probiotics Archives

Are You Boiling Your Water?

Disease, Misc, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

With the remnants of the multiple winter storms finally making their way out of the United States, an estimated 14 million Texans and many more across the country are being affected by boil-water advisories.

Suppose you haven’t encountered a boil water advisory before. In that case, local utility companies issue them during and after natural disasters, including this most recent trio of winter storms and even hurricanes like ones that have hit the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts in the past.

Local utilities typically order boil water advisories to protect your body from the possibility of water contaminated by parasites, viruses, and bacteria that can make you sick – and yes, these recommendations extend to our furry friends and pets as well!

What does the boil water advisory mean for you? In short, there are certain things you should and should notdo with tap water unless it’s boiled first. Local water experts instruct you to boil tap water (even if it’s filtered) for at least two to three minutes before drinking it, using it for cooking meals or brushing your teeth. That includes water or ice delivery systems connected to your refrigerator.

However, bathing (don’t drink the bathwater!), using your dishwasher, and doing laundry are all still acceptable with clear-running tap water. Keep in mind, we’re also still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, so this isn’t an excuse to skip handwashing with antibacterial soap!

During the aftermath of these natural disasters is no time for your family to forget to take a probiotic either. EndoMune Advanced Probiotic has 30 billion colony forming units of 10 strains of beneficial bacteria (plus a very important prebiotic) that could give your intestinal immune system a much-needed boost when your body may come into contact with nasty bacteria that can harm you. Don’t forget – your pets can also benefit from probiotics and a healthy immune system, just like we humans do.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and take your probiotics, friends!

Resources

Are You Boiling Your Water? Read More »

How Probiotics May Protect Your Preemie Baby

Children’s Health, Women’s Health / By @drHoberman

Premature babies have a lot of obstacles to overcome. One of the most serious health challenges they face is necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a condition that affects their intestines.

This problem occurs when bacteria attack the intestinal wall which causes inflammation, then cracks that can allow these invaders to leak into the abdomen. Without treatment, babies face serious infections and an increased risk of death very early in their lives.

Although scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes NEC, apart from being born prematurely, babies who are fed formula rather than human breast milk via breastfeeding (that’s easier to digest and full of the nutrients they need to boost their tiny immune systems) are at a greater risk for this serious disease.

Fortunately, doctors have had success treating preemie babies with probiotics to prevent risks of NEC, but how well do they really work?

The multi-strain probiotic difference

A group of European researchers compared the effect of treating three groups of preemie babies with two different mixes of probiotics from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families to infants who received no probiotics in a recent study appearing in Gut Microbes.

(Two strains of beneficial bacteria used in this study are the foundation of EndoMune Junior Advanced Probiotic Powder.)

Infants who were delivered mostly via C-section and up to 10 weeks early received a multi-strain probiotic or a placebo until 36 weeks. No surprise, the probiotic preemie groups experienced improved gut health (greater consistency, fewer variations) in their tiny microbiomes.

Even more promising, an analysis of fecal samples discovered reduced amounts of bacteria linked to NEC among infants given probiotics.

And, there’s even more good news!

Probiotic guidance for doctors

Many neonatal doctors struggle with making the best choices to help their preemie patients avoid NEC, but a very recent analysis of 45 trials and more than 12,000 infants published in Pediatrics gave the nod to the one-two power of probiotics and prebiotics.

Formulations of probiotics containing Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus blends plus a prebiotic significantly reduced the odds that an infant faces NEC, compared to a placebo, by 68 and 94 percent, respectively.

What’s more, treating infants with beneficial strains of Lactobacillus and a prebiotic decreased an infant’s risks of sepsis, another potentially life-threatening problem triggered by the body due to an infection, by an amazing 82 percent.

The probiotic advantage for your baby

Are you a Mom who may need to deliver your newborn via C-section? Breastfeeding is a great way to give your baby that gut-friendly head start. Should problems arise, you may want to take that extra step — with guidance from your pediatricians — to give your baby a probiotic tailored to his/her needs.

