Probiotics are freakin’ awesome!

I had been sick for two months with some kind of terrible combination of upper respiratory/sinus infection and possibly allergies and/or asthma.  My doctor tried combinations of medication (up to 5 at a time) which required a map to sort out what I had taken, what I was currently on, and what was left to try. After the first antibiotic didn’t clear things up, she opted for another, stronger antibiotic.  Unfortunately, one of the side effects included colitis!?! I, of course, developed colitis within 2 days of taking the antibiotic and have a history of many and varied gastrointestinal disorders. I can safely say, that there are some places from which one never wants to bleed..ever.  Not only was this condition painful, but it was also very embarassing and terribly inconvenient to experience in the workplace, but you still have to get your work done. On the advice of my best friend and then a similar conversation with my mother I decided to up my probiotic intake from just Activia yogurt but some additional sources.  I was on a limited diet so I needed something non-dairy and easy to digest.  I purchased probiotic capsules that contained two kinds of bacteria to support both large intestine and small intestine functions as well as GoodBelly, a vegan fruit juice with probiotics and vitamins.  Fortunately, discontinuing the antibiotics and beginning the probiotics found me feeling better within days.  Luckily I am now free of whatever mess I had happening in my lungs/sinuses and my intestinal issues have been cleared as well. In fact, I haven’t experienced any gastrointestinal distress in the last week (even after mixing various types of alcohol and even eating a hot dog at my best friend’s birthday…which normally spells disaster). My doctor did indicate at my follow-up that studies show that probiotics can be very helpful for clearing up these types of issues, but didn’t provide elaboration on which type would be best. Amazon has a highly rated book from last year that covers this information however and I think it is a valuable resource in determining if probiotics can help you and which to try. You can get the book here: The Probiotics Revolution: The Definitive Guide to Safe, Natural Health Solutions Using Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods and Supplements. The Mayo Clinic also has a Q&A on probiotics on their website called, “Probiotics: What are they?” Finally, an interesting book that I’m half-way through on the topic of our society and how we live with bacteria is called, “The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Can Protect Ourselves Against Them“. In the end, while medical science works to improve our health through the use of antibiotics, it is important to remember that we have access to good bacteria that can help us as well as bad, so be good to your belly and your body will love you for it.

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