Things I love....my probiotic

I'm doing an extra post today to share something I love and am passionate about- PROBIOTICS.

EVERYONE NEEDS A PROBIOTIC.  100%.  Even more than multivitamins.  Actually, much more than multivitamins.  Because if you don't have good gut health, you won't be able to absorb anything from those multivitamins and it defeats the purpose in taking them!

I, of course, LOVE my Plexus products and I will tell you a special probiotic is what sold me on the company and is my FAVORITE product.  If I could afford to, I would buy everyone I know a bottle of this.  

First off- why probiotics?  Our microbiome- the living bacteria cells that are all over us and in us.   Here's a quick 3 minute video on this- What is the Microbiome?

Okay- now that we understand we need to have healthy bacteria, or we won't be healthy and feel the effects of this in many ways, what is and why the product I love?  

Plexus Probio5

This probiotic powerhouse not only has 5 beneficial bacteria, but contains digestive enzymes and is designed to keep intestinal yeast (which can cause bunches of issues- google it) in balance.   Here is a link to the product info sheet which has references and all the deets- ProBio5 Product Info Sheet

My personal experience with other probiotics were blah.  Didn't notice a big difference.  And I think the difference was the enzymes helping to break down and digest and the yeast balance.  You could find these types of products from other companies or at specialized stores, but you would have to get multiple products!  I already take several capsules a day- but it would take 3 different ones to equal this one product!    

Plexus has another probiotic called VitalBiome which I've talked about and probably do it's own spotlight on another day.  It works a little different.  But if something happened and I had to cut down my Plexus supply to the bare essentials- Probio5 would not be leaving my hands.  Everyone in my family takes it.  It has helped us all.  And I think it needs sold in 5 gallon buckets! ;) 

I could literally talk all day about probiotics, gut health, and/or Plexus products.  When I read this post it sounds kind of superficial- like, 'hey, I love this'- without much meat or reasoning.  But on public platforms like this I have to be careful to not make medical claims, make things sound like medical advice, or not sound like probiotics treat or cure illnesses.  Please shoot me an email if you want to have an actual conversation about gut health, probiotics and/or Plexus and I'd love to tell you more!

Blessings in Health and Happiness

Serotonin and the bathroom! Weird, I know.

I’ve been reading a book about the mind-gut connection, especially concerning psychological problems, and it has be totally geeked out!  I’m kind of a nerd anyway, but this bacteria and mind gut and digestive system relationship is so interesting to me.  (The book is The Psychobiotic Revolution by Scott C. Anderson if you want to check it out)

So, I’m loving the whole book, but the chapter I just finished made me think of several things and put some connections together that I didn’t realize.

So, if you’ve ever taken a prescription medication for anxiety and depression, the chances are that you were on a SSRI- serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor.  Common medications in this group are Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), Celexa (citalopram) and many many more.  These work for anxiety and depression by regulating your serotonin balance- one of your “feel good” hormones.   A common side effect of these medications is stomach upset- I know every time I would start someone on these medications I would warn people it frequently happens but should calm down/go away with time. 

BUT- I never learned WHY these medications caused this problem!  In school we are often told side effects, and sometimes the why, but not always.    Now I know why!  It’s the Serotonin!    

90% of your serotonin is made in your gut- which I knew from other research into anxiety, depression, mood and probiotics.  That’s why gut health is important for anyone suffering from these problems and why people with gut problems are more likely to have mood problems.  It’s a balanced relationship.   

What I didn’t know is that serotonin causes peristalsis- the muscle movement along the digestive tract that moves our food through the system.   This is why prescription medication can cause a little extra gas and bowel movements and the same can be true with any probiotics that can lead to serotonin production like Lactobacillus species. 

I’ll eventually do a post on bacteria die off symptoms that can happen with healing your gut which can lead to diarrhea, but another reason someone may get diarrhea for the short term after starting probiotics is because of Serotinin being released.  At that point, it doesn’t seem like the “feel good” hormone it’s supposed to be, but it’s actually working and doing it’s job! 

Whether you’re needing prescription mood medications, you’re starting a probiotic, or a combination of both (and I FULLY believe if you need a prescription you should have a probiotic also)- do NOT be surprised if you have a few extra trips to the restroom at first! 

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Until next time....

Blessings in Health and Happiness

Finding the Right Probiotic

To continue our gut health series- we will discuss shopping!  One of my favorite things!

Today- shopping for probiotics!  Even happier because it’s good for gut health and shopping all together!  

