Probiotics may be ancient history but human awareness of them is frightfully nascent. A look back only a few decades shows just how green our grasp remains. Every two years in Rome, Italy since 1999, a throng of physicians, nutritionists, and microbiologists gathers along with industry leaders as well as consumers and regulators to discuss “Probiotics, […]
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Stalking the Craigslist Kefir
Craigslist is great for furniture, bikes, books and sports swag. It’s pretty good for apartments and jobs. But for dating and massage services it can end badly. What about kefir grains? This recent ad (above) looks legit, probably some health nut looking to share the probiotic goodness while scoring a few entrepreneurial bucks. On the other hand, […]
Probiotics Breathe Life into Respiratory Research
We must dial down the antibiotics, global health officials agree. Heroic lifesavers since their discovery in the 1920s, antibiotics in their overuse have created highly adaptable creatures. These organisms know how to resist our medicine chest, allowing infectious diseases to thrive and kill. Forward thinkers believe probiotics may be one way out of the mess. […]
Safety of Probiotics in Pregnancy*
Pregnant women expect big changes. No more alcohol, tobacco or other harmful substances; healthy meals and exercise are a given. When it comes to supplements however, recommendations and usage are not so clear cut. Sure, most women will choke down the horse tablet called a prenatal vitamin but with probiotics, most decline, for reasons that most […]
Probiotic Use in HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is not going away. Tragically, 39 million are dead from the virus, reports the World Health Organization. Another 35 million people continue to live with HIV. The cases are all over the map but not in equal numbers. Sub-Saharan Africa and other struggling nations suffer with a steady flow of […]
Probiotics: A Fix for Nausea?
Nausea. It sounds innocent enough: a queasy feeling or a dizzy stomach. But the feelings can be wretched for those suffering with motion or pregnancy-related morning sickness. A relative recently disclosed that he hadn’t been taking his probiotics even though the bottle stared him in the face every time he opened the refrigerator. There had […]