# Flora in your stomach



## Lisa (Apr 2, 2006)

I was recently reminded about the importance of keeping the "good" flora in your body healthy. When one is taking an antibiotic it is important to help the body replace the "good" flora because antibiotics kill everything and can't discern between good and bad. By killing the good flora in your intestines it can leave you vulnerable to some nasty infections settling into your system and can prolong your illness.

Yogurt is a good source for good "flora". It will help keep the good stuff in your stomach when you are being treated with antibiotics. Another good source is probiotics. A common one is acidophilus.

Here is a short article on the subject:



> You probably don't think about your gut very often but this may make you start--the bacteria in your bowels outnumber the cells in your body by a factor of 10 to one. This gut flora has incredible power over your immune system, which, of course, is your body's natural defense system that keeps you healthy. In other words, the health of your body is largely tied into the health of your gut, and it's hard to have one be healthy if the other is not.
> 
> 
> One of the reasons why your gut has so much power has to do with the 100 trillion bacteria--about three pounds worth--that line your intestinal tract. This is an extremely complex living system that aggressively protects your body from outside offenders.



Full Article


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## stickarts (Apr 2, 2006)

Thanks for the info! Has anyone here had good results (feel better) by helping good flora?


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## SFC JeffJ (Apr 2, 2006)

I had noticed that whenever I was on antibiotics, I would get nauseous.  My wife recomened yogurt, and it really helped.  She also says it's good for bloating, but I really wouldn't know about that.  But it saved me when I had pneumonia.

Jeff


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## shesulsa (Apr 2, 2006)

I learned about flora when my youngest son was on antibiotics repeatedly for about three years and had chronic diarrhea from them.

I keep a bottle of probiotics on hand at all times for when my family gets any kind of gut disturbance.  Usually a dose or two of flora will fix it within hours - sometimes minutes.

The very best product I've ever used is from Jarro called JarroDophilus.  It's in powder form and you can dissolve it in just about any liquid that's room temperature. I usually mix it with a very weak electrolyte solution and give it to my kids when they have the stomach flu and certainly after a course of antibiotics.

I've also noticed that their eating habits are much better when they have a good balance of flora (which, btw, can affect gut peptide balance).

Great thread, Lisa.


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## Xequat (Apr 2, 2006)

Is there a certain type of yogurt that's better than others?  There are whipped ones and fat-free and probably low-carb like everything else has, etc.  Are there certain ones with better cultures than others?  I remember when my dog ate something she shouldn't, that the vet recommended yogurt for a few days to replenish something, but I never really thought about it being especially good for humans until you posted this, so thanks for that; now I have an idea why.


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## Lisa (Apr 2, 2006)

Xequat said:
			
		

> Is there a certain type of yogurt that's better than others?  There are whipped ones and fat-free and probably low-carb like everything else has, etc.  Are there certain ones with better cultures than others?  I remember when my dog ate something she shouldn't, that the vet recommended yogurt for a few days to replenish something, but I never really thought about it being especially good for humans until you posted this, so thanks for that; now I have an idea why.



Check out this article.  It give the basic benefits of yogurt.  In the "Pantry points" section it states to get the best benefit from commercial yogurt you need to read the label and look for the kinds that have live active cultures and haven't been heat treated.


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## Carol (Apr 3, 2006)

shesulsa said:
			
		

> I've also noticed that their eating habits are much better when they have a good balance of flora (which, btw, can affect gut peptide balance).
> 
> Great thread, Lisa.


 
I noticed the same with myself, SheSulsa.

I take probiotics....I guess 2 days a week.  I took every day since I had my nasty bronchitis in January, and since tapered back a bit.  They really helped with the side effects of the antibiotics.

My company is a little bit isolated, so there are quite a few lunches that get catered in.  I find that when I feel better, I'm less likely to be noshing on the junky stuff.   Umm....that was less likely, not a total avoidance :guiltysmile:


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## White Fox (Apr 3, 2006)

I take probiotics and do feel generally better. Also when I eat yoghurt my gut feels stronger.


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