Planets in Retrograde -- The Basics
By
Rebecca Brents

Cut through the confusion.

See clearly

Think better

Make informed choices

Discover why the Tarot has intrigued, informed, and interested spiritual seekers for centuries.

What is your life''s biggest question?

Get a reading on Your Situation

Join our
Astrology and Tarot
Premium Membership
TODAY!!

Astrology Coaching
Live Your Life by Divine Design

Astrology Coaching puts YOU in control of the life you were born to live!!

Take a journey through your birth chart as never before.

Real Astrology ...
for people who take
their lives seriously.

Enroll in
Astrology Coaching
TODAY!!

Recommended Book from Amazon

A Hidden Wholeness : The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
By
Parker J. Palmer

Astrology is for Believers.

With Real Astrology as your compass, you can recognize what's right for you, work with your natural gifts and rhythms, understand the dynamics of your relationships, and take your place more easily in Life's natural flow.

Real Astrology ...
for people who take
their lives seriously.

Join our
Astrology and Tarot
Premium Membership
TODAY!!

Beginning Astrology Classes hear Introductory lectures

	Have You Fed Your 'Good Bugs' Today? by Marjorie Geiser
Astrology, Tarot, and Self Improvement for the New Age.

    Email This Page to a Friend    

Have You Fed Your 'Good Bugs' Today?
by Marjorie Geiser

Astrology is for Believers.

With an open mind and a knowledge of Astrology you can watch your life unfold in ways that make sense.

With Real Astrology as your compass, you can recognize what's right for you, work with your natural gifts and rhythms, understand the dynamics of your relationships, and take your place more easily in Life's natural flow.

Real Astrology ...
for people who take
their lives seriously.

Get the information you need.

Discover the difference knowledge and preparation can make in your life!

Join our
Astrology and Tarot
Premium Membership
today!!

Most consumers have heard of probiotics and know that they are foods containing live, beneficial bacteria. Foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, miso or kefir are the most recognized foods providing 'good' bacteria for the gut.

But are you aware of the health benefits of prebiotics? In a nutshell, prebiotics are the food to help the probiotics grow and multiply. They are the food for your 'good bugs'.

A quick review of probiotics will help in understanding prebiotics. The advantage of beneficial living organisms in food, particularly lactic acid bacteria, has been known for centuries. In fact, the Roman historian, Plinius, in 76 BC, recommended fermented milk for treating gastroenteritis.

In the early 1900's, a Russian zoologist, Elie Metchnikoff, wrote about the health benefits of "friendly bacteria" and hypothesized that consumption of fermented milk products were responsible for the long, healthy lives that Bulgarian peasants enjoyed.

Probiotics means "pro-life". The digestive tract is home to over 400 species of microorganisms. Some are 'good bugs' and are 'bad bugs' or unhealthy bacteria. Probiotics are the 'good bugs'.

Two of the most common strains are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. It is believed that if a positive balance of good bacteria is maintained, the bad bacteria are less able to cause disease and irritation.

Here are some health benefits to taking probiotics:

- inhibits growth of 'bad bugs', or bacteria that cause disease
- synthesizes vitamins, primarily B vitamins
- increase availability of nutrients
- decrease lactose intolerance
- decrease symptoms of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease)
- decrease prevalence of allergies
- boosts the immune response

As mentioned earlier, prebiotics are food for probiotics. Consequently, the more you can feed and care for your 'good bugs', the healthier you can be!

The Japanese have known the benefits of prebiotics for years. In fact, a commercially prepared prebiotic ("Neosugar") is currently used in over 500 Japanese food products, from infant formulas to health products. The two most common prebiotics are inulin and oligofructose. As a supplement, it will be listed as either inulin or FOS (fructooligosaccharides).

Inulin or oligofructose are present in over 36,000 plant foods as plant storage carbohydrates. Excellent food sources are chicory and Jerusalem artichokes. In fact, most commercially prepared inulin comes from chicory, or else synthesized from sucrose. Other food sources include wheat, barley, rye, onions, garlic and leeks.

