The #1 Missed Opportunity to Boost Your Immune System

Photo Credit:http://vibrantearth.wordpress.com

'You know the drill: You wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose. So you dissolve a couple of Emergen-C packets in your water bottle, snuff some Afrin, and suck a few menthol cough drops. If you keep up with the latest buzz about immune boosters, you might even swallow some maitaki mushroom or astralagus extract.

Maybe you keep the cold at bay, and maybe you don’t. Which ever the case, you know that you can expect this routine on a seasonal basis. But why do you regularly get sick if you eat your fruits, veggies and acai berries?

Because our immune system doesn’t start with us. It starts with the creatures who live inside of us!


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Top 10 Probiotic Foods to Add to Your Diet

Photo Credit: Cure Endometrious

'Probiotics are beneficial forms of gut bacteria that help stimulate the natural digestive juices and enzymes that keep our digestive organs functioning properly. In addition to taking a probiotic supplement, you can also support your probiotic intake through eating foods that are hosts to these live bacterium.

We all know of the great health benefits of probiotics, however, not all of us know how to take advantage of these health benefits. Below is a list I put together to outline the best probiotic foods for you to add to your diet. I would also recommend buying the organic version of all these probiotic foods.'

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Can Probiotics Help Reduce Anxiety?

Photo Credit: My New Roots


'Normally, we think of probiotics as digestive supplements. However, more and more research is showing that they could do much more than help your gut.

In fact, a double-blind placebo controlled study found that two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longumR0175, actually alleviated symptoms of anxiety.'


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Child Suspended from School for Kombucha in Lunchbox

'The trouble apparently started because the kombucha drink was packed in a glass bottle which is the appropriate container for this healthy, vitamin and probiotic filled beverage. The mother even took care to safely place the glass bottle in a foam sleeve as I’ve demonstrated in my videos which is exactly what I do for my own children so that if the bottle is dropped, it would not break and cause harm. It is important to note that the mother had sent kombucha to school in her son’s lunch many times before with no problem.

When the lunch police noticed the glass bottle safely tucked into the foam sleeve in the child’s lunchbox, they confiscated it.'


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Gut Microbes Linked to Weight and Metabolic Syndrome

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HOW ANTIBIOTICS DESTROY YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

'Your immune system is constantly on a seek-and-destroy mission status – on the lookout for foreign invaders, naturally occurring cell defects and mutant cells. The immune system has a vast capacity to remember bad guys and deploy tactics that worked in the past to annihilate the enemy. Some of the fastest growing cells in the human body are immune cells.


Over 80 percent of the body’s immunity is built in the intestinal tract by the friendly bacteria balance that resides there. The intestinal flora starts building in an infant while in the womb but doesn’t really take off until after eight days of age. Starting with the colostrum milk, the gut begins to populate with more bacteria while the infant’s immune system starts an inventory of good and bad cells in the body. This inventory is a life-long process and the immune system never forgets an invader.'


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Make Your Own Kombucha

'There are many tutorials out there on how to make kombucha, but I have had enough people ask me for instructions that I decided it would be helpful to post how I do it. If you regularly buy kombucha, making it yourself will save you a fortune.

When I started growing the kombucha culture (often called the "mother" or "scoby") for the first time, I was very careful to have everything sterilized by immersion in boiling water. This may be a good idea until your kombucha is established, but I can say for sure that by the second week I was much more relaxed about 'sterility, and the kombucha has done just fine ever since. 


I also used to keep two gallon jars of kombucha going, not because I needed that much kombucha, but because if something were to happen to one jar, I would still have the other one. Well, my confidence in the ability of kombucha to thrive, or my ability to take good care of it, has grown.'




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Thriving Gut Bacteria Linked To Good Health

'There's no magic elixir for healthy aging, but here's one more thing to add to the list: good gut health.


A study published in the latest issue of Nature finds diet may be key to promoting diverse communities of beneficial bacteria in the guts of older people.


To evaluate this, researchers analyzed the microbiota, or gut bacteria, of 178 older folks, mostly in their 70s and 80s.


Some of the people were living in their own homes, and their diets were rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, grains, poultry and fish.'




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More Research Shows that Bacteria are Beneficial, Not Harmful

'Over many, many years, bacteria has been scrutinized and persecuted for causing the development of thousands of diseases and ailments in people, but what do we actually know about these microbes that seem to cover everything at all times? 


Recent research shows that we actually don’t know a whole lot about when we look at the leaps and bounds we took to disinfect and cleanse nearly everything we own. In a research project entitled the Human Microbiome Project (much akin to the Human Genome Project of great relevance), researchers show that bacteria and microbial bodies are actually much more beneficial than they will ever be detrimental. '




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Probiotics – Recipes to Make Sure the Bugs Inside Your Body Are Good For You

'Stomach aches, pain, gas, bloating, discomfort, or worse?  Is there a way to settle things down and avoid the problems associated with the digestive system?

With more than 25 years’ experience as a Board Certified Gastroenterologist, Dr. Shekhar Challa has written a new book, Probiotics for Dummies, which takes the mystery out of the way bacteria behaves in the body and describes exactly what you need to do to exert a positive control over your digestive system and everything else that depends on it.

