Bowel Flora

Bowel flora are important for good health. You have between four and seven pounds of bacteria in your bowel. There are more bacterial cells there than there are in your entire body. They belong there. Beneficial bacteria do the following: Produce vitamins like folic acid and B12. Nourish the lining of the colon by producing […]

In an animal study performed by scientists in Japan, the normal bowel bacteria, Lactobacillus casei seemed to have a protective effect against the flu. In the study, published in the journal Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology(May 2001; 8:593-597), mice were inoculated with flu virus. One group of mice was given Lactobacillus casei in a nasal

Link between Salmonella and Arthritis Research that was performed at Johns Hopkins and published in the February 2002 issue of Nature Medicine, revealed a connection between certain bacterial infections and autoimmune disease. If normal cells carry a specific protein that mimics the bacterial protein, they may be attacked by the immune system. If there has

One possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. In research appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2004;292(7):852-858) suggests that the bloating seen in IBS can be caused by bacteria in the small intestine. Bloating immediately following a meal is an indication of small intestine bacterial

Scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School found with experiments with laboratory mice, that changes in microbes of the GI tract brought on by antibiotic use can affect how the immune system’s response to allergens in the lungs. ”Antibiotics knock out bacteria in the gut, allowing fungi to take over temporarily until the bacteria

An adult has between six and eight pounds of bacteria in his or her intestines. The total of bacterial cells in the colon is more than the number of cells in the entire body (the bacterial cells are much smaller). The bacteria belong there. The right species of bacteria will produce nutrients, remove toxins, support

Normally you have between 4 and 7 pounds of bacteria in your colon. Normal and well-balanced bacteria have many beneficial functions. Beneficial bacteria do the following: Produce vitamins like folic acid and B12. Nourish the lining of the colon by feeding on vegetable fiber and producing butyric acid. Adequate butyric acid levels reduce the chances

One possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. In research appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2004;292(7):852-858) suggests that the bloating seen in IBS can be caused by bacteria in the small intestine. Bloating immediately following a meal is an indication of small intestine bacterial

Reactive arthritis, following bouts of diarrhea, bowel infection or bowel inflammation is well-documented. Several species of bacteria have been associated with reactive arthritis including vibrio cholerae, salmonella, shigella, yersenia and campylobacter. Between 10-20% of patients with Crohn’s disease develop a reactive arthritis. More information about this is found in “Antigens, the Gastrointestinal Tract and Arthritis”,

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 19, 2002;287:3096-3102, 3103-3109, 3133-3135), fewer doctors are prescribing antibiotics to children and teens than in 1990. This is an attempt to halt the rise in antibiotic resistant infections. Over use of antibiotics in the past has created antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Doctors gave only