Positive Health Online

Louis Pasteur was the Mick Jagger of nineteenth century science. And, rightly so.

But, rock star that he was, he made the words 'bacteria' and 'bacterial' synonymous with disease. This misconception is still with us today. The truth is that some bacteria can actually help you alleviate oesophagus-related problems, stop stomach pains and control stomach acid.

Why All Bacteria are NOT Bad Bacteria

Make no mistake, there definitely are bad bacteria. But in a healthy body, there are also trillions of good bacteria that provide many of the critical elements to good health and vitality. These microscopic mighty microbes are called probiotics (for life). Without these good bacteria or without enough of them, the bad guys take over in a bacterial war. If you let this happen, life will get downright miserable for your stomach, oesophagus and general health.

While Pasteur's discovery of the germ theory of disease received great notoriety and acclaim quite fast, the discovery of bacteria's healthy side has taken a lot longer to permeate the public consciousness.

The Results?

Years of needless stomach pains, oesophagus problems, heartburn, acid stomach and dyspepsia.

Maybe it was because the discoverer of the life-enhancing benefits of probiotics, a microbiologist and 1908 Nobel Prize Winner named Ellie Metchnikoff, was a Russian. They were not PR poster boys.

But, whatever the reason, Metchnikoff, curious as to what made some people live longer than others, studied the astonishing number of individuals in Bulgaria that were living to be over 100 years old. He traced the secret of their longevity to probiotics – the beneficial microorganisms that were contained in the fermented yoghurt they ate.

Ellie, we love you, Man.

12 Ways Probiotics Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life

1. Probiotics break food down into its most basic elements, allowing nutrients to absorb through the digestive system;
2. They strengthen the immune system, which enables the body to better fight disease;
3. They help relieve constipation;
4. They reduce the chance of infection from common pathogens (harmful microorganisms or bacteria);
5. They help the nutrients get into the cells with greater ease where they generate the physical energy of life;
6. They promote recovery from diarrhoea;
7. They clean the intestines;
8. They can help prevent viruses and parasites;
9. They help prevent yeast and fungal infections;
10. They improve the digestion of vitamins;
11. They inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms or bacteria;
12. They help make certain B vitamins.

All of which translates into a healthy stomach, colon and oesophagus.

Not bad for a bunch of microorganisms the size of a micron. There are one million microns in a meter – or, side by side, about 25,000 bacteria in an inch. So we're talking very, very, small.

How Much Good Bacteria Should Your Body Have?

Your intestines should have about 85% good bacteria and 15% bad. But the chlorinated water we drink, the presence of antibiotics in the food we eat, the medical treatments we take, the environmental chemicals and toxins we are exposed to and a multitude of other factors can wreck havoc in the gastrointestinal tract. This throws our digestive systems completely out of balance causing stomach pains, heartburn and oesophagus related problems.

On days like that you'd rather be burned at the stake.

What's the Mightiest of All Beneficial Microorganisms?

Some years ago a revolutionary discovery was made using a unique combination of probiotics – a team of beneficial microorganisms so coordinated, so in harmony, so dedicated to enhancing life that Vince Lombardi would have kissed their feet (if they'd had any.)

Pasteur, who discovered the effects of bad bacteria, was French. Metchnikoff, who discovered the benefits of good bacteria, was Russian. But it fell to a little known Japanese scientist named Teruo Higa to discover this combination of beneficial microorganisms that operate in a revolutionary relationship with each other, and in so doing, make human bodies hum like Lance Armstrong on the Tour De France.

What does this mean for you?

Stay with me here because this gets good.

The most extraordinary microorganisms in this serendipitous gathering of bacteria from the Far Side are the phototropic microbes. These fascinating micro-organism creatures have been here since before there was oxygen on the planet.  In fact, they are anaerobic (hate oxygen).

How, you might wonder, does a living organism survive without oxygen?

In a simple act of adaptive Darwinian brilliance, it consumed what was in the environment: epicurean delights like carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane and hydrogen sulphide. And still does.

And in case the light-bulb didn't go on as you read that, take note that these are all modern-day toxins. In other words, we have here a microorganism that thrives on poisons and pollutants.

But that's only half the story: in a performance that confirms Mother Nature as the planet's true environmental Magic Maker, these microbes excrete oxygen, amino acids, antioxidants and other substances that enhance life.

Now watch this...

The other members of the group are aerobic (oxygen loving) bacteria. Check out this teamwork. The aerobic bacteria consume the oxygen generated by the phototropic bacteria. They in turn give off carbon dioxide. This is food for the phototropic bacteria – which they readily consume.

So you have this symbiotic union of beneficial bacteria that's like an organic PacMan. It goes charging through the environment, devouring toxins and pollutants and giving off amino acids, vitamins, trace minerals, enzymes and antioxidants.

Think about a team of microorganisms that are:

1. Thriving on toxins and polluting elements in your digestive tract;
2. Generating antioxidants and other healthy by-products;
3. Overcoming pathogenic (harmful microbes).

And, they're doing it all at the same time.

Who would have thought that ancient, toxin-eating microorganisms and their organic by-products could bring life-enhancing benefits to people in the 21st century? Don't you think it's time that you get more probiotics into your life?

Note

1. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Images Courtesy of www.optimallivingfoods.com/my-bacteria.html