We're doing it wrong. You heard me. Have you never wondered why you need to keep taking a supplement that you shouldn't need to obtain from sources outside the body? Or that your body is more than capable of breeding its own? In fact, that is exactly what should be happening.
The only time you need to supplement is when external forces have entered the body and depleted so many of these good bacteria that they cannot replenish fast enough to beat those not so beneficial. Those external forces are usually chemical - antibiotics and other strong toxic medications, alcohol, sugar, unsuitable diet, etc.
By weight, we are around 90% pathogenic, That's right; all our tissues and interstitial spaces are filled with pathogens of many sizes, shapes and species. This equates to around between 30 - 40 trillion of these bacteria. And unless introduced, most are beneficial. We live in perfect symbiotic harmony. But from birth, we are bombarded with acidic food/drink, toxic medications, chemicals and poisons that should never enter the human body. This destroys our ability to make our own; probiotics are able, in a sound, pH stable environment, of multiplying continuously, to maintain a volume of many litres at any given time.
So many people still do not see the importance here - including doctors, who are still generally in the habit of saying, "Diet makes no difference," or, "There is no research that proves..." when the truth is, THEY do not know and cannot be bothered reading the research. Most do not even realise that when we are tested pathologically for a bacteria or 'virus', that by nature, it is usually part of our make-up. It's only when the wrong pathogens flourish and the good pathogens are overtaken, that we have a problem. We don't usually just magically 'catch' these pathogens - they are in us already.
This topic is vast and affects EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF the body and its health, including mental, both acute & chronic health, reproductive health, weight, immunity, skin health, digestion, terminal & auto-immune diseases and intellectual capacity.
The crux remains; almost every aspect of modern life is systematically destroying good bacteria; allowing 'bad' bacteria to thrive, causing disease and resulting in more of the wizardry that caused the imbalance in the first place (over medicating). It's not only sugar and antibiotics doing the damage, although they are at the top of the destructive chain.
A major aspect of microbiome health is oral health. Thanks to sugar, snacking, sipping sweet drinks- even toothbrushing coupled with destructive mouthwashes, the chain of digestion you perhaps studied in school has long been eroded and destroyed. We brush our teeth with toxic ingredients, rinse with chemicals that kill ALL bacteria (good and bad) and stop the correct process of digestion as our ancestors knew it.
Why is that that skeletons unearthed, from thousands of years ago, have perfect teeth? They didn't brush their teeth, let alone see a dentist. Why is it that these teeth, exposed to the ravages of time, can remain perfectly in tact, while in our mouths, they decay? Why is no one even speaking about this? Mouth pH and decay are linked to most modern diseases through the toxicity and broken processes that result.
So what do we do? We pop a probiotic capsule and hope for the best. By the time the capsule membrane has dissolved, the contents are already in the small intestine. Good, but that means probiotics have bypassed our mouths and stomachs. It means that the processes that would usually start when you put something into your mouth have also been bypassed and necessary enzymes have not been activated. The probiotic bacteria need these enzymes to even do their job.
I've lost count of the number of patients who said, "I paid big money for my course of probiotics, but they didn't do anything." And even more who take probiotics every single day, yet could not tell me whether they have helped, let alone what they actually do.
When you drink your kombucha or kefir, do you hold it in your mouth for a time before swallowing? You should! Kimchi and sauerkraut are a little different as (hopefully) the consumer has chewed well and the mastication process has activated the rest of the body.
So, what to do?
Firstly, cut out all processed sugar.
Stop drinking ANYTHING around the time you take your probiotics.
Stop drinking ANYTHING when you eat food. Leave that for at least half an hour before and after eating.
Stop using mouth wash unless it is a probiotic mouthwash.
Give your mouth (and body) a break between meals and snacks.
Eat more raw food.
But the biggest one, you have probably never heard of.....
Don't take your probiotics in capsule form!
Break the capsule, empty the contents into a small (approx 30ml) amount of water, stir to dissolve, leave for 10 minutes to activate the probiotics.
While you wait, brush your teeth with a non toxic toothpaste. Bear in mind, most commercial toothpastes are toxic. When you finish, rinse your mouth well with water; preferably with filtered water. Spit, then rinse well, again. It should only take 5 minutes before your mouth is free of the strong flavours that usually taint a toothpaste. If it takes any longer, your toothpaste is too strong.
Tip the probiotic water into your mouth but don't swallow. Hold it in your mouth. Swill & swish it around as you would with mouthwash. Have you ever wondered why breastfed babies' breath is so sweet? Because of the probiotic content.
Once you have held it in your mouth for between 1 - 5 minutes (the longer, the better) swallow in increments. Swallow a small portion & continue swishing. 30 seconds later, repeat By the time you swallow the 3rd or 4th time, you are only swallowing saliva that has been enriched with probiotics that are already madly multiplying.
Do this preferably before bed so there is no competition. No more food or drink. There is one more bonus...
Well, this bonus is actually multiple. When you have used this method of consumption, your stomach and intestines are ready because the probiotic activity has activated the rest of the digestive systems and various receptors around the body. But just as important (and this is a doozy) probiotics have begun moving up into your sinus cavities, into your ear canals, down into your throat and even up into your brain. "And why is this so important?" I hear you ask.
We know about bacteria but have you considered what 'virus' truly means? There are pathogens so small that they can fit dozens, hundreds, thousands or even millions of times into a bacteria or parasite. They are usually unidentifiable and even untraceable with regular medical testing, so they are just called viruses. In auto immune, cancer, chronic disease, so-called contagions, they move into our organs - and brain. By flooding your brain with probiotics, these pathogens cannot survive. They also put an end to sinus inflammation, many allergies and even headaches and swollen glands.
And there is a little thing called tooth decay. That's right; probiotics - or lack of them - is the one major cause of tooth decay, periodontal disease and gum disease. Yet, we don't hear about it. I guess big pharma hasn't yet made a case big enough for our governments to ban probiotics outright so they can make a prescription-only drug that will magically provide the answer. But you can bet they are working on it.
So, unless moderation means balance, please stop believing and repeating that lazy old adage, "Everything in moderation." Would you say the same for arsenic or strychnine or any other poison?