Your Health Matters

With all the news about recent medications that are lifesaving and then in a couple of years those pills are removed from the shelves as harmful or proven to be of no good use-- we can't help but wonder about drugs and medical practices in general. Yet, we know for a fact that people's lives have been saved by modern medicine. Sometimes we feel like we are between a rock and a hard place!

In last week's column I mentioned some new words to most folks--probiotics- prebiotics- synbiotics. First, let me give you a definition of each: Experts have debated how to define probiotics. One widely used definition, developed by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is that probiotics are "live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host- also called friendly or good bacteria." (Microorganisms are tiny living organisms- such as bacteria, viruses, and yeasts- that can be seen only under a microscope.)

Probiotics are not the same thing as prebiotics- nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial microorganisms already in people's colons. When probiotics and prebiotics are mixed together, they form a symbiotic.

Probiotics are available to consumers mainly in the form of dietary supplements and foods. They can be used as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Some heath care providers practice both CAM and conventional medicine.

Why this interest in probiotics? It starts on a universal scale; the world is full of microorganisms, and so are people's bodies- in and on the skin, in the gut, and in other orifices. They take up residence in babies soon after birth. Friendly bacteria are vital to proper development of the immune system, to protection against agents that could cause disease, and to the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients. Each person's mix of bacteria varies. Interactions between the microorganisms themselves, can be crucial to the person's health and wellbeing.

This bacterial "balancing act" can be thrown off in two major ways:

By antibiotics, when they kill friendly bacteria in the gut along with unfriendly bacteria. Some people use probiotics to try to offset side effects from antibiotics like gas, cramping, or diarrhea. Similarly, some use them with the intent to ease symptoms of lactose intolerance, a condition in which the gut cannot digest significant amounts of lactose, the major sugar in milk.

"Unfriendly" microorganisms such as disease-causing bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and parasites can also upset the balance. Researchers are exploring whether probiotics could halt these unfriendly agents in the first place and/or suppress their growth and activity in conditions like:

Traveler's diarrhea

Irritable bowel syndrome

Inflammatory bowl disease (e.g., ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease)

Infection with Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori), a bacterium that causes most ulcers and many types of chronic stomach inflammation

Tooth decay and periodontal disease

Vaginal infections

Stomach and respiratory infections that children acquire in daycare

Skin infections

In the last few years, food manufacturers have begun to promote probiotic-enriched foods, such as the low-fat yogurt Activia and the probiotic dairy drink DanActive (both by Dannon). These products contain the well-researched probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium animalis and L. casei, respectively.

If you are a consumer who is thinking about using a probiotic product as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), consult your health care provider first. No CAM therapy should be used in place of conventional medical care or to delay seeking that care. Also, if you use a probiotic product and experience an effect that concerns you, contact your provider. You can read research on CAM therapy's effectiveness and safety through the resources PubMed or nlm.nih.gov or nccam.nih.gov. Keep in mind that effects from one strain of probiotics do not necessarily hold true for other strains.

Claudia Parks, RN, is a former doctor's office and emergency room nurse and retired as an educator from Fulton County Schools. She writes Your Health Matters as a public service; the information here is designed to help you make informed choices about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Claudia and her husband make their home in the beautiful north Georgia Mountains. Claudia can be reached at yhm@windstream. net