Protecting your baby’s developing immune system can be as easy as sprinkling a multi-species probiotic powder like EndoMune Junior in a liquid or noncarbonated formula or on soft foods once a day.

EndoMune Junior Infant Probiotic Powder features four beneficial strains of beneficial bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families, plus a prebiotic (FOS), that’s formulated to help reduce your newborn’s risks of NEC.

Resources

How Probiotics May Protect Your Preemie Baby Read More »

Are Gut-Harming Chemicals Hiding in Your Home?

Disease, Misc, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

It’s never been easier to keep our homes and ourselves clean and germ-free, even during a pandemic. All of that antimicrobial/antibacterial “power” comes a great cost, however, creating overly sterilized home environments that are too clean for own good gut health. Gut-harming chemicals can hide in places you’d never think to look, like yoga mats and even the walls of your home.

But, what about other chemicals that find their way into other products our families come in contact with every day, like shampoos, detergents, cosmetics and water-repellant fabrics?

These substances — semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) — can be just as harmful to human gut health, especially to the youngest of us.

Unhealthy tradeoffs for convenience

A group of scientists examined how the impact of SVOCs in everyday environments affected gut health by measuring their levels in blood, urine and fecal samples taken from 69 young children (from toddlers to preschoolers).

In those samples, scientists detected levels of SVOCs commonly found in raincoats, shower curtains, soaps, shampoos and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) used to coat non-stick cookware, fast food packaging, carpets and furniture.

What’s more, children with higher levels of PFASs in their bloodstreams experienced reductions in the diversity and amounts of bacteria in their guts.

Here’s how resourceful and remarkable the human gut is: Children who had higher levels of these chemicals in their blood also had several kinds of bacteria in their guts that clean up toxic materials.

Unfortunately, these unique strains of bacteria aren’t usually found in the human gut. In fact, they are often used to clean up harmful chemical residues (think dry cleaning solvents) from the environment.

“Finding the increased levels of these bacteria in the gut means that, potentially, the gut microbiome is trying to correct itself,” says lead researcher Dr. Courtney Gardner.

“Gaining a more holistic understanding of the interactions between man-made chemicals, the gut microbiome and human health is a critical step in advancing public health.”

The probiotic solution

If exposure to these chemicals that persist in our environment is a constant problem for all of us, the best and healthiest solution for protecting our gut health is a simple one.

Taking a probiotic formulated with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria that mirrors and enhances the diversity of your gut microbiome is critical.

The 10 tried-and-true strains of beneficial bacteria from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus families contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic along with the prebiotic (FOS) can make a very big difference in balancing your gut microbiome and promoting better immune health too.

Resources

Are Gut-Harming Chemicals Hiding in Your Home? Read More »

How to Take a Probiotic: The Basics

Probiotics / By @drHoberman

You’ve done your research. You’ve talked to your physician (or nurse practitioner) and confirmed that it’s a good idea for you and your family to take a probiotic.

Assuming you’ve chosen the right probiotic — ideally one with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria — your next decision is a critical one.

How do you take a probiotic to get the most out of it?

If you’re a healthy adult

Adults receive that gut health boost if they take a probiotic about 30 minutes before eating their first meal of the day (probably a morning meal) or on an empty stomach, ideally with water.

The goal is to give the beneficial bacteria in a probiotic some extra time to travel from the bottle to your gut without food getting in the way.

An often-cited study in the health journal Beneficial Microbes concluded probiotics containing multiple strains of key bacterial strains survived when taken before a meal (including two of the 10 important strains in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic).

On the other hand, taking a probiotic after a meal, when stomach acid is at its highest, was the worst time as beneficial bacteria survive in far fewer numbers.

If you’re raising a healthy kid

Young children may need some extra help, especially if their developing gut health may have been compromised or they’re having problems like constipation.

