Download BODY-ECOLOGY-The-Psy..

The Psychological Barrier to Probiotic Health, or,
“Yuck, I Don't Want to Eat Bacteria!”
By BodyEcology.com
Like many other people – probably even more so as a Body Ecology newsletter reader – you have
probably heard of probiotics.
The word probiotic literally means "for life," and these days probiotics are a health food buzz word
and one of the keys to good health and strong immunity.
I'm so excited that probiotics are on the tip of everyone's tongues and increasingly researched in
modern medicine. I've been using probiotics (beneficial bacteria and yeast) for a long time and I have
seen what they can do for your health, and the health of the world as a whole.
Probiotics are the good bacteria and yeast that colonize your intestines to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create a healthy inner ecosystem
Keep bad bacteria and yeast under control
Digest food properly
Form a barrier in your intestines to keep harmful pathogens from getting into your bloodstream
Manufacture vitamins and other nutrients
Ensure proper elimination
Help your body fight viruses and disease
Boost your immunity
Build your energy and keep you looking young and vibrant
As you can see, probiotics are absolutely vital for your good health!
Unfortunately, good bacteria have a bad rap in our western culture.
It started with Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization to reduce the number of potentially harmful
microorganisms in foods, especially milk. Later came antibiotics like penicillin that kill bacteria, both
good and bad, in your body.
When scientists discovered that they could cure some diseases by killing bad bacteria and
pasteurizing food, they thought they had the ultimate solution to ill health.
Antibiotics = Against Life
You know the rest: much of our commercially available food goes through pasteurization (a heating
process), robbing it of important nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics. Antibiotics, while truly life-saving
in certain cases, have become as commonplace as vitamins, even for infants. Further, antibacterial
hand wipes, soaps, deodorants and other such products declare that bacteria are bad!
At the same time that bacteria became the bad guys, we further compromised our health by turning to
a diet of processed foods and sugar, taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and by living
stressful, fast paced lives.
The result? Bad bacteria in our intestines have thrived, creating bodies that can no longer defend
themselves against illness and disease, even with innovations like pasteurization and penicillin.
But if we look closely enough, the cure might be in the cause.
Bad Bacteria vs. Beneficial Bacteria
Page 2 – The Psychological Barrier to Probiotic Health
Our collective fear of germs and bacteria has caused us to neglect the positive side of bacteria.
Remember the Principle of Balance: everything has a positive and a negative side. Western
medicine has been focused on killing off all bacteria, and now Body Ecology would like to be the
catalyst to teach people about the benefits of the good kinds of bacteria in your inner ecosystem.
I call the inner workings of your digestive tract your inner ecosystem. Your inner ecosystem is a
complex network of microorganisms that help your body function to keep you healthy.
Inside your intestines you have colonies of good and bad bacteria and yeast. Your body will always
have some pathogenic bacteria and yeast, but they will not harm you as long as you have enough
good bacteria and yeast organisms to keep the bad guys from getting out of control.
When beneficial bacteria thrive in your body and are in control of their environment, they keep you
healthy.
In unhealthy people, however, the bad bacteria and yeasts are out of control and hinder your
digestion, impair your immunity, prevent the absorption and manufacturing of important vitamins, and
can even lead to disorders like autism and schizophrenia and diseases like cancer!
With all the risks of an unhealthy inner ecosystem, you'd think that probiotics would be more popular,
but a recent study of moms with digestive distress showed that one third knew about probiotics but
only 10% actually tried them out.[1] Even fewer moms gave probiotics to their children.
It's sad that moms know about the benefits of bacteria but are unwilling to try them. However, I
understand why. Most of us have been brought up to believe that bacteria is bad.
I'd like to help change this belief system, along with so many natural health practitioners and
increasingly, medical doctors, who understand that probiotics are true life savers in our modern health
crisis.
Here are just some of the alarming statistics in our modern health care system:
•
•
•
1 out of 150 children is diagnosed with autism annually.[2]
An estimated 41.3 million people visit their doctors because of digestive distress each year.[3]
Cancer, heart disease and autoimmune diseases are the three most common diseases facing
Americans today and often begin because of compromised immunity and infection.[4]
What's the connection between these statistics?
