Originally published November 30 2010
Treat stomach viruses with probiotics
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) The foundation of good health lives in the digestive system, where countless billions of beneficial microflora protect against harmful pathogens, assist in proper digestion, and generally guard the body against foreign invaders that cause disease. And a new study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) points to probiotics as a viable and natural way to treat stomach viruses and diarrhea in children as well.
If natural gut bacteria are imbalanced or functioning improperly, the body becomes highly susceptible to disease. But when such bacteria are balanced, healthy, and flourishing, it is very difficult for harmful bacteria and viruses to take hold. Research continues to validate the notion that eating plenty of probiotic-containing foods and even supplementing with probiotics helps to promote good health without any negative side effects.
"It is currently hypothesized that these microbes (probiotics) generate small molecular metabolic byproducts that exert beneficial regulatory influence on host biological functions," explained study authors Dan W. Thomas, MD, and Frank R. Greer, MD, in their report. More simply stated, probiotics simply help the body to defend itself against disease and improve overall health.
Their report found that probiotics help to treat gastrointestinal viral infections like rotavirus, infectious diarrhea, atopic diseases like eczema, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, and inflammatory bowel syndrome. And although the authors were hesitant to recommend the long-term use of probiotics for such conditions, other research has shown that the ongoing use of probiotics is both safe and beneficial -- because after all, probiotics are a natural food.
Probiotics naturally occur in foods like breast milk, as well as in fermented vegetables, cultured beverages like kefir and kombucha, and yogurt. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), probiotics help to prevent diarrhea, urinary tract infections, irritable bowel syndrome, dermatitis (eczema), and even bladder cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/029073_probiotics...).
You can learn more about the benefits of probiotics by visiting:
http://www.naturalnews.com/probiotics.html
Sources for this story include:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Gener...
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