All posts tagged: Probiotics

Why I Love Greek Yogurt

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Just a few years ago, probiotics were considered to be an “alternative” thing that only hippies were into. Most “probiotics” were pills with only one or two bacterial species, and there was little concern about quality control. Most medical practitioners considered probiotics to be a rip-off, or a fad. And there was no evidence that probiotic bacteria can even live or form colonies in our guts, so it was assumed that they could not affect our health.   My how things have changed.   Technological advances, thanks to the Human Genome Project, have given us a much better idea of the microbes in our guts. Instead of relying on culture techniques (trying to take bacteria from our guts and grow them on an agar plate or in a tube- which they don’t like, because they only like to grow in our guts), we can now identify them using DNA/RNA sequencing of their genes. And wow! We discovered that thousands of different kinds of bacteria live in our guts, and some of them are the same …

Is “Leaky Gut” Really A Thing?

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There is no shortage of information on the internet about “Leaky Gut” and “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. For instance:   “4 steps to heal Leaky Gut” “9 signs you have a leaky gut” “Leaky Gut foods to avoid” “Could Leaky Gut be what is troubling you?” “Leaky Gut: Can this be destroying your health? “How to live with and identify Leaky Gut Syndrome” Is this really a thing? It seems there are as many skeptics about “Leaky Gut” as there are people promoting it. When I ask audiences at my seminars “Who has heard of leaky gut syndrome?”, everyone, EVERYONE, raises their hand. When I ask “Who thinks the medical establishment takes it seriously?”, no one raises their hand, ever. Which is unfortunate, because Leaky Gut is a thing, and can cause serious problems for some people. It may also contribute to other conditions not normally thought of as being related to gut problems. In the basic science world, “leaky gut” is called “increased intestinal permeability”, and it is a big thing. Increased intestinal permeability is …