IBS Sufferers REJOICE
by Natasha Trenev
A Safe Solution to Suffering
For people tormented by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the good news is there is a safe and effective remedy. When the Federal Drug Administration recently requested that a drug commonly prescribed for IBS be withdrawn from the market, the agency added that doctors who prescribe the drug should work with their patients and transition them to other therapies. Luckily, studies have already shown specific bacteria can be as effective as the drug—and it has no side effects.
With all the frightening discoveries about some modern drugs, the news about the probiotic treatment offers emotional relief as well as relief from the debilitating constipation, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, gas and bloating that plague IBS victims.
Rush to “Drugment”
There are so many things that can “go wrong” with the human body; it’s amazing any of us feel healthy. For many years, every health issue that afflicts a group of people has had someone working on a drug to cure the problem, or at least combat its symptoms. We’ve been seeing, however, that this rush to solve everything with a drug is now having a negative impact on us; bacteria have become resistant to drugs, and many medications have side effects that are worse than the initial ailment.
Unfortunately, for many sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, that is the case for a prescription drug called Zelnorm, which was manufactured by Novartis to relieve constipation. The FDA approved it in 2002. Early this year, Novartis agreed to withdraw Zelnorm at the FDA’s request due to life-threatening cardiovascular side effects—it was linked to a higher chance of heart attack, stroke and worsening heart chest pain that can become a heart attack. And Zelnorm was designed to treat only the symptoms of IBS, not cure it.
In addition, anti-diarrheal medications or laxative drugs are not recommended for long-term treatment of IBS because these medications can make the colon dependant on them for any bowel movement.
The Core of the Problem
One in five Americans suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, informally known as IBS. Affecting the intestines, this condition is the most common disease diagnosed by doctors. IBS usually afflicts people starting in their early adulthood; it affects more women than men. Stress, emotions and diet can strongly affect the sensitive colon of people affected by IBS and can trigger a cascade of symptoms, ranging from “uncomfortable” to “agonizing.” IBS sufferers can have such extreme symptoms that their lifestyle is disrupted, leading to missed work, school and social outings. In severe cases, the person can feel trapped at home to be near a bathroom.
IBS cannot be traced back to a single organic cause. It is classified as a functional disorder, which means it is a problem with the way the body works. In people with IBS, symptoms are from a disturbance in the interaction between the gut, the brain and the nervous system that result in altered bowel motility. The colon may contract too much or too little; it may absorb too much water or too little water. One study also found a difference in the predominant microflora of IBS patients when compared to non-IBS sufferers.
According to some researchers, more than three quarters of patients with IBS had evidence of excessive bacteria in their small intestines. One study measured the bacterial growth in the small intestine using a breathing test to evaluate 202 patients. It was found that 78 percent had indicators of bacterial overgrowth.
Doctors tell patients to control their diet and lessen emotional stress. Patients are told to avoid foods such as french fries, milk products, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine and carbonated sodas. Even when you have a beneficial microflora in your GI tract, it is easy to lose this protection. Many factors continually affect your overall health and can leave microflora in a less-than-optimal state, putting you at risk for disease. These include:
- Stress
- Diet
- Pollution
- Aging
- Illness
- Colonics/colon cleanses
- Drugs, such as antibiotics
- Medical treatments, including chemotherapy or radiation
- Environmental changes due to traveling or moving.
Choosing and Using Bifidobacterium infantis, NLS super strain
B. infantis, NS super strain, is extremely difficult to produce, so you need to be careful and get it from a company that has been manufacturing it for a long time, is reputable, and guarantees the potency of the listed strain through the printed date on the label.
Here are some other recommendations:
- Each capsule or half teaspoon (one gram) of Bifidobacterium infantis, NS super strain, should contain at least two billion viable selected strains of this microflora.
- The probiotics must be kept in their supernatant (growth medium), which nourishes and sustains the bacteria to keep them healthy.
- Because moisture and light are enemies of bacteria, dark glass bottles and tin lids (to protect from moisture) can help eliminate potential damage. (Even the best grade plastics are permeable to moisture.)