Probiotics are beneficial, live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to those found naturally in the human intestine. Also known as “friendly” or “good” bacteria, probiotics are the cornerstone of any successful health program because they restore a healthy balance between friendly and bad bacteria in the intestinal tract, a balance that is critical for the health of the entire body. Probiotics are associated with treating everything from IBS to certain forms of cancer, allergies, eczema, and even the effects of aging.

Here are some of the recipes he recommends for people who want to restore the levels of probiotic bacteria in their systems naturally.'

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They Outnumber Your Cells Ten to One but Researchers Show they Play a Crucial Role in Your Health

By Dr. Mercola

 'Probiotics, along with a host of other microorganisms, are so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to "a newly recognized organ." In fact, your microflora – a term used to describe the bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microbes that make up your microbial inner ecosystem – impact far more than your digestive tract. 

 Researchers have found they may play key roles in the development of cancer, asthma, allergies, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and even brain, behavioral and emotional problems like ADHD, autism and depression. 

Rob Knight, a biologist at the University of Colorado, told theWashington Posti: "In terms of potential for human health, I would place it with stem cells as one of the two most promising areas of research at the moment… We're seeing an unprecedented rate of discovery.

 Everywhere we look, microbes seem to be involved." To put this into perspective, your body contains about 100 trillion cells, but only one in 10 is "human." The others? They're made up of bacteria and other microorganisms.'

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Health Benefits of Kefir

'The health benefits of kefir are astounding. By adding this kefir probiotic drink to your diet on a daily basis you improve your health and build up a strong immune system, saving you hundreds of dollars in doctor's bills. Here are some reasons why you and your family should be having this healthy drink every day.'

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Photo Credit: Common Sense Homesteading

Kefir Recipe

'This kefir recipe is an easy way to make the healthiest drink possible. Learn how to make kefir, and you have self sufficient healing for you and your family, including healing of ulcers, gastrointestinal problems and sleep disorders. Plus kefir builds your immune system. The health benefits of kefir are so great that it's an essential for anyone seeking self sufficient healing.' 

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Probiotics And Mitochondria: Bacteria Are Not "Other"

 

'The close symbiotic relationship between our bodies and intestinal bacteria is so profound that some scientists have suggested we be viewed as "metaorganisms."

Indeed, without these friendly bacteria we could not perform critical life-sustaining functions, such as:

• Counteract vitamin B12 deficiency


• Produce the B-group vitamins, as a whole


• Break down pesticides


• Break down xenobiotic hormones like BPA

Probiotics also perform at least 30 essential biological functions, with 13 viewable below: 


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How to Make Lacto-Fermented Vegetables

How to Make Lacto-Fermented Vegetables from Whole Life Nutrition on Vimeo.

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5 Steps to Kill Hidden Bad Bugs in Your Gut that Make You Sick

 by Dr. Mark Hyman

'Symptoms Throughout the Body are Resolved by Treating the Gut. Many today do have digestive problems including reflux or heartburn, irritable bowel, bloating, constipation, diarrhea and colitis. In fact, belly problems account for over 200 million doctor’s visits and billions in health care costs annually. But gut problems cause disease far beyond the gut. In medical school I learned that patients with colitis could also have inflamed joints and eyes, and that patients with liver failure could be cured of delirium by taking antibiotics that killed the toxin-producing bacteria in their gut. Could it be that when things are not quite right down below it affects the health of our entire body and many diseases we haven’t linked before to imbalances in the digestive system? 


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9 Steps to Perfect Health – #5: Heal Your Gut

 

'Hippocrates said this more than 2,000 years ago, but we’re only now coming to understand just how right he was. Research over the past two decades has revealed that gut health is critical to overall health, and that an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

In fact, many researchers (including myself) believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.' 

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Top 10 Probiotic Foods to Add to Your Diet

'Probiotics are beneficial forms of gut bacteria that help stimulate the natural digestive juices and enzymes that keep our digestive organs functioning properly. In addition to taking a probiotic supplement, you can also support our probiotic intake through eating foods that are hosts to these live bacterium. 

We all know of the great health benefits of probiotics, however, not all of us know how to take advantage of these health benefits. Below is a list I put together to outline the best probiotic foods for you to add to your diet. I would also recommend buying the organic version of all these probiotic foods.' 


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Editor's Note: Here's an easy recipe for making your own probiotic rich pickles.

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"Easy Way to Reduce Occasional Constipation, Gas, and Bloating – Just Take This"

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What Prebiotics are and Why You Need Them

'Prebiotics are a very specific type of food. While many of the food ingredients we consume are digested immediately, prebiotics are a healthy non-digestible food ingredient. Futhermore, prebiotics are heat resistant, which keep them intact during the baking process and allow them to be incorporated into every day food choices. By consuming a non-digestible ingredient, it allows for growth of bio-cultures by reaching the intestine unaffected by the digestion process. This can provide good digestive health. The positive effects prebiotics have by reaching the intestine in an unaltered form is known as the prebiotic effect.'

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Probiotics Benefit Metabolic Syndrome Patients

by Dr. Mercola

How Do You Know Your Gut is Out of Whack?

'Signs and symptoms that you may need to address your intestinal balance include:

• Gas and bloating
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Sugar cravings, and cravings for refined carb foods

These are all signs that unhealthy bacteria have taken over too much real estate in your gut, and rather than reaching for the Pepto Bismol, aspirin, or another cup of coffee to fend off the symptom at hand, the real answer may simply be to add some healthy probiotics to your diet.'

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