Probiotic Bacteria Keeps Bad Bugs at Bay
Dear Readers,
As you may know, C. Diff, the “bad” gut bug, is at pandemic levels in hospitals around the world.
And though all the media seems to cover these days is the economy, the word is spreading worldwide.
Just this week, this MSNBC article reported, “C. Diff, a virulent, drug-resistant gut infection that causes potentially deadly diarrhea, especially among the old and sick, is up to 20 times more common than previously thought, a large survey of U.S. hospitals and health care centers finds.”
This is a true pandemic with hospitals around the world reporting new C. Diff outbreaks. It is second only to MRSA. In Dublin, Ireland 3 patients recently died of C. Diff according to this article in IrishHealth.com
So what can you do to help prevent C. Diff? Plenty.
C. Diff stands for Clostridium difficile and it is indeed a difficult bacteria to beat because it is a spore that grows voraciously.
One of the main causes of C. Diff is the use, and more often than not, overuse of antibiotics. Antibiotics do help fight infections, but they also wipe our our “good” gut bugs that provide immunity from C. Diff and a host of other bacterial infections. So, ESPECIALLY if you are taking antibiotics, take probiotic supplements to replenish your micro flora. Probiotics are your body’s natural immunity boosters – without them, your immune system simply will not be as effective.
And not just any probiotics will do. The amount of probiotic yogurt you would need to eat to replenish your immune fighting bacteria would likely fill a small truck! Look for appropriate probiotic supplements that are continuously refrigerated and that have an international drug GMP certification.
Washing your hands often is always good advice, too. But if you want to prevent C. Diff from spreading, even an alcohol based rub won’t help. Wash your hands in hot soapy water for several minutes. If you suspect you may have a C. Diff infection in your bathroom, bleach is your best defense.
In Health,
- Natasha
2 Comments
April 15, 2009 at 5:43 pm
After reading through the article, I just feel that I really need more information on the topic. Can you share some resources please?
April 22, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Hi there–
Thanks for all of your comments. We have many resources that show that C. diff can be improved with the right brand of potent probiotics. We are currently involved in a clinical trial with our Healthy Trinity, as a probiotic against C. diff. When we receive those results, they will of course be published on the blog. In terms of more research, I am sure you will also find many articles on the web if you do a google search for probiotics and C. diff, but that is not the first priority for the medical community (which is a shame because it should be!). If you go to our website, Natren.com, we have hundreds of testimonials concerning C. diff case studies and our products. All of these are from actual Natren customers– none are paid for or solicited. I would also direct you to our e-newsletter archive on the blog. We have a newsletter that deals specifically with C. diff and references clinical trials using probiotics against C. diff. I hope this answers your questions.
Sincerely,
Adriana (On Behalf of Natasha)