On a regular basis we get asked about probiotics. What are they helpful with? What do you look for? Do I need one? We are going to answer those questions today but the really cool thing we wanted to share is emerging evidence that shows the powerful effect bacteria have on cancer! Researchers from the University of Chicago wrote that giving mice Bifidobacterium, which normally resides in the gastrointestinal tract, was as effective as an immunotherapy in controlling the growth of skin cancer. Combining the two practically eliminated tumor growth. In the second study, scientists in France found that some bacterial species activated a response to immunotherapy, which didn’t occur without the microbes. Yes these studies are preliminay but it continues the trend of evidence that our microbiome has significant impact on our immune function among many other things. We have discussed some of the unique studies showing changes in brain chemistry just by supplementing with probiotics,
From a wellness perspective we recommend a good high quality probiotic with well researched strains with known benefits. When you look at a label look for GMP certification, shelf stability and we like the following strains to be present.
-Saccharomyces boulardii
-Bifidobacterium lactis
-Lactobacillus plantarum
-Lactobacillus salivarius
-Lactobacillus acidophilus
-Streptococcus thermophilus
For those of you with leaky gut or auto immune issues evidence is supporting dosages that are much higher for a short period of time then reducing down. If you have questions specific to your case let us know and we will get you on the right track.

We are putting together a new series of talks that will take place at our office but we need some input. If you have topics on classes that you would love to learn more about please reply to the newsletter with suggestions.