Health & Wellness Blog – EndoMune Probiotic

WebMD just issued an article about the new American College of Gastroenterology treatment guidelines with regard to IBS in patients. Of significant notice is the last item listed: “A probiotic called Bifidobacteria may help some IBS patients.”

I’ve discussed at length some of the many benefits of probiotics, a topic that has no shortage of studies underway. Many people have experienced a significant positive impact in GI function due to regularly taking a probiotic.

Bifidobacteria is referenced in the article as general term for a probiotic. There are thousands of species belonging to the Bifidobacterium genus, three of which (B. longum, B. bifidum, B. lactis) are present in EndoMune.

The full article can be viewed by visiting the following link:
WebMB Article

More information about the genus Bifidobacterium can be found here:
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Bifidobacterium

A recent study conducted in Sweden has determined that probiotics may stop the development of pneumonia in “critically-ill” patients. The probiotic helps to block harmful bacteria from colonizing, and was determined to work just as effectively as antiseptics. Additionally, probiotics are much more natural, and result in fewer side effects than do antiseptics.

For the full article visit:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7708895.stm

A recent article published on Yahoo! discusses a recent research finding — specific bacteria that trigger the creation of pro-inflammatory immune cells have been identified.

So what does this mean? This is further evidence that a healthy gut has a number of health implications. As each day passes, more research points to links between the presence or absence of bacteria with regard to various health deficiencies.

Clearly there are many potential positive impacts that probiotics may have on human health. The important point to remember, as stated in the article, is it’s not how MUCH bacteria, but what TYPES of bacteria. With billions upon billions of different bacterial strains, each unique combination have powerful implications for human health.

It’s clearly a VERY exciting time for probiotic research!

To read the article in its entirety, visit:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20081024/hl_hsn/intestinalbacteriatriggerimmuneresponse

I would like to discuss a potential complication that may arise due to the use of antibiotics. I have mentioned this complication before, but lately it is receiving a lot more attention.

The concern is for the development of antibiotic-related diarrhea and colitis due to a bacterium named Clostridium difficile.

Recently, the danger of a C. difficile infection has been making news throughout a multitude of media outlets such as NBC’s 5:30 Nightly News(1), online websites like WebMD(2) and Medscape(3), in magazines like Science(4) and in medical journals(5).

The heightened interest is due to the fact that intestinal infections with C. difficile have been increasing over the last 5-7 years, especially in hospitals where a series of epidemics have been experienced.

For more information, read this month’s EndoMune Health & Wellness Monthly:
http://www.endomune.com/Newsletter/2008_10.htm

Every month there seem to be new, exciting research studies emerging about the benefits of probiotics. Scientists have been looking into the correlation between colon bacteria and obesity. It seems there may be some relationship between the types of bacteria and the incidence of obesity. Studies have also indicated that probiotics may help obese individuals to lose fat!

For more information, read the latest EndoMune Newsletter:
http://www.endomune.com/Newsletter/2008_09.htm