What You Can Expect When Taking Probiotics If you’re considering taking probiotics, then it’s wise to educate yourself as much as possible. You should understand exactly what you’re putting into your body. Here, we have compiled a simple guide so that you know what to expect when taking probiotics. What Are Probiotics? You may not be aware, but the human body has 10 times as many bacteria as it does cells. These bacteria can be both good and bad – some are good in small amounts, but bad in large amounts. When the bacteria is bad, it causes infections and illness. When it is good, it helps to promote various bodily functions; for example, some bacteria help us to digest food, without them, we wouldn’t be able to eat. When the bacteria is good, we call it a probiotic. Other names for probiotic include ‘friendly bacteria’ ‘gut flora’ and ‘good bacteria’. There are thousands of different strains of probiotic in the human body. In fact, it’s estimated that between 500 and 1000 different strains exist in the human gut alone. That’s strains, not individual bacteria. If you were to count individual bacteria, you’d count several trillion in the guts. It’s incredible.
Benefits of Taking Probiotics The reason that people take probiotics is for the benefits that they confer. Here is a brief list of the type of benefits that you can expect when taking a probiotic. It’s worth noting that different strains will do different things in the body. For example, a strain that helps improve bad breath won’t necessarily help to minimise diarrhoea. This is why it often makes sense to take a preparation like Threelac or Fivelac, which contain several different strains of probiotic. Supplements should be able to tackle several different issues at the same time. For instance, Threelac tackles candida, fatigue and digestive problems. • • • •
Kills parasites: in particular, it kills off the bad bacteria and makes sure that good bacteria doesn’t grow out of control and turn to the dark side. It helps to prevent food poisoning: it does this by killing off the bacteria responsible for the poisoning. Improves digestion by reducing diarrhoea and constipation Helps prevent acid reflux
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Relief from IBS Improves bad breath Can treat bacterial vaginitis Helps to remove toxins from the body Helps to promote weight loss Some claims that it may help ease autism
Tackling these symptoms can lead to improvements in overall health, and to greater feelings of well-being. Potential Side Effects of Probiotics As with anything, some people can experience side effects when taking probiotics. By and large, these symptoms are relatively benign, but they can be frustrating. Most people that experience side effects find that they disappear as the body becomes used to the preparation. However, for a small minority of people, a particular strain of probiotic may always be problematic. For this reason, it’s important to start with a small dose on a day when you don’t have much to do. This way, you can establish how you’ll react to the supplement. Common side effects include: • • • •
Diarrhoea Constipation Fatigue Painful joints
If you find that you experience these problems, then you might also find that they disappear after a day or two of taking the preparation. If you would like to browse a collection of probiotics, including Threelac, then please visit http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/shop/threelac-p-1.html.