For children under age 3, parents can help to protect their developing immune systems and potentially reduce problems with colic by sprinkling a multi-species probiotic in powdered form (like EndoMune Junior Advanced Probiotic Powder) in a liquid or noncarbonated formula or on soft foods before or with their meal once a day.

Once your child moves past her/his toddler times, he/she graduates to a probiotic of their own, for example, the chewy, fruity EndoMune Junior Advanced Chewable Probiotic.

On that sick day

We’ve been relieved to hear that it’s become much more common to see patients taking a probiotic when they’ve been prescribed an antibiotic.

Antibiotics are very effective so long as they’re prescribed when they’re really needed. Unfortunately, they can also become a real problem by wiping out the good bacteria in your gut while letting the bad bugs hang around and create more problems like those related to superbug infections.

That’s where taking a probiotic can limit the problems. Just be sure to give yourself a two-hour break between taking an antibiotic and probiotic. That extra gap gives those beneficial bacteria some extra time to do their work.

The prebiotic boost

When you’re taking a probiotic, be sure that it includes prebiotics, the unsung heroes of gut health.

Made of non-digestible plant fibers and carbohydrates, prebiotics do a lot of the important work behind the scenes to feed the bacteria living in your gut, thus stimulate their growth.

For example, EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, EndoMune Advanced Junior Chewable Probiotic, and EndoMune Advanced Probiotic Powder contain fructooligosaccharides (FOS) that are contained in many plant foods like garlic, leeks, asparagus, and bananas.

One more thing

We encourage you to talk to your doctor before starting a probiotic. It’s really important to address any concerns either of you have, particularly if you’re taking a drug for a specific health issue, like an immunosuppressant or antifungal.

Resources

Beneficial Microbes

Medscape

Healthline

How to Take a Probiotic: The Basics Read More »

bottle of EndoMune Advanced Probiotic next to a digital graphic of Omega-3 oil

Omega-3s and Probiotics Team Up For Better Health (Yours!)

Digestive Health, Drug interactions, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

For a very long time, omega-3 rich fish oil has sat alongside probiotics as an important go-to supplements patients rely on every day for their good health.

That’s a good thing. Our go-go-go lifestyles often leave little time for eating anything but highly processed meals chock full of omega-6 fatty acids and lacking in any nutritional value.

This tendency to eat on the run has gone a long way toward fueling our country’s continuing obesity epidemic that leaves you vulnerable to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions occurring all at once that increase your risks of more serious cardiovascular problems.

A team of Swedish researchers has shared some interesting ways both omega-3s and probiotics team up for better health (yours!) in a recent report appearing in the medical journal Nutrients.

Treating inflammation

Reducing inflammation in your body is critical as we’ve learned with leaky gut. This condition, created by breakdowns in the intestinal wall, allows bacterial particles to seep into the bloodstream that stimulates inflammation and triggers health problems like metabolic syndrome.

In this Swedish review, researchers examined some of the mechanisms in which probiotics and the omega-3s in fish oil work together and on their own to promote better health.

The key reason why omega-3s and probiotics may work so well together: Both share a common pathway to work with our body’s immune system, a critical part of keeping inflammation in check.

For example, scientists describe how omega-3 fatty acids may work just like prebiotic compounds, the unsung heroes of gut health.

The EndoMune family of probiotics, from EndoMune Jr. Advanced Chewables to EndoMune Metabolic Rescue, also contains proven prebiotics that do the dirty work of feeding the good bacteria in your gut and a whole lot more.

Probiotics and omega-3s have also been connected to improvements in insulin and blood glucose levels among patients battling diabetes and pre-diabetes, part of the cluster of problems associated with metabolic syndrome.

The real benefit

The best benefit of pairing omega-3 fish oil and probiotics: It’s a safe, drug-free strategy most people can follow very easily. The real challenge, however, is choosing the best ones for your health.

When you’re looking for the best fish oil supplement, review product labels to ensure you choose one that contains the most EPA and DHA, two difference-making omega-3s. Many brands have little to none of either one.

