Category Archives: Natasha’s Blog

Prebiotics are a type of simple carbohydrate found naturally in plants. Over time, the healthy microbiome of the human intestines is shaped and nourished by the healthy whole foods that we consume- which is why the foods we consume support … Continue reading →

If you read a probiotic label that lists more than just a few carefully selected genus/species and strains, then you most likely are looking at a bogus probiotic. I welcome you to review 2 of my past blog entries to … Continue reading →

Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria strains probiotics are well established in scientific literature as safe and therapeutic for human use, but as discussed in previous blogs here, their efficacy relies heavily upon precise manufacturing techniques, proper storage and delivery systems, and survivability … Continue reading →

Many companies, in developing a new product, will apply a new name to a bacterial strain to better hide its true identity, making it difficult for consumers to know what is inside. Knowing what strains of bacteria are in a … Continue reading →

CFU is an acronym used in microbiology which stands for “colony-forming unit.” This is a measurement of viable cells, which in the case of probiotics, means it has the ability to divide and form a colony. Without this identification, there … Continue reading →

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Third Military Medical University School of Nursing and the North Sichuan Medical College and Hospital in China found that traumatic brain injury patients who were supplemented with probiotics reduced the number of … Continue reading →

Here are two important background points that we have discussed previously in this blog: L. acidophilus strains are the gold standard probiotic in research for showing the most benefits in gastrointestinal health. They are the most studied strains, and boast … Continue reading →

What makes a probiotic blend “promiscuous?” This is when a manufacturer throws in a lot of strains of organisms together without much thought or effort into their combined actions in the body. To make a combination more marketable- companies often … Continue reading →

In a recent prospective cohort study of 800 hospitalized patients in Japan,  those who were on proton pump inhibitor medications (PPI’s) were more than 3 times as likely to Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) than those who were not on … Continue reading →

Many factors in our healthcare and diet can affect the population of beneficial bacteria in our guts in adverse ways, such as alcohol, antibiotics and other medications.  But research at Duke University demonstrated that rats fed a 12-week diet containing … Continue reading →