The importance that probiotics play in the maintenance of a health has become ever increasing in mainstream knowledge. There are numerous studies, blogs, and expert sources citing the benefits of probiotics. Their effects can be seen from autoimmune disorders, digestive complaints, to mental-emotional benefits.
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These micro-organisms are introduced into the body for their beneficial qualities and share its habit along the lining of our gastrointestinal (G.I.) tract which typical spans about 9 meters long when stretched out, that’s roughly the height of 3 regulation basketball hoops stacked on top of each other!!! The G.I. tract is divided into different compartments by valves and dilated holding areas along a continuous tube that beings in the mouth and extends to the anus. Each one of these compartments has a different environment where it has different responsibility to assist in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients for our cells to utilize. Some of these areas are more acidic than others and in turn host different types of residence that inhabit the region.
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It’s estimated that there are about 100 trillion bacteria that live in our G.I. tract! That’s right, 100 x1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bacteria call our intestinal lining as home. Like all balanced societies, the population must be built with a variety of occupations, like the police, fire departments, hospitals, and waste management. When these occupations are filled and meet the demands of the population, it can thrive and be happy. However, when a population is out of balance and certain occupations are more prominent, it creates chaos. For instance, if a there happens to be a flood and it wipes out the fire and police departments and only the hospital is left standing, there is a lack of protection and maintenance, allowing for the deterioration of the environment. This is exactly what happens when the environment in our gut is disrupted and the “microbiome” (the organism in a particular environment) goes into chaos.
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When we attempt to restore the microbiome, it’s important to select the right type of probiotics to even out the population so we have a equal amount of each strain based on the current state of the environment. Certain species create a PRO-INFLAMMATORY state, and others an ANTI-INFLAMMATORY state, it all depends on what we want to occur. It’s also important to understand that certain socio-ethnic groups have different combination of bacteria that works well with their dietary and geographic areas, these are called “enterotypes”, and must take them into consideration when choosing the proper combination of probiotics.
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With over 35,000 estimated bacterial species, we are only on the tip of truly understanding the complexity of the microbiome. What we do know so far is that a disturbed state creates chaos and distress and returning the cohesiveness requires careful selection. If you have questions concerning how to restore the microbiome, talk to your naturopathic physician to gain more understanding.
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Ted Chung, ND