subject: How to Lessen Bad Side Effects From Good Bacteria [print this page] From the use of antibiotics and the contraceptive pill, and the imbalances that these can cause in the gut microflora, to irritable bowel syndrome and diets rich in processed foods and environmental toxins, our intestines are under constant attack. Probiotics, the 'friendly bacteria' that live in our bodies are edged out by the unfriendly variety, resulting in digestive disorders, infections and colonic related diseases.
In a healthy gut, probiotics thrive in abundance, ensuring that there is no space for the malignant bacteria to wreak havoc in our bodies. Probiotics have been a natural part of our ancestors' diets for centuries. However, the growth of the fast food industry, with the emphasis on convenience as opposed to quality, means that many harmful practices have become the norm in the way we grow, cultivate and consume our food.
Nowadays, unless we make the effort to buy organic, chances are that our meat and dairy have been laced with antibiotics, not to mention the artificial fertilisers in crops, all of which make their way into our systems. Some of this is unavoidable, such as the chlorine in tap water that also kills off the friendly bacteria in our bodies. But we do have to make a conscious effort to ensure that our diets are giving us the nutrients we need rather than saturating us with harmful chemicals.
Add to this the fact that what we eat has also changed significantly- we no longer get the required nutrients just from our diets so we have to turn to food supplements. This is now big business, as more and more people are becoming aware of the long standing deficiencies in their diets and the health problems that these are causing.
