Probiotics, prebiotics and fighting fungal issues

By Jonathan Evans Herbal Information Specialist /Business Representative for the Herbarium, Special to PRIME Dear Jonathan: I was at a talk recently and the speaker said probiotics are good for the digestion and immune system. She said eating yogurt or kefir was a good source of probiotics. I have seen commercials for Activia. Is that a good yogurt? And what are prebiotics? Joan, Springfield Dear Joan: Lots of questions here, let's see if I can explain. Probiotics, literally means "for life" ( kind of makes you wonder about anti-biotics) It is a term used to signify the health promoting benefits of friendly bacteria. There are more than 400 species in the human gastrointestinal tract. Two very important forms are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Most of the world's cultures have some form of fermented food in their diet, such as yogurt, kefir, cheese, miso, and tempeh, so even before science showed why these foods were important, humans instinctively knew it was healthy. Under normal circumstances, yogurt and kefir is good, but the amount of bacteria you are ingesting is limited. Due to environmental pollution, emotional health and dietary problems, many people really need to supplement their intake. You may have noticed an increase of people complaining of candidiasis, toenail fungus and the like. From most of my reading people need a better variety of bacteria to populate the upper and lower tract and in sufficient quantities to maintain a healthy gut and keep the bad bacteria down. Activia is sort of a joke. The Federal trade commision cited them for making claims that they could not substantiate and it is more expensive for no really good reason. Personally, I would skip it. Get a good organic, plain yogurt, and add your fruit or whatever. I recently had a customer bring in two probiotics she got from the drugstore and her doctor. The doctor sample was one strain of bacteria recommended for infants, the other had two strains of bacteria with a very small listing of bacteria count, plus they were not refrigerated and both would retail for $30. That is awful! The Herbarium carries several brands of high-potency probiotics with multiple strains of bacteria for a whole lot less, and all are refrigerated. Having grown up in a dairy family, I have seen what live bacterial cultures can do. I cannot even imagine the poor potency of "room stable" products. Shop around before buying a probiotic. Most of our products are in the 15-50 billion range. Lastly, prebiotics are foods that act like fertilizer helping to promote the growth of good bacteria. FOS (fructoligosaccharides) are found in some common foods, such as onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke and asparagus. FOS is found in some probiotic combinations, or separately, as a supplement. FOS also helps with liver function, reduction in serum cholesterol and blood pressure. Speaking of toe fungus, many people have used Tea tree oil (melaleuca) to fight the fungus, topically. Another product that has worked very well is a liquid formula called Spilanthes-Usnea Compound, which contains Spilanthes, Usnea, Tea tree, Pau d arco, and several other ingredients. This combo can be used both internally and externally, depending on the severity of the fungus. Jonathan.