Probiotics can help you create health and prevent and treat common diseases and
developmental disorders.
And the good news is, as you build up the good guys in your inner ecosystem, you no longer have to
be overly fearful of pathogenic bacteria, yeast and viruses because your immunity will be your best
armor.
The Probiotic Solution
I created the Body Ecology system for health and healing because of my own digestive struggles and
quest to be healthy. During my journey to health I discovered the importance of probiotics.
Probiotics have been used for thousands of years by ancient cultures all over the world to preserve
foods. Little did they know this method of food preservation provided immunity-building nutrition.
Page 3 – The Psychological Barrier to Probiotic Health
Even though probiotics are more mainstream now, some people still associate them with yucky
bacteria or old food.
Body Ecology offers a new approach to probiotics!
At Body Ecology, we want to shift the paradigm of "yucky bacteria" and show you how delicious,
energizing AND fun good bacteria and yeast can be!
Body Ecology has created some of the most delicious, convenient and potent probiotics on the
market. You can even make probiotic-rich food at home with our starters!
Our goal at Body Ecology is to make it tasty and easy to get the potent probiotics you need for good
health.
The Body Ecology system is unique because it emphasizes healing the root cause of illness – your
immunity! And the KEY to healing your immunity is welcoming the good bacteria and yeast back into
our intestines to keep us strong.
The absolute best way to do this is with probiotic-rich fermented foods and drinks.
Fermented foods and drinks promote billions of beneficial bacteria and yeast to safely pass through
your stomach to your intestines where they can boost your immunity and re-colonize in your gut.
You may initially think that these fermented foods and drinks must be "spoiled," or else become
fermented alcohol. If that were the case, I wouldn't want to eat them either! In fact, fermentation is
an ancient form of food preservation, used long before refrigeration to keep foods healthy and
nutritious.
It is the good bacteria and yeast that do the work of preserving your food, much in the same way they
do the work of preserving your health and youth!
You might already be familiar with fermented foods like sauerkraut and fermented drinks like milk
kefir, but there are plenty of other fantastic ways to incorporate probiotics into your diet.
Here's a quick overview of fermented foods and drinks that are convenient, delicious, and healthy:
•
•
•
•
Young Coconut Kefir is easy to make at home and combines well with Stevia and lemon or
lime juice for a refreshing "cocktail."
CocoBiotic has all the benefits of Young Coconut Kefir (and more!) without cracking those
coconuts! I often take this with me when I travel for a convenient boost of energy.
Cultured Vegetables are a delicious way to eat your vegetables and get probiotics. I
recommend a half-cup with every meal to aid digestion.
Dong Quai is another ready-to-drink fermented beverage that combines probiotics and
fermented Dong Quai, an herb known for its energy-giving and hormone-balancing properties.
These are just some of the delicious ways that you can introduce probiotics into your diet.
Be sure you remember the Principle of Step-By-Step. You can add some fermented foods and drinks
to your diet in small amounts, slowly increasing as your body becomes more accustomed to these
new foods.
Probiotics for Life!
As you populate your gut with good bacteria and yeast, you can expect renewed vitality, improved
health, and even an enhanced appearance!
Page 4 – The Psychological Barrier to Probiotic Health
With Body Ecology you can create a balanced inner ecosystem and stronger immunity to fight the
bad guys. Modern medicine is just now starting to remember the beneficial aspects of good bacteria.
It may have taken us 50 years to realize we went too far in the antibacterial direction, but it's never
too late to embrace lessons based on natural wisdom.
I hope that you will find, as I did, how much better you can look and feel with probiotics.
Sources:
[1] Halliday, Jess, "Survey shows women know about probiotics but aren't trying them,"
FoodNavigator.com, 23 May 2007.
[2] Weiss, Rick, "1 in 150 Children in U.S. Has Autism, New Survey Finds." Washington Post.
February 2007.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020801883.html
[3] Digestive Disorders, CDC.gov. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/digestiv.htm
[4] Fairweather, DeLisa, "Women and Autoimmune Diseases," CDC.gov.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol10no11/pdfs/04-0367.pdf
http://bodyecology.com/07/11/08/psychological_barrier_to_probiotics.php