Probiotics: Give Your Gut the Good Guys

Two pounds of your body weight is made up of the bacteria that live in your intestines, and there are more cells in that two pounds of bacteria than there are in your whole body. That ought to be enough to convince anyone that your gut bacteria is an essential component of not only your digestion, but your whole being. Mainstream science is beginning to get up to speed on the connection between our gut and our psychology. Last year, National Public Radio featured a piece on recent studies that show that having better bacteria in the gut can reduce anxiety. Gut And Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) practitioners like me know that it goes way beyond anxiety, but we’re glad to see evidence supporting the central hypothesis of GAPS: your gut and your psychology are linked. This is why an effective probiotic supplement is the number one supplement for the GAPS patient -- and for anyone! When she developed the GAPS protocol, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who trained and certified me as a GAPS practitioner, created her own probiotic supplement for her patients. This probiotic, which contains 14 different strains of freeze-dried beneficial bacteria, is considered the gold-standard for GAPS patients, and is now sold under the name BioKult. This is one of the probiotics from my Wellness Shop that you can pick up any time at the Organic Elements boutique.

The priobiotc supplement that is a part of my daily regimen is Prescript Assist, which I believe, based on my extensive research, to be the highest-quality probiotic supplement available.  This probiotic includes 29 bacterial strains of “soil-based organisms,” chosen specifically to replicate naturally occurring bacteria found in the foods of cultures that eat a more traditional diet. These are bacteria that are designed by nature to survive the journey from mouth to stomach to gut. Prescript Assist is also shelf-stable for two years, as demonstrated by quality control testing, and it has been shown to be safe and effective in numerous clinical trials.

As with any potent healing supplement, the best way to begin taking either of these probiotics is under the guidance of a professional who has an extensive history of using the products personally and with patients – me! To get started on a regimen to support optimal bacterial colonization of your gut, schedule a new-patient appointment with me today by calling 541.326.8952 or by clicking here to email me.