lactobacillus acidophilus - guards the health of your entire digestive tract.
c) Bifidobacterium longum - keeps your digestive system running smoothly, and helps enhance your immune system.
d) Bifidobacterium bifidum - helps promote a healthy balance of flora in your intestine. What's more, this organism is especially helpful for enhancing immune response.
e) Lactobacillus casei - works with other helpful organisms, and helps to encourage the growth of other "good" bacteria
f) Lactobacillus plantarum - helps to ensure that the nutrients in vitamins and supplements are getting to your cells (there is a lot of research out there suggesting that this is the main bacteria that evolved alongside humans which adds weight to its importance. It is known to actually adhere to the gut wall (most of the others pass straight through) and can actually displace or kick out the bad bacteria, which is the aim, after all).

The best way to take probiotics is in the evening, about one hour before bed with a glass of water. This ensures that the highest number of them possible reach all the way to the intestines.

Store them in the fridge, this way the majority of them will remain alive!

A quick note on the supermarket varieties. I won't name any names but I cannot recommend the use of some of the popular supermarket brands of probiotics drinks. They are loaded with sugars and artificial sweeteners (see other blog posts for the perils of consuming these) are dairy based and contain limited numbers and strains of bacteria. Your money is honestly better spent elsewhere.

I hope you enjoyed this and learned something new. If you have any questions please feel free to email me via the link on this website.

Yours in Good Health,

Richard Gliddon, Doctor of Chiropractic, DC, MChiro, PgCert, MCC
Chiropractor

References

1. Sandin. A.,et al, (2009) Faecal short chain fatty acid pattern and allergy in early childhood, Acta Paediatrica, 1651-2227.
2. Bass, N. et al., (2010) Rifaximin Treatment in Hepatic Encephalopathy, NEJM, 336 (12).

Finding Perfect Posture

In the previous blog post I covered how posture can influence your spinal and overall health. It is very clear that good posture is one important spoke on the wheel of health. The question is; how do we achieve perfect posture?

Firstly, it is important to get your spine checked for misaligned and restricted joints, known as vertebral subluxations, as they will make achieving a perfect posture more difficult that it needs to be. A well aligned and mobile spine will naturally assume a perfect posture and be a lot more robust and comfortable. 

Second we need to practice finding the ‘neutral’ and balanced position for the spine by following the steps below.

Neutral spine is the natural position of the spine when all 3 curves of the spine -- cervical (neck), thoracic (middle) and lumbar (lower) -- are present and in good alignment with the core muscles easily activated to protect your structure. This is the strongest position for the spine when we are standing or sitting and forms the foundation that we are designed to move from. Knowing how to find the neutral spine position is crucial for maintaining good spinal and overall structural health.
The easiest way to learn good posture is sitting down. Follow the steps outlined below and practice as often as you remember. It takes about 6 weeks to retrain your posture, so stick with it!

1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and the knees bent to 90 degrees (ideally).

2. Find ‘pelvic neutral’ by;

a) First slumping and pushing your lower spine backwards as far as it will go
b) Then arching your lower back forward as far as it will go.
         NB: These are both terrible postures (Stage 1 and 2).
c) Pelvic neutral is the mid point between the two extremes. Practice finding it (Stage 3).

Stage 1     Stage 2  Stage 3

3. Engage your deep abdominal muscles by:

a) Gently drawing your belly button backwards toward your spine.

b) This should take little effort and NOT be a strain.

c) It should feel like a belt tightening around your abdomen

d) You should be able to breath normally, with your diaphragm

e) Keep these muscles engaged as often as you can, especially when doing any lifting or strenuous activity.

4. Extend your chest backward as if increasing the distance from your belly button to your chest bone.

5. Imagine you are being pulled up by string from the crown of your head.

6. Tuck your chin slightly

7. Let your shoulders fall down into a neutral position and remain relaxed and heavy.

8. That’s perfect posture!

9. The same rules apply when you are standing up.

 Stage 1      Stage 2  Stage 3 

10. Practice makes perfect! In my experience it takes about 6 weeks of practicing this before it becomes second nature.

11. Good luck.

Yours in Health,

Richard Gliddon, DC, MChiro, PgCert, MCC

(Chiropractor)