What Are Prebiotics and Probiotics – The Basics Explained

Prebiotics and Probiotics are bacteria that reside in your intestinal tract. Some are good while some are undesirable. Prebiotics feed to beneficial bacteria in your system, but are not digestible. Probiotics are desirable and as we age, many of us need help in this area. The balance of the two promote “regularity”.  Poor diet can promote the need for these in younger adults as well.

The chemically active ingredient in prebiotics is oligosaccharides, and a natural source would be legumes, fruits, and whole grains. Yogurt products produced with  bifidobacteria have oligosaccharides.

Probiotics known as lactobacilli and are bacteria, the healthy type, normally found in fermented foods such as yogurt. You’ve all seen the TV commercials promoting yogurt especially. They can also be found in sauerkraut.

An imbalance in these 2 can promote an over abundance of yeast in the system, diabetes promotes yeast growth . When a person is taking antibiotics,  say for an infection, the #  of healthy microorganisms can be significantly reduced, and be replaced by pathogenic organisms, the antibiotics will not kill off the excess yeast. When our body has an over abundance of pathogenic organisms, this can cause problems which are immune system related. Examples would be chronic fatigue, colitis. or fibromyalgia.The imbalance can also affect the mouth and the skin.

These two supplements should be taken together to promote a healthy balance in your intestinal tract.  In women, it is common to take antibiotics for a yeast infection, however this may not always solve the problem, as there be a primary imbalance between the “pre and probiotics” and the yeast infection may persist. I know may women run to the local drug store for products to deal with the situation, and sometimes this is sufficient. If the condition persists, please seek the advice of a qualified physician.

Here again we have a preventative measure or measures to avoid future health challenges. A certified nutritionist may be worth visiting as well. This can be a complicated subject and my goal was just to provide basic  information what are Prebiotics and Probiotics.

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Foods Highest in Vitamin K – Kale

Foods High in Vitamin K consist mostly of dark green leafy vegetables. Leading the list is Kale, followed by Collard Greens, (a personal favorite of mine), spinach and turnip greens (another favorite of mine). I live in Chicago, but lived many years down south. What can I say? They got Me!

Frozen and without salt added have the highest concentration. Other decent sources are Broccoli, Brussels  Sprouts,  Onions, Dandelion Greens, common in prepackaged fancy mixed salad greens these days. Vitamin K can also be found in mos Lettuces, Avocado, Parsley, Asparagus, Sauerkraut and Endive.  Some vegetable oils may also have high levels of the vitamin. It may also be found in beef and pork liver.

An interesting medical fact, if you are taking Coumadin,  (warfarin), a blood thinner, Vitamin K may reduce the affect of the drug, while consuming Vitamin K may increase it’s affect. If you are taking Coumadin, it would be advisable to ask to ask your doctor about this.

Vitamin K has coagulatory properties and is produced mainly in the lower intestine. A recommended daily intake would be 65 to 120 micrograms per day for the average person. This vitamin is essential for proper blood clotting and healthy bone development, and helping to keep blood vessels flexible.

A serious lack of Vitamin K can lead to osteoporosis, excessive bleeding or even hemorrhaging, atherosclerosis, and even birth defects caused by improper bone growth and development. So what exactly is Vitamin K?

Vitamin K falls into a broad chemical category of naphthoquinones. All types of vitamin K fall into abroad chemical category of substances called naphthoquinones. Within this naphthoquinone category, there are two types of vitamin K. The first kind, known ashylloquinones, is made from plants. The second  type, known as menaquinones, is made from bacteria. most of this vitamin we consume comes from plants, mostly dark green leafy vegetables. This should give you a good overview of which foods are high in Vitamin K other good sources to obtain it and reasons to consume it and the health benefits of it.

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Omega 3 Causes Tinnitus? – Not Normally

There seems to be a a fair amount of inquiries on the Internet regarding whether or not Omega 3 causes Tinnitus or “ringing in the ears”. I did a good bit of research on the subject and found no evidence to support that it does. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease and may be caused by many things. It can caused by an extreme physical change, an obvious one being subjected to  a loud noise, whether a one time incident or a prolonged situation from a job, loud equipment etc.

It can also be caused by other significant physical change, emotional change or lifestyle change, it is not well understood. Other factors may include something as simple as ear wax build-up or blockage,  Meniere’s disease (abnormal inner ear fluid pressure), age,  or neurological disorder due to injury. It also may only be temporary. Seek a qualified physician, and audiologist or EMT. It is important to mention all medications you are currently taking, including over the the counter, prescription, and yes, supplements. If any of the aforementioned might be the underlying cause or causes, they may be ruled out one by one. Tinnitus does not seem to be hereditary.

If the particular physician advises that nothing can be done about it, seek another physician. Try to reduce as much stress as you can from your life and monitor your diet. Some things that may trigger it might be caffeine, sugar, salt, artificial sweeteners, alcohol or tobacco. These can be eliminated one by one. I was a troubleshooter for many years in a different industry, but the process is always the same,  start by simple process of elimination,  start with the most obvious, e.g., start with what has changed since the Tinnitus began and work back words.

By the way, I am a firm believer in being involved in your own treatment plan with physicians and will only work with doctor’s who  are open to it, after all, it’s your health, not theirs at stake. So far as my research has shown, I have found no evidence that Omega 3 causes Tinnitus, but if you have it, and are taking Omega 3, stop for a month and see if the condition improves.

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The Importance of Whole Food Vitamins in Your Daily Diet

I am a firm believer in whole food vitamins, and that we have on this earth what  we need need to stay healthy, without laboratory synthesized chemicals and prescription drugs (unless absolutely necessary). My own experience has been that my body craves good food, not junk food and that’s the way I eat. I’ve used natural supplementation on top of that for years from a few select reputable companies and while others around me run around sick and complaining, I don’t.

When colds and flues and so forth seem to run rampant all around me, I very rarely catch them. Many years ago, I still ate healthy and usually took daily one of the usual over the counter multi-vitamins, and I caught the usual colds and flu’s etc. like everyone else. Since I’ve changed my regimen to include mangosteen and whole food vitamins, that has all changed.  On the rare occasion I feel a cold or flu like symptom coming on, I double upon the mangosteen and it most often quickly. Below are some interesting article to support more of the theory that this proactive health plan works.

http://johnslfi.wordpress.com/2008/08/16/whole-vitamins-and-supplements-are-critical-for-maintaining-good-health/”>Whole Vitamins And Supplements Are Critical For Maintaining Good …</a><p>One study by JA Vinson and C. Hsu, published in Medical Science Research, found whole food vitamin E and vitamin A to be more bioavailable than isolated, synthetic forms of these vitamins. In the case of vitamin A,  results showed the….

http://naturalsuperfoodsblog.com/index-all-posts/natural-superfoods-learn-from-the-ancients/”>Natural Superfoods – Learn From The Ancients – Be sure to buy certified organic raw cacao in a powder, nib or whole bean form as the temperature will have never been allowed to exceed 40°C , allowing all the heat-sensitive vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to remain intact.

Nutritional   –  Herbal supplements come from plant sources or whole foods. Many people prefer herbal supplements over synthetic because they have lower chemical content, which reduces the risk of side effects and allergic reactions.

There you have it, whole food vitamins and natural supplements, load up!

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