Because flatulence, bloating and abdominal cramps can be an undesirable consequence of taking prebiotics (and even probiotics), it is recommended that anyone considering taking these in supplement form contact a healthcare professional familiar with such products for individualized recommendations. Those who could benefit from taking probiotic and prebiotic supplements include:

1 " People taking antibiotics which kill off the 'good bugs' in the intestinal tract.

2 " People who suffer from diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal distress, and/or irritable bowel syndrome.

3 " Women who suffer from chronic yeast and/or Candida infections.

Probiotic supplements are available as freeze-dried, powdered, capsules, wafers and liquids. Doses of Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria are expressed in billions of live organisms and a typical dose, unless otherwise recommended, is between 3 billion to 5 billion live organisms.

Because probiotics are living organisms and are fragile, they should always be refrigerated. Products found on a shelf, therefore, are not going to contain live organisms and not be as effective.

The product label should guarantee a certain number of live organisms by the expiration date of the product. There should always be an expiration date.

Prebiotics can be found either with a probiotic product or separately, because FOS and inulin are food for the probiotics. If purchased separately, they can be taken together.

Some people, because of the high number of 'bad bugs' in their gastrointestinal tract, cannot handle the two products taken together in the beginning. This is where an experienced healthcare professional can be beneficial. The suggested intake of FOS is 2-3 grams per day.

Products containing vitamin C, whey protein, or cysteine may improve the effectiveness of probiotics.

Notice: This information is not intended to substitute for medical advice or care that you would receive from your healthcare professional, so always check with your provider. If you are taking medications, or have health issues, make sure you start these products under the care of a professional.

Some people will notice no harmful effects and these products are generally very safe, but individual sensitivity can alter the effects of such products.

If something as simple as providing and feeding your 'good bugs' in the intestinal tract can improve subtle or severe health issues, it's certainly time to start feeding our 'good bugs' today!

Marjorie Geiser has been teaching health, fitness and nutrition since 1982. She is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and life coach.

As the owner of MEG Fitness, Marjorie's goal for her clients is to help them incorporate healthy eating and fitness into their busy lives. You can learn more about Marjorie from her website, Megfit, or contact her via email to margie@megfit.com.

Enchanted Spirit assumes no liability for health care recommendations or treatments discussed by individual authors whose work is published on our website.

The information here is offered to help in your research and investigation of possible ways to manage your own health care issues. Common sense as well as solid professional advice from your own trusted medical care specialist or personal holistic health care practitioner should always be part of managing your health care choices.

Imagination is the outreaching of mind,
the bombardment of the conscious mind with ideas, impulses, images
and every sort of psychic phenomena welling up from the preconscious.
It is the capacity to "dream dreams and see visions."
~ Rollo May ~
The Courage to Create
Man's Search for Himself
Born April 21, 1909

Please click on the titles to visit these fine areas of Enchanted Spirit

---

	PO Box 1080 Sandia Park · NM · 87047

Enchanted Spirit is a non-denominational spiritual center of healing, support, self-improvement, personal guidance, education and writing. We publish multi-media works of New Age thought and information to encourage serenity and growth in individual life choices, advance the universal search for life's meaning, and promote tolerance for positive ideas from all philosophies and religious traditions, believing as we do that truth is where you find it.

---

This site is hosted and maintained for Enchanted Spirit by

Catweasel Ink

Copyright © 1999 - 2008 by Enchanted Spirit and Catweasel Ink.
Contributed works copyright by their respective authors. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction specifically prohibited.

Last updated July 6th, 2004

Rebecca is not available
right now.


Please check back
later
CLICK HERE FOR
MORE INFO

Real People
Real Lives
Real Ambitions
Real Questions

Our Premium Members
Get
Real Answers
Real Direction
Real Information
Real Advantages

Become a
Premium Member
today!!

Sometimes getting the right answer means asking the right question.

Life is full of hints, signs, and advice ... if you know where to look and what you're looking for.

Astrology and Tarot are tools that blend free will and useful information into new dimensions of thought ... so you can discover your best options. But the choice to act is always yours.

Work with all your possibilities.

Join our
Astrology and Tarot
Premium Membership
TODAY!!

The Power of Now : A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
By
Eckhart Tolle