PROBIOTICS

By Dr. Lawrence Wilson

Probiotics are products that are designed to seed the small and/or large intestines tract with healthy bacteria to restore the proper flora to the intestines.

Common probiotic organisms include lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bifidis and a number of others.

SHOULD YOU TAKE A PROBIOTIC?

If you follow a nutritional balancing program, the answer is usually no, although some probiotic foods listed below are fine. The reasons not to take a probiotic product are:

1. It can be harmful. This may be due to its contents, or to contaminants.

Another reason is that on a nutritional balancing program, the proper flora in the intestines will change over time as one removes toxic metals and chemicals, and restores dozens of minerals and other nutrients to the body.

A number of clients became quite ill when they decided on their own to take a probiotic product. The most likely reason for this, assuming the product was okay, is that it was not correct for them at their stage of healing.

It is very difficult to know exactly which organisms each person requires at each stage of healing during a nutritional balancing program.

2. A probiotic product is very rarely needed with a nutritional balancing program. The only exceptions are:

A. If you just took a course of antibiotics that damaged your intestinal flora. Please avoid antibiotics, which have many toxic effects. Use natural alternatives, instead. These usually work well. Read Beyond Antibiotics for details.

B. If you are having a lot of gas and bloating, and if we have ruled out other causes for it.

Other common causes for gas or bloating are a parasitic infection, improper food combinations, drinking water or other beverages with meals, or too much stress at mealtime.

If we have ruled out these other causes, taking some sauerkraut or miso for a few days can be helpful to restore more healthful flora to the intestines.

ACCEPTABLE PROBIOTIC PRODUCTS FOR NUTRITIONAL BALANCING

A few probiotic foods are acceptable during a nutritional balancing program. These can be used once or twice a week if one desires. However, they are not necessary.

They are: miso soup, sauerkraut, plain live culture yogurt and plain live culture kefir. Have these foods only up to twice each week because they are all quite yin.

Why are probiotics yin? Most are raw foods, which is yin. Dairy products are also yin. In addition, they contain fermenting organism, which are all yin, as well.

What about other probiotic foods? I do not recommend other probiotic foods such as pickles, relishes, kimchi, kombucha tea, fermented vegetables or fruits, or others. Most of these are much too yin, and some contain aldehydes that are toxic. For details, read Fermented Foods and Aldehydes on this website.

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