Are you lonely? Oh, you shouldn’t be, as you are literally never alone. Even during the lockdown trapped within the walls with only a laptop and a cup of coffee – you are not alone. A microbiome is always with you. All those billions of microorganisms that make you who you are. They are always there.
Some of them are just fungus, the others are bacteria, but all together they are microscopic living beings who help your body function. Science says that some of them have the power to influence our brain and change personality (not always for the better though).
Part of the microbiome lives on our bodies, the rest – inside it. They are not a sort of parasites, getting rid of these guys is the worst choice you can make.
Why do we need a microbiome?
- Digestion
Nutrients are digested and absorbed thanks to the brave gut bacteria that help our alimentary tract do its work. When there’s a lack of bacteria in the intestinal microflora – we might suffer from diarrhea and indigestion.
- Immunity
Look at those moms who cater to their child’s every whim. Guess what? They aren’t doing any good for their offspring. It’s vice versa: the more often babies get in contact with their environment without wet wipes and sanitizer – the stronger their immune system will be. That’s how they gain proper amounts of good bacteria which protect human beings from diseases, viruses and also prevent them from developing allergies.
- Personality
Your behavior is also determined by your microbiome. They say the connection between the bacteria is strong enough to become a cause of depression and autistic spectrum disorder in case of serious lack.
- Weight
Obesity is not just a beauty problem. Being obese develops the risc of gaining heart diseases and even diabetes. However, there are cases when people don’t lose weight even if they nearly starve. That’s the signal to test for altered microbiome.
How to take a microbiome under control?
Bacteria are too tiny for the human eye and their amount is huge. There is actually no way we can control them at home. Going to the lab on weekly occasions is too expensive and takes a lot of time. What to do?
In the era of science and technology it would be odd not to have a scientific solution for this issue. There are people who put those nice and useful bacteria into capsules and sell online or offline. Have you ever heard of probiotics?
The word ‘probiotics’ comes from Greek and means ‘for life’. It’s opposite to ‘antibiotics’. This is why we have severe antibiotic after-effectiveness – it washes away all bacteria from our bodies without separating bad from good ones. And we have to make up for the shortfall as soon as possible to help the organism restore all functions.
Luckily, biologists know how to freeze-dry good bacteria and deliver them to drug and health food stores. Naturally these tiny organisms can be found in some dairy products, like yoghurt and kefir. But their amount there is limited and we need gallons of intake to bring our digestion to norm. Probiotics work faster and contain 5-100 billion bacteria in a dose. A pill a day is just seconds to swallow.
What is the dosage?
There is no ultimate formula for the right dosage. The amount of bacteria in a capsule might vary from the moment they were produced and till the moment they are about to expire. But normally recommended intake is 5-20 billion a day per person.
Are they only for inside?
As mentioned above, the microbiome is not solely inside. Our skin needs some probiotics too. To help it stay young and glowing for long – add a capsule of good bacteria, turmeric powder and some olive oil to yoghurt, spread over your face and wait for 10-30 mins. Voila! No wrinkles for ages guaranteed.
Nutritionists also recommend adding probiotics to healthy breakfasts like smoothies and protein cocktails. That makes the intake more handy and reduces the feeling of taking meds as it raises every time we see anything that looks like prescribed drugs.
