Gut health and probiotics
Most people have
had antibiotics at some time in their lives and while these are fantastic
medicines that help you overcome infections; they can also kill the ‘good’
bacteria living in your body that you need for optimal health.
Your doctor or
pharmacist may recommend a Probiotic
to follow your antibiotic course to replace the ‘good bacteria’ and improve
your gut flora. This is because probiotics are full of live bacteria and yeasts
that improve your health and digestive system.
Even if you
haven’t been on antibiotics your gut flora may be low because of poor diet,
alcohol, intake, stress, ageing and poor food digestion.
Probiotics
may be useful for conditions such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Infectious diarrhoea (caused
by viruses, bacteria, or parasites)
- Antibiotic-related diarrhoea
Probiotics can
also be found in some foods, like natural yoghurt and other dairy products.
However, you often need to eat a lot of yoghurt to have a positive effect on
your gut health.
There
is also some research that shows probiotics are useful for problems in other
parts of your body. For example, there is evidence to suggest that probiotics
help with:
- Skin conditions, like eczema
- Urinary and vaginal health
- Prevention of allergies and
colds
- Oral health
If you want to find out more about probiotics,
pop in to your local Capital Chemist and speak to one of our friendly and knowledgeable
pharmacists.
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