Studying product labels is very important when selecting the best probiotic for your health too.

As you search for the right probiotic for your health, look for brands that contain multiple species of beneficial bacteria. For example, EndoMune Advanced Probiotic is carefully formulated with species from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families that support a balanced, healthy gut and protect your immune health.

Resources

Nutrients

Mayo Clinic

Healthline

Omega-3s and Probiotics Team Up For Better Health (Yours!) Read More »

Could Diet Affect Your Gut’s Response to Antibiotics?

Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

We remind you from time-to-time how harmful antibiotics can be to your overall health — not to mention your gut — if you rely on them a lot.

Taking an antibiotic — even when it’s necessary — alters the critical balance of bacteria in your gut that fuels and protects your immune system.

Did you know your diet triggers changes in your gut bacteria when you’re taking an antibiotic too?

What you eat when taking an antibiotic matters

Researchers at Brown University studied the effect of common antibiotics (amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and doxycycline) on three sets of mice, focusing on changes in gut bacteria balance and how bacteria adapted after those treatments with food.

A couple of basic things really stood out.

For one, the amount of a specific bacteria strain (acteroides thetaiotaomia specific bacteria strain B) actually tripled in size when exposed to antibiotics, affecting the overall healthy balance of gut bacteria in mice.

This second result is interesting and goes straight to the question of eating a supportive gut-healthy diet with dietary fiber.

No surprise, the gut bacteria of mice fed dietary fiber were far less affected by their exposure to antibiotics by a factor of 10.

Once again, these results show how antibiotics alter the balance of gut health, and how the quality of your diet may protect or hurt it.

The take-home message here really is twofold.

Work on increasing the dietary fiber you eat every day by eating more whole foods and fewer heavily processed foods. It doesn’t take much (1 ounce or 30 grams) to make a healthy difference.
Taking a probiotic with 10 strains and 30 billion CFUs of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic every day supports and protects the balance of bacteria in your gut — the center of your body’s immune system — when you’re taking an antibiotic.

Resources

Cell Metabolism

Brown University

Mayo Clinic

Could Diet Affect Your Gut’s Response to Antibiotics? Read More »

The Newest Superbug Problem: Pain Relievers

Drug interactions, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Think about the last time you were prescribed an antibiotic or pain reliever by your doctor… Did you really need it?

An estimated 43 percent of the 130 million scripts for antibiotics were inappropriately prescribed or issued for no reason, according to a recent Oregon State University report.

These unnecessary prescriptions are creating a world in which antibiotics are losing their ability to work as they should, and that’s a real health problem for all of us.

Not only does the excessive use of antibiotics harm the healthy balance of bacteria in your gut, but these drugs can also leave you vulnerable to superbug infections like Clostridium difficile (C. diff) that are resistant to them.

Taking pain-relieving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may worsen that problem, according to a recent study appearing in mBio.

Are you taking this drug?

Taking any type of drugs come with some health concerns — even small ones. The real challenge is looking for ways to modify those risk factors in the presence of diseases like C. diff, says Dr. David Aronoff, a microbiologist, infectious disease expert, and the lead author of this study.

Scientists tracked the health of two groups of mice treated with antibiotics after being infected with C. diff. One group was treated with indomethacin, an NSAID used to treat severe pain caused by osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, while the control group received no drug.

Only 20 percent of the mice exposed to the NSAID survived to the end of the study. What’s more, mice treated with the pain-relieving drug and antibiotics experienced altered gut microbiomes and worse C. diff infections, a sign their tiny immune systems were harmed.

Why you should be concerned: Indomethacin shares roughly the same biological mechanisms as far more common over-the-counter NSAIDs you may be taking more regularly, like aspirin and ibuprofen. (Taking acetaminophen in large doses isn’t safe for your gut either.)

