The Gut

Here is a fact that blew my mind. The human gut contains between 30 and 400 trillion microorganisms (bacteria). This means that nonhuman cells in our body could outnumber our human cells 100 to 1. [i] Our gut bacteria are involved in strengthening our intestinal barrier and a whole range of exchanges within our body, including but not limited to immune responses, inflammatory responses and food allergies. There is a general understanding in the community that we should be looking after our gut but with this huge number of bacteria inside of us it is hard to know exactly what’s best. Here are a few tips to help the little world living inside us.

1. Fridge is best- If you are looking for a good bacterial probiotic unfortunately it will need to go in the fridge. I know it’s a nuisance but they are, by far, the better products!  There are currently non fridge forms available but the amount of bacteria in them is minimal and the number of strains of bacteria are questionable.

2. Know what you are using it for- and match the strains - like other medications, different probiotics do different things in the body. For example if you have food intolerance and allergies you would be looking for Bifidobacteria that inhabit the lower bowel [ii] where as if you are looking to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections you would benefit from Lactobacillus rhamnosus which decreases recurrence rate by 73%[iii].

3. Antibiotics- Whilst we will all need these at some stage they can do some nasty damage to the good bacteria that are looking after us. Prevent as much damage as possible by using Saccharomyces Boulardii. It is a yeast and is great for treating and preventing recurrent thrush infections. Once you have finished the course take some broad spectrum high dose bacterial probiotics to get your gut back on track.

Want to know more about the gut? Visit Community Care Chemist and talk to one of our qualified pharmacists and naturopaths about digestive health. We will work with you to understand your lifestyle, diet and any other environmental factors which may affect your health. You can trust out pharmacists to take the time to personally understand and provide you with the right advice for you digestive health needs.