Gut Flora/ Is it Important?

[Blonde Angel]

I may be making progress. I lived out of a motel room for three weeks, and did not have access to my normal diet. The fridge was too small and there were no cooking facilities. etc. I changed my diet out of necessity for the duration while I was in the motel. I am settling into another temporary place, and getting back to my normal diet, and my digestion is doing somewhat better. I know when my stomach is better, it makes a significant difference in how I feel. I can cook again.

When your body has negative symptoms its giving you its warning when you feel yuk.

 

[Blonde Angel]

I also think playing in the dirt is good--gardening, digging up rocks, whatever. Soil based organisms are the other kind of probiotic we used to get a lot of naturally that we don't as much anymore. I get a lot of them rock and fossil hunting, but there are of course supplements now--some controversy about them, but people were eating tons of dirt back in our more 'earthy' days by eating foods fresh out of the garden. Lacto-based probiotics are good but only part of the spectrum we naturally maintain in the healthy gut. No one with a badly out of balanced gut or a compromised immune system should take SBOs though until a better balance is achieved.

I'm not game to do the soil stuff, can you elaborate about the controversy?
Probiotic supplementation has traditionally occurred through the intake of probiotic capsules or consumption of fermented foods.
A new way to supplement with probiotics is to consume drinks containing live probiotic strains eg a tonic. Have you tried that?

 

[lindsayschu2]

The controversy is that soil-based probiotics replicate really fast--so if you don't already have a good balance of lacto-based probiotics they can take over. But soil-based are important and helpful as well, in the right balance. They are a popular trend in probiotics (Prescript Assist is one brand).

 

[AlohaBird]

BA,
One tonic type of probiotic drink you might try is kombucha which is a fermented tea. Some brands are really good and some add too much sugar which defeats the purpose.

Another I use regularly is Noni Juice. The noni fruit grows here in the tropics so you might have access to it "down under." The noni fruit is fermented and then the juice is extracted. It is really tart so it is more like taking medicine than drinking a glass of juice.

 

[Blonde Angel]

The controversy is that soil-based probiotics replicate really fast--so if you don't already have a good balance of lacto-based probiotics they can take over. But soil-based are important and helpful as well, in the right balance. They are a popular trend in probiotics (Prescript Assist is one brand).

Thanks for your interesting info.
My girl uses Lactobac and the rest of us uses another probiotic that's unrefrigerated.

You found any interesting fossils? You must be a very very patient person.
I would be too interested in worrying about my manicures.

 

[MichaelJO7]

I read a book a while back about a man suffering from colitis (it might have been Crohn's disease). He was throwing up, lost a good deal of his body weight, and doctors were stumped. This happened over two years. His cure? Dirt/soil. Most of the soil used in farming today is severely depleted of naturally occurring minerals. He ordered virgin soil, and his symptoms disappeared. I read it a few years ago, so I doubt if I remember things properly.

His name? Jordan Rubin. His book? The Maker's Diet.

I am a supporter of farmer's letting the fields sit for a year, once every seven years. Crop rotation helps somewhat. Indian farming techniques are interesting, in that in small gardens, different plants are planted together to help compensate for mineral and microbial depletion.

Some farms are using till-free techniques, which I think can also be beneficial.

I just saw that he has his own business now, and is marketing many of the things which helped him.

 

[Blonde Angel]

Yeah.
I do think further research is required to help understand the potential benefits of probiotics. Its still promising that probiotic supplementation, along with eating a healthy nutritious diet are NATURAL and SAFE ways to improve the health of our body.

This what stated previously still has a long way to go to be understood.
The gut and brain link...