The Many Benefits of Probiotics, the Good Bacteria Your Body Needs

There are many wonderful natural products that have all sorts of benefits, but probiotics are part of a handful of supplements which we believe are vitally important for people of all ages- they’re a group of supplements that everyone would benefit from.

Probiotics, or “good bacteria”, are best known as an aid to digestive health, where they have impressively documented benefits for helping the body to digest and process foods. Probiotics also help the body to assimilate nutrients from foods and improve nutrient availability.

Probiotics are also fantastic for the immune system, enhancing our bodies own disease fighting white blood cells. One yearlong study showed that children who took probiotic supplements had significantly fewer upper respiratory infections (colds, etc.) and had a 30 percent reduction in missed school days. Research also found similar immune system benefits for adults.

In addition to activating the immune system against illness, it appears that probiotics are also able to modulate the immune system to diminish over reactive responses to allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Interestingly, new research is also showing benefits for bone health for people who use probiotics. One new study found that in animals with hormone changes similar to what happens in women after menopause those who consumed probiotics were able to stave off bone loss compared to the group that was not given probiotics. The control group that did not use probiotics lost half their bone density compared to the probiotics who were able to retain bone density.

Also, pregnant women who use probiotics have been shown to have children with a lower incidence of eczema and atopic dermatitis. Additionally, research has suggested that pregnant women who use probiotics may have children with fewer food allergies.

Probiotics can also have benefits to overall brain health and mood. One study which was measuring the benefits of probiotics on IBS found that the probiotic takers had twice as many people that saw decreases in depression and depressive symptoms when compared with a placebo.

There are many wonderful, high-quality probiotics that we have at the store, but I wanted to specifically mention one by Flora called Udo’s Choice Super 8 Probiotic, a probiotic which has actually won a number of different awards. Flora is a small company that makes exceptional products. They don’t come out with a ton of different “hot, new products” every year, but instead specialize in a few different areas, like probiotic supplements, where they really excel.

Flora’s Super 8 is a mix of eight well researched, scientifically identified strains that have been shown to survive in the body and form colonies.

Udo’s Choice Super 8 Probiotic has probiotic strains that aid digestion, breaking down carbohydrates and helping to synthesize B vitamins. It also contains specific strains which have been shown in research to help inhibit the growth of bad bacteria in the colon and GI tract. Super 8 is also formulated with strains that have been found to help reduce gas formation as well as other strains that help with urinary tract health and even a strain that helps with lowering cholesterol levels!

Best of all, it’s a high potency probiotic (42 billion per pill) that is very reasonably priced, especially when compared to other probiotics at similar potencies. This September, we’ll be having our Udo’s Choice Super 8 Probiotic on sale for 25% off, so it’s a great time to try it!

A New Favorite: Carlson's Omega 3 Olive Oil

We have a new product in stock from Carlson that I really wanted to highlight- it’s a premium olive oil with added omega 3’s called Olive Your Heart. As many of you know, omega 3s are absolutely crucial to our health- it’s not called an “essential fatty acid” for nothing!  

Omega 3s are important for both children and adults for their many benefits for brain function (including concentration and focus, reducing the symptoms of depression), heart and cardiovascular health (by reducing inflammation and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure), arthritis and more. 

Omega 3s cannot be manufactured in the body and must be obtained through diet. If you or your family members are not eating fatty fish or a good amount of flax and chia seeds multiple times a week, a deficiency in omega 3s are extremely likely.

I love this olive oil by Carlson, because it’s an easy way to boost omega 3s in your diet. Even for people who take vegetarian sources like flax or chia I would recommend it since the omega 3s in flax and chia do not contain EPA or DHA, but rather ALA, which the body then converts to the necessary omega 3 forms, EPA and DHA. The trouble with ALA is that not everyone converts it at the same rate, that there’s really no way of knowing how much EPA and DHA you’re getting. This is especially important for brain and eye health, since it’s primarily DHA that gives those benefits. For more information on the differences in various forms of omega 3s, see our article, All About Omegas, here.