But the problem is…you get the pharmacy or health food store and it looks like this…

Or you google and get over 76 million results!  Oh my!  How to choose?

• ·     Company.  There are a few guidelines I recommend for supplements in general.  Supplement companies can (within limits) put what they want on the bottles and the FDA disclaimer and are not responsible if it’s not effective.   This doesn’t make every supplement bad- it keeps our costs down (to be FDA approved it would need significant tests like drug companies do- and we know how expensive new prescription medication is). But it is definitely a buyer beware system.   So look into the company you are thinking of buying from and see if they have any quality control system- it’s best if they send their products out for testing by a company not associated with their product.  If the company offers a guarantee that’s nice too, but it should be 30 days or more for any supplement as it would take at least that long, if not longer to really see differences. 
• ·       Strands of bacteria.  This is VERY important.  We want strands of bacteria that have proven to be effective in helping our issues.  For example- Bifidobacterium Longum has shown to help with mood problems.  If you have mood problems and pick a product that only has acidophilus you are unlike to reap a full probiotic benefit.  In general, you want a nice mix of a few bacteria that have good clinical studies.   Here’s a picture of the label of my probiotic that has 8 strains of good bacteria, all that have clinical evidence for help of gut health and moods. 

• ·       Number of bacteria.  You need to make sure your probiotic is potent enough to give you effects, but you don’t necessarily need 100 billion CFU (colony forming units).  Bigger isn’t always better because if they have large amounts of non-studied bacteria, you aren’t helping yourself at all.  Mine is 20 billion CFU.
• ·       Storage.  Getting live bacteria into our digestive system is imperative for probiotics to be helpful!  This includes storage bottles, where to store and the capsule.   Storage bottles should protect the probiotics from heat and moisture, which can kill your good bacteria.  Refrigeration does not make a probiotic better- this means the manufacturer couldn’t find a way to keep them stabilized at room temp or decided not to- and could lead to increased risk of you not getting what you paid for if anytime during transport from them to you it got warm.  The capsules should also be able to survive your stomach acid so more active bacteria make it into your intestines! 

Some people say they don’t need probiotic supplements because they eat probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, or other fermented foods.  While they have probiotics, there is no evidence to say that LIVE bacteria get into the digestive system.  Remember- if you don’t get the right live strains where they need to be, you are literally wasting money.

Some probiotics will have some extra helpers in them- for example I take a probiotic that has digestive enzymes in it.  My children take a chew-able multivitamin that has probiotics.  If it’s done correctly, this can help by saving extra supplements to take daily!

I personally recommend Plexus products- they have a 60 day money back guarantee, scientifically studied bacterial strains, a special capsule and bottle for storage, and do outside independent testing for quality control! I and my patients have tried multiple probiotics and never noticed as great results as we have with Plexus.  Send me an email if you’re interested!  Subscribe to my email for more information and to stay updated on sales!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

The Down-Low on Probiotics

You may hear often that good gut health is important, but what does that really mean?

I’m going to start a series of several posts that explain all the different pieces of gut health, how they work together, and how you can fix yours!  It really is a more complex topic then one post can contain!  There are hundreds and hundreds of books written about the subject and more and more new we are learning every day!

First we’ll discuss- What is a Probiotic?

Simply put- a probiotic is a bacteria that scientists have found to be helpful in the human digestive system. 

To step back a few steps, you must know that we are constantly covered in bacteria and bacteria lines our entire digestive system all of the time- and that’s okay!  Most of the bacteria on our skin and in our bodies is working with us to protect us!  These good organisms help us stay healthy and well, and in return we feed them.  But our bacteria balance can be damaged by many things including medications (especially antibiotics), foods, drinks and stress.  This leads to dysbiosis and can lead to disease, inflammation and weight gain. 

The general idea behind probiotics is to put more good bacteria into our system to help regain balance of the system with more “good” than “bad” bacteria.  Unfortunately- just taking a probiotic is only scratching the surface- you need to do much more to notice any effects of taking these supplements which I will discuss in other gut health posts 😊

So good bacteria- makes sense, but are there studies about it?  Most studies have been done on mice when it comes to bacteria and probiotics, as they are the easiest host types to control in the scientific community.   These studies, however, can focus on specific bacteria species and give us ideas of which bacteria are truly beneficial.   Subscribe to my email if you want extra info on the bacteria studies 😊

How do you find a good probiotic?  Stay tuned for next week where I’ll walk through all the do’s and don’ts on buying a probiotic!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!