If you’ve been reading our website for long you are probably aware that we strongly favor the use of a good probiotic and we have always recommended Florajen 3. I read a book recently titled, “Bacteria for Breakfast.” It is by a pharmacist who is also a PhD, Kelly Dowhower Karpa. Briefly, Dr. Karpa is telling us that probiotics are probably good for everything from toe fungus to vaginal infections to earaches. That sounds ridiculous, but I think she’s onto something!

Here’s a story about someone who just decided to try using Florajen 3.

“Art” called us a week ago and asked about some problems he was having with his stomach. He told us that if he eats even a slice of pizza he bloats and feels like he just ate a whole large pizza. The discomfort seems to last for a number of hours and then subsides. Doctors have tested him and even threaded a viewing scope into his stomach (numerous times) to try to get an idea why he was having so much difficulty.

After reading our website and talking with a pharmacist, Art decided to give the Florajen 3 a try. He called me today (6/4/04) with a few questions. I emphasized that the capsule should be taken on an empty stomach. Why? Well, the bacteria in the capsule actually work in our intestines – not the stomach. It takes approximately 20 minutes for a capsule to break up and pass from the stomach into the intestines. Food in the stomach increases the acidity (harmful to the good bacteria) and can slow the passage into the intestines. Therefore, by taking a Florajen about 20 minutes before eating you will get the maximum benefit from the product.

After talking for a while, Art mentioned that he had also been suffering from soreness in his mouth for many years. He noted that the Florajen hadn’t started helping his stomach yet – he just started last night. Nevertheless, he noticed that his mouth felt significantly better already – the next morning. I told him that it didn’t surprise me – but that I was pleased he was feeling better.

Why do you suppose Art was experiencing improvement in his mouth? In my opinion, he had been experiencing a “yeast” problem for quite some time. There are a number of things that can cause such a situation. Whatever the real cause, we most often find that by repopulating the gut with the good bacteria we can reverse yeast infections. As soon as those good bugs start growing, they effectively lower the levels of the bad guys.

I said that Dr. Karpa’s book seems to point to probiotics as a potential cure for a whole hopst of things. Here’s a situation that seems to support that idea. A capsule of bacteria intended for the large intestines brings about improvement in the users mouth. This is exactly the situation when people use probiotics for recurring vaginal infections, acne, fatigue, and so on. In fact, I read today that people who have imbalanced intestinal bacteria often end up with high levels of uric acid. When uric acid is high, you can suffer the pain of gout. Using a probiotic every day can effectively lower the uric acid levels and that means that gout pain, even in the toes, can be relieved. Take a dose of good bacteria and you have a good chance of improving the health of your feet.

The evidence is mounting every day. Probiotics can be an important part of almost every therapy. It will never hurt you and there is a very good chance that you’ll feel a lot better; all of that without drugs.

So, keep this quiet. If the big drug sellers get wind of it they’ll either make it illegal or introduce a prescription brand – at a good 5 to 10 times the price.