Healthy human intestines contain billions of both good and potentially harmful microorganisms. The good bacteria in the intestines are considered to be an integral part of normal immune system support.
Healthy people usually have a ratio of approximately 85% good to 15% potentially harmful organisms in the intestinal tract. In some cases, even those who appear to be well might have an unfavorable ratio as a result of daily exposure to environmental toxins and a modern lifestyle. For example, taking antibiotics or drinking chlorinated water may change the optimal microbial balance essential for good health.
There is a belief that the aging process results from the putrefaction of accumulated waste in the gastrointestinal tract. These accumulations may be responsible for intestinal autointoxication, which potentially causes the physical changes associated with old age. Probiotics will counter the destruction of the helpful intestinal bacteria by antibiotics and should be taken in combination with antibiotics to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea; administered in adequate amounts, they are an effective treatment for gut related candidiasis and will promote health by lowering the pH in the gastrointestinal tract preventing opportunities for harmful organisms to grow.
Probiotics are beneficial microflora that play a critical role in maintaining good health; they can synthesize certain vitamins and short-chain fatty acids to support a healthy intestinal lining and bolster immunity.
When your intestinal lining is occupied by healthy beneficial flora, it deprives unwelcome microorganisms of both space and nutrients.
Garden of Life’s “Primal Defense” contains homeostatic soil organisms; a strong strain of beneficial transient bacteria not made by our bodies. At one time we ingested them every day with unpolluted food from rich non-chemical soil; today it is difficult to get that unpolluted food or soil. These organisms cleanse out all the leather-like, rotting layer of undigested hydrocarbons lining our digestive organs and trigger the immune system to create extra white blood cells that fight disease (T-cells) and extra antibodies (B-lymphocytes).