What Conditions Do Probiotics Help With?

Suppose you have noticed that your health has not been in the best state for quite some time now, and all the natural remedies you have tried do not appear to be working. In that case, you might want to consider a high-quality probiotic supplement if you haven't already. Believe it or not but probiotics can help treat several health conditions that can all be linked to poor digestive and gut health. Probiotics are known to be able to help everything from bacterial imbalances to UTIs. Whilst the benefits of the probiotic do depend slightly on the probiotic strain, many strains can offer several benefits when it comes to the conditions they can help. It’s common for probiotics to be taken to help support gut health by neutralising ‘harmful’ bacteria that could be the root cause of many abdominal, digestive or bowel-related symptoms. Although, the benefits of probiotics can go beyond just helping support the gut; which is what we will be focusing on in today's blog post. 

What health conditions do probiotics seem to help the most?

Probiotics are believed to help restore the natural balance of bacteria found inside the body; especially in the gut, including the stomach and intestines. A disruption or imbalance of the bacteria can trigger several health conditions as well as symptoms. A probiotic supplement is made from live bacteria that can be highly beneficial for our gut; it can work to increase the amount of ‘good’ bacteria whilst also eliminating the amount of ‘harmful’ bacteria inside the gut. Once the bacteria is rebalanced, the probiotic can begin reducing inflammation and relieving any symptoms caused by the imbalance. The main function of a probiotic is to restore healthy levels of bacteria which is why they are commonly used as a primary treatment for gut and digestive-related illnesses and conditions. 

However, improving an unhealthy gut (by rebalancing bacteria) is not the only condition that probiotics can help treat…

What conditions can be treated with probiotics?

There is believed to be a long list of conditions that probiotics have been known to help treat as well as manage and prevent from re-establishing. The health conditions that can be treated with probiotics include the following: 

• Allergies and Eczema 
• Bacterial balance
• Digestive issues 
• Heart Health (cholesterol levels & blood pressure)
• Indigestion
• Immune system
• Mental Health condition
• Weight management

All of these conditions can be improved and managed if not completely relieved by taking a high-quality probiotic regularly. Now, if you are enabling your body in a way that is putting more pressure on itself through poor lifestyle choices (like an unhealthy diet, smoking or excessive alcohol consumption) then the ability of the probiotic supplement will be significantly altered. Probiotics can only work in conjunction with taking better care of your health and cannot do all the hard work for you. For instance, a probiotic will not help you lose weight on its own, but it can help you process food correctly to ensure that you are absorbing all the right nutrients as it is processed through your digestive system. If you are eating good foods, probiotics can help replenish the body; although if you are consuming a high-fat and sugary diet, then there will be fewer nutrients and goodness for the body to absorb. What's more, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and a poor diet can all affect the effectiveness of a probiotic supplement as it will not be effective enough to manage and restore the balance of bacteria if you are contributing to your disruption. You need to be making the work for your probiotic easier by ensuring that you are not contributing to your health issues. 

The best way to get the most out of your probiotics to treat a particular health condition is to make sure that you are improving the state of your health by eating a balanced diet, reducing stress and staying active! 

What symptoms are probiotics most effective for helping? 

One of the best ways to tell if your probiotics are helping your symptoms is to make sure you wait a few days after you begin taking them as early signs can bring on some minor side effects. This might make you immediately question the effectiveness of your supplement but please try to not let it as this could just be your body's way of dealing with the new bacteria. Once your side effects have eased, it can be easier for you to notice how your probiotic is working to relieve your symptoms. Some of the common signs that your probiotics are working are if you notice and feel a remarked improvement in the following symptoms: 

• Diarrhoea - Bowel movements should become more regular and less painful
• Constipation - Should ease away of bowels will be more frequent 
• Inflammation - Slowly reduced by probiotics (one of the main goals)
• Bloating - probiotics will reduce inflammation and any pressure on the stomach

You can expect your symptoms to begin easing off within a few short weeks, so long as you first give the body time to recover from any minor side effects that can occur when you first begin taking probiotics! All symptoms should be treated to allow your overall health to be better supported when you take probiotics!

Why do I feel better when I take probiotics?

If you have been regularly taking probiotics and you are feeling better then not only is that great news but it also means your probiotics have been and can continue to be, highly effective! Probiotics are thought to help restore the natural balance of bacteria inside your gut, stomach and intestine (as previously mentioned) therefore if you are feeling better that means they are containing your bacteria and keeping it balanced. An imbalance is what can affect your health and bring up a trail of symptoms but you can count on high-quality probiotics to be able to help.