Protect your gut

Previously, we have warned you about the effect a higher-than-you’d-expect number of non-antibiotic drugs that treat a myriad of problems with mental health, cancer, diabetes and blood pressure have on your gut bacteria.

As much as you’d like to avoid these interactions, that may not possible. You may need to take an antibiotic, one of these other drugs — or both — that may disturb the healthy balance and immune-supportive power, either for a short time or a long time.

So, what can you do?

First, be knowledgeable about those possible interactions when consulting with your doctor or your local pharmacist.

Also, taking a probiotic, ideally, one that contains multiple strains of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, may be your best weapon to give your body the help it needs to maintain the healthy balance of bacteria in your gut, protect your immune system and prevent C. diff infections altogether.

Resources

mBio

American Society for Microbiology

MedlinePlus

WebMD

American Academy of Rheumatology

The Newest Superbug Problem: Pain Relievers Read More »

EndoMune Advanced Adult Probiotic passed the test! Image of bottles.

We Passed the Test!

Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Hi Everyone!

As part of our quality control best practices, we frequently test EndoMune Advanced Probiotic to ensure our quality and label matches exactly what’s in each capsule.

Well, we got our latest test results and we’re very proud to share that they’re fantastic!

We’ve just learned each capsule of EndoMune Advanced Probiotic contains 50 percent more of the beneficial bacteria you’ve come to rely on for more than a decade!

That awesome news came to us despite absolutely no changes in our proven formula or our ongoing testing schedules.

Along with the prebiotic FOS that feed the bugs in your gut, each capsule of EndoMune contains 30 billion CFUs of beneficial bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families up to the expiration date found on the bottom of each bottle.

If you’re thinking that we’re sharing this awesome news just as an excuse to increase our prices, forget it!

EndoMune Advanced Probiotic offers 50 percent more of the beneficial gut bugs at the same price as always!

To you and yours in good gut health!

Dr. Lawrence Hoberman

P.S. For each bottle of EndoMune you purchase, we will donate $2 to the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund that helps stock food banks that support our communities being affected all across America by this pandemic!

We Passed the Test! Read More »

Bathroom sign with text that says, "IBS Sufferer?"

How Probiotics Can Aid IBS Sufferers

Digestive Health / By @drHoberman

I’ve spent a lot of time talking with physicians, pharmacists and patients over the years about the benefits of probiotics. The topic that comes up most frequently when I talk to people is how probiotics help those who suffer daily from symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Routinely, patients consult with gastroenterologists about IBS more than any other condition, and it’s one of the most common problems primary care physicians see too.

As many as 20 percent of Americans experience symptoms of IBS, but a lot of patients still have a hard time recognizing them for what they are.

In fact, a global impact report of IBS estimates that it can take up to four years for a patient to receive an IBS diagnosis and only after undergoing many costly and unnecessary procedures.

Medical prescriptions for IBS

When I became a gastroenterologist, the medical understanding of IBS was very limited. Back then, many health professionals believed the common symptoms of IBS — abdominal pain, gas, constipation and diarrhea — were related to stress.

So, doctors treated stress by prescribing a range of tranquilizers and antidepressants combined with antispasmodics that affected the nerves going into the GI tract.

Nowadays, drug regimens have changed to more targeted IBS medicines like alosetron (Lotronex), eluxadoline (Viberzi), rifaximin (Xifaxan) and lubiprostone (Amitiza).

However, these drugs create their own sets of side effects, including pancreatitis, abdominal pain, nausea and constipation. Also, the kind of drugs doctors prescribe will differ depending on the subtype of IBS.

What about probiotics for IBS sufferers?

The good news for IBS patients who are otherwise healthy: Among the many non-drug therapies used to treat IBS, probiotics rises to the top of the list due to their effectiveness and the lack of drug interactions with other medications.

Probiotics work in versatile ways to reduce IBS symptoms safely. However, the kind of probiotic you take really matters when it comes to treating IBS effectively.