When I first heard about this new “fish oil olive oil” by Carlson, I was skeptical, since who wants a fish flavored olive oil, even if you’re a fan of fish?  Well, we tried the Olive Your Heart olive oil and everyone loved it, there was no fishy taste at all. I’m a vegetarian, so I just smelled it, but let me say this- I am extremely sensitive to the smell of fish, and there was no fishy smell at all.

Even though we’re a vegetarian family, I do give omega 3s from fish oil to my second-grade daughter because the research on omega 3 fish oil, particularly DHA for children’s developing brains, is too important and conclusive. When I gave her a bit of Carlson’s Olive Your Heart on her pasta, she thought it was delicious, and didn’t notice any strange smell or taste. Liz, who works at the store, has also been using this omega 3 olive oil with her family (without advertising the fact that it contained fish oil) and they all think it tastes great.

Fish oil supplements can sometimes be a pain to take, so this is a great tasting alternative to omega 3 softgels. Even for people who regularly take omega 3 supplements, it’s a great way to get an extra boost for your health.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Click on any of the above photos to enlarge.

A Pass Favorite: Magnesium Oil Spray

I wanted to write about a new favorite of ours at the store- magnesium oil spray and magnesium flakes for soaking. Our new LifeFlo brand magnesium oil spray and flakes are from the Zechstein Seabed- an ancient geological formation of pure magnesium, unspoiled by pollution or chemicals.

Magnesium is great for the muscles, and using magnesium topically (whether through a magnesium oil spray or soaking in magnesium flakes) is especially effective.

I tried some for the first time recently and was kind of amazed, to be honest. It is absolutely wonderful for sore muscles. I’ve been using it when I have sore legs before bed and can’t believe how well it works for soothing and relaxing the muscles. I’ve also been using it on my daughter’s legs when she complains of “growing pains”. Liz, who works at the store, has a son who plays hockey, and he’s been using it after practice to help with sore muscles and is impressed with how well it works.

Even though we’ve primarily been using it for muscle aches, many of our customers have found it to be very effective for arthritis and joint pain as well.

The nice thing about magnesium oil spray and magnesium flakes for the bath (or a foot soak) is that there is really no downside, they can only help. I’d really recommend giving them a try!

A Pass Favorite: Herbatint Natural Hair Color

This month’s Pass Favorite is Herbatint Natural Hair Color! 
 
Sarah at the store uses Herbatint on a regular basis and she absolutely loves it.  She says it helps her hair to feel soft and smooth and not at all "straw-like" (as it did when she used conventional hair dye at the grocery store).  It doesn’t fade, and she gets many compliments on the color (she uses 5M). 
 
Herbatint is nice because it is completely natural and ammonia free.  Another bonus is that if you have short hair, the rest of the bottle can be saved for another use.  Sarah has shoulder length hair and she says a box usually lasts her two uses for coloring her hair.
 
I have another friend who swears by Herbatint hair color, but she actually brings the box to her hair dresser for her to use instead of the chemical laden hair dyes at the salon.  There are actually a number of our customers who do the same thing.  Herbatint is nice and gentle and doesn’t smell like chemicals (I remember back in the day when I would color my hair, I hated the chemical smell that seemed to linger on my hair for days).  
 
Herbatint also has a fantastic treatment conditioner called Royal Cream- it’s actually the same as the conditioner found in the hair color, that’s available now in a regular size bottle for sale on its own.  Both Sarah and I are crazy about it, it really keeps colored hair in good condition (I don’t color my hair, but I still like it anyway as a fantastic conditioning treatment).
 
Since we’re featuring Herbatint in our April newsletter, we’re going to have it on sale for 25% off for the whole month.  If you color your hair, it’s an easy change you can make for the benefit of not only yourself (removing toxins from your life is always a good thing) but for the Earth!