What do you think of when you hear probiotics? Do you think gut? Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for you, especially your digestive system. Your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.

Living inside of your gut are 300 to 500 different kinds of bacteria containing nearly 2 million genes. Paired with other organisms like viruses and fungi, they make what’s known as the microbiome. Each person’s microbiota is unique: The mix of bacteria in your body is different from everyone else’s mix, which is determined partly by your mother’s microbiota — the environment that you’re exposed to at birth — and from your diet and lifestyle. They line your entire digestive system and most of them live in your intestines and colon.

Importance of Gut Flora

Your gut flora performs many functions that are important for health. It manufactures vitamins, including vitamin K and some of the B vitamins. Without gut flora, the human body would be unable to utilize some of the undigested carbohydrates it consumes, because some types of gut flora have enzymes that human cells lack for breaking down certain polysaccharides.

Altering the numbers of gut bacteria, for example by taking broad-spectrum antibiotics, may affect the host’s health and ability to digest food. Gut flora composition also changes in severe illnesses, due not only to antibiotic use but also to such factors as ischemia of the gut, failure to eat, and immune compromise. Pregnancy also affects gut flora, especially if there is an underlying issue such as diabetes.

Having a balanced gut flora is super important to your health. When there is an imbalance of good and bad bacteria it can lead to:

• Ulcers
• Bowel Perforation
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Obesity
• Liver Disease
• Cancer
• Depression

Where to get probiotics?

The best way to get probiotics into your gut is through your food! Food is health. You can change your health by changing your food. The best foods to eat to help with your gut health are: kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, yogurt, pickles, kimchi, raw cheese and apple cider vinegar. (To read more about some other foods that are great probiotic foods check out Dr. Axe.)

Having the right gut bacteria is linked to numerous health benefits, including weight loss, improved digestion, enhanced immune function, healthier skin, reduced cholesterol, protect against allergies, aid in cancer prevention and a reduced risk of many diseases (including the ones listed above). 

There are also many probiotics you can take if you feel you can’t consume any of the food options. We carry one in our office that is fantastic. The better probiotics will have several strains of bacteria to support your gut health. 

Chiropractic

Chiropractic is full body wellness. We look at the body a different way than traditional medical routes do. The chiropractic adjustment is very effective in treating pain and keeping the immune system boosted. What we put into our body is just as important as what we put on our body. 

If you have any questions on what chiropractic can do to help improve your life, give us or a chiropractor near you a call! 

~Dr. Lacey~Carder
Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036