Your Inner Ecosystem?the Good Guys vs. the Bad Guys

Probiotics are a big deal in healthcare these days. We see them in health food stores, drug stores, even in pet stores. Until recently, the only awareness people had about the benefits of probiotics was that if you eat yogurt while on antibiotics, you might not get diarrhea. However, there’s a lot more to it than that.

While holistic and natural health practitioners?as well as?mothers and grandmothers who have served up traditional fermented food recipes that?have been passed down for generations?have long been aware of the benefits?associated with probiotics, it?s taken quite some time for ?modern? science and?medicine to catch up.

However, there is a growing amount of research published ?in?the literature? (meaning highly regarded peer reviewed medical and scientific?journals) showing scientific evidence of health benefits associated with taking?probiotics and having a balanced inner ecosystem.

In fact, my veterinarian (we?have bearded dragons) showed me a recent article in Scientific American?about the significance of the beneficial (non-pathogenic) strains of bacteria?in and on our bodies, as well as their role in combating the onslaught of?autoimmune disease in our society. How did we get to that topic, you might?wonder? I asked him if there were any lizard probiotics available for our?little guys, of course. As of now, he only knows of ones for mammals. Darn it.

There’s a lot of confusion regarding probiotics.

What are they? Where do they come from? Why do we need them?

As you may know, I written a bestselling?book about my own journey with holistically healing acne and other health conditions, and regaining my health and confidence. I am a strong?believer in the power of probiotics in improving one?s digestive health and?hence, their skin.

When I’m discussing probiotics and toxins with my clients, I?often use analogies and imagery to help make it easier to understand (after all?they’re not there for a science lecture). One of my most popular analogies is a?military analogy?the good guys vs. the bad guys.

Here’s an excerpt of how I explain probiotics?in my book, Love Your Skin, Love Yourself.

Here I’m discussing good guys and bad guys?in this case Candida albicans (a pathogenic yeast) is the bad guy.

?These friendly flora are the good guys. They are our little?army guys, running around in our gastrointestinal tract keeping the bad guys?under control and their population in check. Unfortunately though, because we?are exposed to such a heavy toxic load on a regular basis due to our diets and?lifestyles, more bad guys invade and overpower the good guys. They also fortify?the existing bad guys and make them stronger (Candida is a very good example of
this). Furthermore, we have become too accustomed to using antibacterial soaps,?hand sanitizers, body washes, surface and air sprays, and antibiotic drugs.?These materials disrupt our body?s balance of good guys and bad guys in many?ways. Obviously the theory is that these agents go in and kill only the bad?guys?but if that were the case, then why do so many people get yeast infections?and diarrhea when they are taking antibiotics??

?The fact is that the antibiotics cannot decipher which?bacteria are good guys and which are the bad guys, so they just kill them all.?Taking a course of antibiotics is like launching a nuclear attack on your?body?everything inside dies?and guess who begins to repopulate first? The bad?guys. The army can’t rise from the dead, and bad guys will still find their way
in the same way they did before. This is why you need to send in more troops by
eating probiotic rich foods.?

Did you enjoy that? You’ll love the rest of that chapter?it offers?lots of other fun analogies to help simplify this stuff.

I leave you with more?food for thought from that chapter:

How is Candida like a cockroach?

Love Your Skin, Love Yourself is available on Amazon and Kindle. I’d love for you to give it a read and let me know what you think!