- Heat is damaging to probiotics, regardless of a shelf-stability claim. In summer months, shipping trucks’ internal temperatures can reach unacceptable levels. Make sure the product you buy has been refrigerated throughout its shelf life.
- look for a product with a label listing verified by Drug GMP (good manufacturing practices) certification. This certification ensures a third party has validated that the strains on the label are actually in the product. This certification will also verify the product’s safety, potency, and label accuracy.
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Probiotic Beneficial Bacteria
Research has shown that Bifidobacterium infantis is an effective treatment in alleviating symptoms of IBS. This bacteria’s effectiveness is comparable to Zelnorm, but, of course, it is natural and presents no side effects.
Probiotic beneficial bacteria may also suppress the low-grade inflammation often associated with IBS. The “good bugs” also help restore optimal immune function to protect the intestines from damaging toxins.
Probiotic beneficial bacteria, containing B. infantis, NLS super strain are available as supplements. If you are buying supplements to alleviate the symptoms of IBS, be sure to buy only supplements that list the exact strain of the bacteria, such as NLS super strain, to make sure you are getting the “right” bacteria. The company should have independent verification of B. infantis, NLS in its product.
Studies also show that another probiotic microbe, Lactobacillus salivarius, appears to have no effect on IBS symptoms. In one study, the effects of L. salivarius and B. infantis were compared in 75 people with IBS. The patients were randomly assigned to take L. salivarius or B. infantis mixed in a malted milk drink, or the malted milk drink alone, every morning for eight weeks. Patients kept track of their symptoms, and their “diary” reports were analyzed every week. The B. infantis mixture not only was better than the malted drink alone and the L. salivarius drink, the symptom relief achieved with it was comparable to that seen with prescription drugs.
Why B. infantis and NLS Super Strain?
A number of elements make these bacteria special. For one thing, it is the most beneficial bacteria prominent in a healthy baby. Within a few days of birth, a relatively stable microflora is established in a baby’s colon. When the infant is healthy, vaginally delivered and breast-fed, it can have up to 99 percent Bifidobacterium spp. in its G.I. tract.
In 2004, scientists took a further step and demonstrated that B. infantis is the critical factor in allergic response. They examined babies in Ghana, where the incidence of allergies is low, and compared them to babies in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where the incidence of allergies is more than twice as much. The missing link was shown to be B. infantis, found only in the Ghanan infants. When compared to the other species of Bifidobacterium, the protective properties of B. infantis smoothed the allergic response of the immune system.
A Canadian research group explains what distinguishes B. infantis from the hundreds of species that live in the gastrointestinal tract. The walls of the colon are a perfect home for B. infantis to grow and crowd out other groups of undesirable bacteria. To guarantee its dominance in the “bug-eat-bug world” of the colon, B. infantis holds the trump card. It manufactures a sticky carbohydrate compound that allows the bacteria to bond to the cells of the intestinal walls, enabling B. infantis to thrive for the mutual benefit of the host.
And to add another dimension to its beneficial properties, B. infantis has been shown to prevent invasion of the gut epithelial layer by Bacteroides, a bacteria thought to be responsible for inflammatory bowel conditions.
More Good News
Taking the probiotic bacteria for IBS has other benefits as well. They also help restore optimal immune function to protect the intestines from damaging toxins. Taking the right probiotic beneficial bacteria, B. infantis, NLS super strain, may not only ease the symptoms to help IBS patients reclaim their lives, it may help them achieve optimum health.
Natasha Trenev is a researcher, developmental scientist, author, health advocate and educator in the field of probiotics.Having dedicated more than 40 years to researching the health benefits of probiotic beneficial bacteria, she wrote the probiotic standards adopted by the National Products Association (formerly the National Nutritional Foods Association) in 1989. As the author of several books, including: The Power of Probiotics: Secrets to Great Health and Probiotics: Nature’s Internal Healers, plus host of TV and radio shows, and guest lecturer at leading universities, she has surpassed her 750-year family tradition of culturing probiotics. She is now leading the scientific community in the acquisition of knowledge about probiotics and their applications for improved human health and is devoted to passing along that knowledge to the public.
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