The benefits of multi-strain probiotics are well-documented, as it takes a variety of beneficial bacteria to maintain and protect the balance of good bugs in your gut.

A recent review of studies appearing in the medical journal Nutrients concluded probiotics containing multiple strains of beneficial bacteria provided better results in treating IBS.

Overall, seven of those 11 trials reviewed by European researchers found probiotics significantly improved IBS symptoms compared to a placebo.

What’s more, eight of those trials evaluated how IBS patients benefitted from taking a multi-strain probiotic. When IBS patients took a multi-strain probiotic for at least eight weeks, the results were more dramatic and beneficial.

A similar review of studies appearing in Complementary Therapies in Medicine came to the same conclusions about probiotics as a safe and effective treatment for IBS symptoms and abdominal pain too.

The take-home message

Have you been thinking about treating your IBS with a probiotic but don’t know where to begin?

You can start by reading about many more reasons why you need to take a probiotic, not only to relieve your IBS symptoms, but to protect the health of your gut every day.

Populated by more than 1,000 diverse species of bacteria (10 times more than the cells in your body), your gut performs a wide range of duties 24/7 to protect your health.

Taking a multi-strain probiotic, like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic with 10 strains of beneficial bacteria, is a smart and proven way, not only to make a daily difference in your gut health but do a world of good in treating your IBS symptoms too.

Resources

Nutrients

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

American College of Gastroenterology

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Medline Plus

Medical News Now

MedPage Today

News Medical Life Sciences

Mayo Clinic

WebMD

How Probiotics Can Aid IBS Sufferers Read More »

Woman in white shirt and jeans holding her upset stomach

How Gut Diversity Affects PCOS

Digestive Health, Probiotics, Women’s Health / By @drHoberman

For women experiencing hormonal issues or having trouble conceiving a child, a possible culprit could be polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

This condition, affecting as many as 10 percent of all women from ages 15-44, is defined by a number of tell-tale signs:

Increased levels of male hormones that create more body or facial hair.
Excess weight or having a harder time losing it.
Menstrual cycles that last longer and are more infrequent or irregular.
Enlarged ovaries.
Skin changes including darkening around creases and the appearance of more skin tags.
Problems with rest due to sleep apnea.

The presence of PCOS may also mean a greater risk of metabolic health problems, including elevated levels of insulin which could lead to type 2 diabetes. In fact, many women who are diagnosed with PCOS eventually become diabetic.

There’s a growing amount of evidence a woman’s gut health — specifically its diversity — could play a larger role in PCOS.

Could a probiotic advantage make a healthy difference? Let’s take a look…

Gut diversity issues

Some of the more recent studies from research teams in Poland, San Diego State University and the University of San Diego have discovered a gut health connection in their work with human and animal subjects.

For example, one study appearing in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism compared fecal samples from 73 PCOS patients with 43 women who had polycystic ovaries but no other signs of PCOS and 48 healthy women without this condition.

The comparisons fell the way you’d probably expect. Out of the three groups, PCOS patients had the least diverse gut health, while those with polycystic ovaries but no PCOS had better gut diversity, but less compared to healthy test subjects.

One of the previous studies involving mice from 2016 published in PLOS ONE suggested the possibility of probiotics being a treatment, and it’s certainly a more direct and less problematic one compared with insulin sensitizers and estrogens.

You don’t have look very hard to find evidence that a good probiotic can make a difference in treating PCOS, based on evidence in a double-blind clinical trial on 60 patients reported in the Journal of Ovarian Research.

During a 12-week trial, patients took a placebo or probiotics containing multiple strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria and a 200-mg selenium supplement.

The use of probiotics and selenium by PCOS patients lowered testosterone levels, and made significant improvements in mental health problems including depression and reduced extra body hair.

Among the bacteria used in this study — Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum — are two of the 10 beneficial strains contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.

Taking a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic may be a safer, better approach for women wanting to ease the symptoms of PCOS.

How Gut Diversity Affects PCOS Read More »