From the Founder: Probiotics

As I live a wellness lifestyle, taking western medication is never my first choice. However, in the world of disease and infections, antibiotics are necessary in some cases, which is why I love this week’s topic of Probiotics from our Weekly Wellness Guide.

Most of us catch a little bug or something each year (we’re not invincible). For those of us living a wellness lifestyle, our preventative measures keep us away from these bugs or allow our bodies to have more power to ensure they stay in the minor level of illness.

As you may know from reading some of my articles, I suffered from digestive problems that really made me miserable. Being my own detective (which I encourage all of you to be as well), I began trying to figure out the root of this issue because it needed to be solved immediately.

I learned how the digestive system works and how my diet affected this process. However, the fascinating part about my “investigation” was that there are good bacteria in our gut that are vital to our overall health. These good bacteria act like an army inside of our stomach — they fight off infections and keep things moving, if you know what I mean.

Last year, I battled with Urinary Tract Infections and had to take antibiotics to kill off the infections. While they helped clear my symptoms at the time, I knew that the antibiotics were also killing my good bacteria and that I could develop an immunity to the antibiotics.

We all need to note that even though antibiotics are necessary, we develop immunity to them when taken in high doses and high frequency. My mother is the first to take antibiotics anytime her doctor prescribes them to her and I worry if a time comes when she really needs to fight off something severe that her body will be “numb” to the antibiotics because of her high consumption.

I learned all of this from my investigation, and have been taking daily doses of Probiotics ever since. When I contracted the Urinary Tract Infection for the 3rd time, I found a natural remedy to combat my ailment, rather than just following normal medical protocol. And guess what — it worked! The product I used also educated me about which preventative measures to take to avoid going through it all over again! Now that’s Wellness at its Best!

Tiffany Houser
BalanceBoost

Catch the Probiotics Bug

If you think all bacteria are bad guys, think again. When taken as probiotic supplements, some bacteria can actually improve your health. Sure, popping bacteria in a pill may sound a little odd, but it’s perfectly safe—and brimming with benefits.

Your body’s digestive tract naturally contains both “good” and “bad” bacteria. The good bacteria assist with the digestive process, keep your immune system running smoothly, produce vitamins, and in a 2005 report from the American Society for Microbiology, may even protect against HIV.

Normally, these bacteria coexist in a delicate balance. But when the good bacteria are killed off—by antibiotics, poor diet, preservatives in food, drugs, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, stress, aging, or conditions like irritable bowel syndrome—their bad counterparts gain a foothold and take over your gut. The result? You develop unpleasant digestive symptoms, decreased immunity, and poor general health.

Good bacteria have long been consumed in food and beverage form as part of a healthy diet: They occur naturally in yogurt, kefir, miso, and sauerkraut. However, food alone may not provide enough of these good bacteria to produce results. In fact, a proposed class action lawsuit recently filed against Dannon alleges that its Activa and DanActive yogurts don’t live up the company’s health claims. To see real benefits, say some experts, you’ll need to take probotic supplements.

So should you pop some probiotics? Recent research findings suggest that it may be good idea for some people. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, probiotic supplements show promise in treating diarrhea, urinary and genital infections, irritable bowel syndrome, and in preventing eczema, tooth decay and the recurrence of bladder cancer.

What to look for: All probiotic supplements aren’t created equal. Look for products that can survive the trip through your digestive tract, such as those that contain Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus GG, and Bifidobacterium. Follow package directions, and store your supplements away from heat and moisture. Side effects of probiotics are generally mild—like bloating—but, as with all supplements, let your health professional know you’re taking them.

What are your thoughts on the benefits of Probiotics?

Wheatgrass by day, Margaritas by night

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Are you a hypocrite if you party on Saturday night and go to church on Sunday?

Will a cardio kickboxing class erase a cigarette smoked with a glass of wine?

No and No, but Balanced Living could be your answer to even things out. Keeping everything in your life that makes you happy while learning how to make adjustments to reach your goals is Balanced Living and here are some examples:

Balance Environment: You’re a do-gooder who treks to the Dominican Republic for an annual Habitat for Humanity project. You are helping people while your airline is trashing the environment with CO2 emissions…uh oh. The good news is that some airlines are implementing environmental programs to help you cope with flyer’s remorse.

Anti-Aging Balance: You WANT to go to a yoga class, but you work a full-time job that isn’t just 9-5. You have a career. You have meetings to attend. Teams to build. Deadlines to meet. Networking events to attend. Family responsibilities. Dreams to fulfill. You’re not 20-something anymore when time was blowing along in perfect doughnut holes. One thing to try is a little bit of yoga into everything you do. Take a deep, Pranayama breath when you are typing, analyzing, reading, surfing, eating in front of your computer.

Balance Fitness: Yoga is all the rage, but if your joints hurt, it’s nothing but pain and you’re left cursing, “F the yoga hype!” If you don’t like the gym, take a dance class. Do whatever it takes to unflatten your butt after sitting in front of a computer all day…except for buying a pack of belly dancing classes and quitting after two sessions. Just like that TV infomercial “Learn Spanish in One Week” audio tape you ordered, impulse buys never do anyone any good (except for the salespeople).

