Beneficial Bacteria

The intestinal tract is a bacterial battleground for beneficial and harmful bacteria and toxins. The side that wins the war determines our state of digestion, elimination and general health.

When healthy, the intestinal tract is lined with billions of beneficial bacteria which are there to keep our digestive system clean by feeding on waste and toxins, fungi such as yeast, and harmful bacteria.

A proper balance of beneficial intestinal flora is essential for many important functions in the body, including:

• Protecting the body against pathogenic invaders such as salmonella and E. coli by running competition, thereby keeping them at harmless levels.

• Regulating pH level in the colon by producing acids which help inhibit harmful bacteria and yeast.

• Regulating bowel movements by keeping the walls of the colon clean and free of waste build up. Build up of waste on the intestinal wall slows the progress of waste through the intestinal tract and the progress of digestion, causing intestinal gas, bloating and constipation. Beneficial bacteria also help prevent diarrhea by protecting against overgrowth of harmful diarrhea causing bacteria.

• Stimulating the formation of antibodies, which fight against infection.

• Helping to regulate cholesterol levels.

• Helping to regulate hormonal levels.

• Beneficial bacteria produce important amino acids needed in the body.

• Assisting in efficient absorption of nutrients.

In a colon that has a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria, there are over 400 separate species of friendly microbes. That's literally billions of bacteria per square centimeter, all working to keep your body strong and healthy. Unfortunately, the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria can easily be thrown out of balance.

The number one cause of bacterial imbalance is the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics destroy all bacteria in the body, good and bad. Once those microbial numbers are depleted, harmful organisms such as Candida albicans, (yeast), can easily overwhelm the system.

Other drug therapies, for example birth control pills, the heavy use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as Advil or Motrin can disrupt microbial balance. So also, can radiation therapy.

Some other factors that can contribute to an improper balance of intestinal flora are dietary habits such as excessive sugar or alcohol content, or drinking fluoridated or chlorinated water.

In the 1800's most of our great-grandparent's food came from local farms or their own gardens. They ate seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, endowed with abundant beneficial microbial life. Before the industrial age, Americans suffered far fewer digestive problems than we do today.

With the coming of the industrial revolution, the American diet evolved from primarily seasonal fresh produce to sterile, heat processed canned or frozen foods. Under our modern conventional farming methods of today, the fresh foods we do eat are sprayed with fungicides and pesticides, which kill a great number of beneficial microbes.

For these reasons and more, many Americans suffer from "ecological deserts" in their intestinal tracts. Candida, (yeast), is rampant in both men and women. Some of the symptoms of candida overgrowth are:

It is estimated that 80 million Americans suffer from candidiasis. (The Body Ecology Diet - Donna Gates and Linda Schatz, B.E.D. Publications)

Candida, or candidiasis often goes hand in hand with serious illnesses such as Epstein-Barr virus, AIDS, and diabetes.

If you are a typical American as described above, and if you have one or more of these symptoms, chances are you have a serious microbial imbalance. But the good news is, it can easily be restored! FloraGenesis I HC contains a broad spectrum of beneficial soil born bacteria. Just 500 mg (two capsules) per day can help restore the delicate balance within your intestinal tract.

Although FloraGenesis I HC is made of soil based organisms, it does not contain any dirt! Each individual soil based microbe is originally cultured singly in a sterile laboratory environment. Each batch of FloraGenesis is dried down through a special process, which puts them in a state of suspended animation. This gives FloraGenesis a long shelf life and no need for refrigeration.