MICROgenics^® Probiotic Plus Travel Pack

Acute diarrhoea is the most common illness in travelers to high-risk areas, with up to half of those engaged in short-term travel affected disrupting the travel experience. Probiotics may interfere with the colonisation and invasion of the gut by enteropathogenic bacteria often causing diarrhoea. Food and water contaminated with faecal matter are the main sources of infection. Ultimately, the best solution to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea when traveling is to take care with your hygiene. Here are some tips when traveling:

• Be careful what you eat, only eat from clean kitchens, and make sure you know what you are eating.
• Thoroughly wash hand in antibacterial soap before eating
• Drink only bottled water; avoid ice, and tap water to clean your teeth, as the water in many countries is not sanitised effectively.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently defines a probiotic as a ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’. The word probiotic actually means ‘for life’. Supplementing with probiotics balances the body's naturally occurring gut flora ecology of beneficial bacteria/microorganisms, by encouraging their re-establishment in the gastrointestinal system. The human digestive system contains over 400 different types of bacteria. Very few beneficial bacteria are found in the stomach because of its high acidity, however, their number and variety increases substantially as you go further down the gastrointestinal tract, the most popular place for beneficial bacteria to reside is in the large intestine. Without sufficient numbers of viable, beneficial bacteria, our intestinal ecology becomes out of balance commonly resulting in a wide range of health problems. Probiotics work to assist the body with digestive processes, produce vitamins, detoxify chemicals, assisting with gastrointestinal repair and healing, prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria, and relieve symptoms of flatulence and diarrhoea. Unfortunately they are sensitive microscopic organisms which are vulnerable and become imbalanced from particular lifestyle habits such as stress, poor food choices, low fibre diet, alcohol, and high sugar and fat diet. This type of pattern/lifestyle allows harmful bacteria competitors to survive and thrive, often to the detriment of our health. Probiotics are recommended by Naturopaths and Nutritionists, after a course of antibiotics, as antibiotics often kill off beneficial bacteria, or as part of the treatment for gut related conditions such as diarrhoea, indigestion, flatulence, bloating and constipation. Probiotics work in the body to counteract the effects of alcohol or toxic substances and support numerous health conditions.

Maintaining a healthy gut flora is, however, dependent on many factors, a diet high in fibrous vegetables and plant fibre sources act as a food source for the beneficial bacteria called prebiotics. Scientific studies have demonstrated that prebiotics actually increase the number and/or activity of bifidobacteria and L. acidophilus, supporting a healthy gut flora. Increasing prebiotics in the diet such as fibrous rich foods may be another means of enhancing the desirable health benefits promised by probiotics.

Gastrointestinal health and Digestion

• L. acidophilus occurs naturally in the body and inhabits the gastrointestinal tract, mouth, and vagina, protecting against some unhealthy organisms by competing with the consumption of nutrients many other harmful bacteria depend upon for survival.
• Research has recognised a link between L. acidophilus and a possible decrease in the incidence of yeast infections in the upper digestive tract, other gastrointestinal disorders.
• This formula aids or assists in the relief of flatulence. Probiotics reduce flatulence when used to restore balance to the normal intestinal flora.
• Probiotics are also needed for healthy digestive function, as well as destroying harmful bacteria.
• Scientific studies have found that Lactobacillus acidophilus is capable of passing through the upper gastrointestinal tract, resisting gastric acid and bile salts, adhering to the intestinal mucosa, and are able to colonize the intestinal tract.

Flatulence and Diarrhoea

• This formula is designed to aid digestion and assist digestive function and processes
• MICROgenics^® Probiotic Plus Travel Pack provides relief from diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can be an annoying complaint with symptoms of urgency, passing loose or watery stools, followed by abdominal pain or cramps, nausea and flatulence. This formula may assist in the relief or treatment of diarrhoea in adults and children

Antibiotic use

• Antibiotics taken orally may destroy beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The use of antibiotics can therefore affect the balance of “good” and “bad” bugs in your digestive system, causing diarrhoea. After a course of antibiotics, Naturopaths recommend supplementation with a broad spectrum probiotic to assist in recolonising the gastrointestinal tract.
• Probiotics are useful for women using the contraceptive pill, which commonly reduces the healthy bacterial flora that naturally, inhabit the mucosal surfaces such as the intestine