Balance Spa: A car needs an oil change every three months. What if you visit the spa as frequently? Chances are, your car and your body will take you to all the places you want to be.

Balance Personal Growth: A break-up can be the best form of personal evolution. Author Elizabeth Gilbert shows how a brutal divorce blossomed into a 21st century exploration of Italy, India and Indonesia in New York Times bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love.

Balance Nutrition: We’ve all tried cutting carbs, or going all vegan, or all raw…but if you’re craving something, you’re body needs it. So eat that filet mignon if you have to and then go back to your vegan diet. Is it cheating? Is it hypocritical? Only if you feel it is.

Balance Health: Drink coffee Mon-Thurs, but refrain from this good bacteria killer and teeth-stainer Fri-Sun. Eat an apple instead with natural energy boosters.

Life is not about beating yourself up. Have a toolkit.

What’s your Kryptonite and how do you balance it?

Get Green. Get Global.

Almost 2 years after its release date, the documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, which put one of the biggest spotlights on the detrimental effects of our careless lifestyles on the environment, conveys important information and carries a message that must be heard on an ongoing basis.

On An Inconvenient Truth’s website, climatecrisis.net, it states: There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now – TAKE ACTION

Climatecrisis.net goes on to state that the average American generates about 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year from personal transportation, home energy use and from the energy used to produce all of the products and services we consume. (the site provides a tool to CALCULATE YOUR PERSONAL IMPACT to see how much CO2 you produce each year.)

Taking action is what most of say we are going to do, and fundamentally we are concerned about environment for many reasons but as life gets in the way, some of us find ourselves still wasting precious resources and living in excess.

Here are some simple Eco-Tips from Globalstewards.com:

- Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keep belongings that you use/enjoy on a regular basis. By making the effort to reduce what you own, you will naturally purchase less/create less waste in the future.

- Reduce Purchases by thinking before you buy any product - do you really need it? How did the production of this product impact the environment and what further impacts will there be with the disposal of the product (and associated packaging materials)?

- Avoid Creating Trash wherever possible: when ordering food, avoid receiving any unnecessary plastic utensils, straws, etc. (ask in advance), buy ice cream in a cone instead of a cup, don't accept "free" promotional products, buy products with the least amount of packaging, etc.

- Shopping Bags: If you only buy a few products skip the shopping bag. For larger purchases, bring your own. If you do decide on using a shopping bag, opt out of the double-bagging.

- Reusables: Switch from disposable to reusable products: food and beverage containers, cups, plates, writing pens, razors, diapers, towels, shopping bags, etc.

For more tips, read GlobalStewards.com’s Green Living Guide. Incorporate one of their tips into your life each day to begin your commitment to the environment and to your quality of life.


How do you contribute to a sustainable environment?

Happy New You!

As we begin 2008, there is the pressure to make resolutions. According to dictionary.com, a resolution is the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure; a solution, accommodation, or settling of a problem, controversy.

Unfortunately most resolutions are destine for failure because there is no real understanding of the issue at hand, just the call for action. To truly experience successful change in life you need to dig deep into the root of the issue before taking action.

By following these 4 stages of change, you will be on your way to a new you:

1. Identify what you want to change (attitude, appearance, health commitment, career, environment awareness, etc.). Many of us have come to accept the fact that we are not perfect, and quite frankly, who wants to be perfect? By clearly identifying a starting point for change, you will be better positioned to tackle the challenge.

2. Examine all of the components of your life that are in need of change to create forward movement and positivity in life (poor social skills, low confidence, increased health risks, tired of working for someone else, wasting precious resources). This will reinforce your purpose for change.

3. Explore how you envision your life to be with change (smile more, toned muscles, reduce your risk of cancer, love your job, not just the money, contribute to the sustainability of humanity). This list may become lengthy, and very quickly you may find yourself motivated to start experiencing change.

4. Finally make an implement a Plan of Action. After you have completed the first 3 stages you will have your own information and the right tools to make your change happen. There will less room for failure because you will follow what you learned rather than another plan that someone else designed.

Making things happen for yourself and visualizing what it is you really want for your life is how long term change comes about - and what better way to do that than with your own information. Not everything is based on facts and statistics. Only you know yourself.

Self discovery is one of the most uplifting and gratifying moments in life. Most of us want to be ourselves and want people to like and love us for who we are, but if we do not discover who we are and determine what we want out of life how can we expect understanding from others?

Ask yourself, what do you want for your life? How do you want your life to be? When we say Happy New You, we are welcoming you into the world of Personal Growth. There is something to be said about focusing solely on yourself. This does not mean becoming selfish or isolated from others, it is about looking deep inside yourself to find what you truly want for yourself. You will see how this exercise will permeate into other areas of your life and from this experience you will be able to give more, and more importantly, receive more.

Remember the old adages, if you want something done, do it yourself. The person who will be most effective in caring for and changing you is YOU! You are important, you are special!

Happy New You!

What do you want for yourself in the New Year?


Live Well. Achieve Balance.
Tiffany Houser
The Balance Group l BalanceBoost
http://www.balanceboost.com/
wellnessguide@balanceboost.com