Probiotics

Probiotics are the body's natural enemies of the Candida Albicans yeast. When the Candida yeast grows above normal levels in your body, you start to experience the symptoms of a Yeast Infection, also known as Candida.

Candida Albicans is a single celled yeast that is impossible to eliminate from your body completely. Normally Candida does no harm, as it is kept under control by beneficial bacteria, Probiotics.

Probiotic supplements can reintroduce beneficial bacteria into the system. Important benefits of probiotic supplementation can include:

• Keeping constipation and diarrhea under control.
• Counteracting lactose intolerance by its association with lactase.
• Reduction of bad breath.
• Reduction of internal gas.
• Cholesterol control by promoting normal absorption of dietary fats.
• Suppression of candida yeast.
• Suppression of a number of intestinal disorders.
• Prevention of intestinal contamination from infectious organisms common in some foreign countries.

Probiotics are beneficial living microflora, crucial in maintaining good health. Probiotics are the same or similar microorganisms as the ones used in the fermentation of healthful foods. The healthy human intestines contain billions of microorganisms – both beneficial and potentially bad for your health. The beneficial bacteria in your intestine are a naturally occurring ingredient of the normal immune system support.

Probiotics are considered beneficial and are sometimes referred to as "friendly" bacteria.  Probiotics can also be found in cultured dairy products such as yogurt or kefir, however, the number of live organisms varies greatly from product to product due to differences in processing methods.

According to the currently accepted definition by the Word Health Organisation Probiotics are: ‘Live micro-organisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’.

Probiotics also play an important role in synthesizing certain vitamins and fatty acids. These support the health of the intestinal lining and also help to improve the immune system.

Normally healthy individuals show a ratio of approximately 85% good and 15% potentially harmful organisms in the intestinal tract.

Certain conditions or medications can change this ratio and when the potentially harmful organisms increase over and above the beneficial ones, you start to show the symptoms of this overgrowth.

Probiotics can be destroyed by various types of medications or conditions such as:

• Birth Control Pills
• Antibiotics
• Steroids
• Cortisone Drugs
• Chlorinated Water
• Poor Diet
• Stress

When the Probiotics in your body fall below the normal levels, Candida starts to grow out of control.

The figure below demonstrates this:

Under normal conditions, the levels of Candida are balanced by the levels of Probiotics. When the level of Candida increases, that is when the symptoms of a yeast infection start to appear.

Some of the most beneficial types of Probiotics are shown below:

Probiotic potencies are expressed as cell forming units (CFU's). Each CFU is an organism that can live and reproduce in the human body. Research shows that one billion CFU's per day maintain healthy probiotic populations.