Crusador Interviews Christopher Barr

November 22, 2008

The Important Role Probiotics Play In Health Can Never Be Over-Emphasized

While there are many important essential nutrients that are vital to keep your body healthy, probiotic supplementation ranks near the top. Next to water and air for survival we all depend on food. Once our food is consumed it needs to be broken down and processed so that the vital nutrients it contains can feed every cell of the body. The role that probiotics play in this process is absolutely critical. Anyone with a nutritional deficiency, digestive problem or a health problem needs to consider the state of their intestinal flora. Without healthy flora all other supplementation could be a waste of money simply because your body cannot process nutrients without it.

In the following interview with Christopher Barr, you will learn why probiotics are so beneficial and what you can do to make sure your body has a healthy supply of these friendly bacteria.

Crusador:  Why is intestinal flora so vital to our overall health?

Intestinal flora are beneficial bacteria categorized collectively as probiotics.  The word probiotic means “pro life” and these microscopic creatures are “vital” (which itself refers to that which is necessary for life) to our overall health because in the absence of them – or even sufficient numbers in types and/or totals – one is not truly healthy.

There are so many functions served by these probiotic flora and discoveries are increasing more and more with the passing of time.

Here’s just a partial list …

Probiotic flora assist the absorption of nutrients into the body in the gut and without them (or enough of them) your nutrient absorption is reduced.  In other words, nutrition you take in is not fully utilized – and often is not utilized very well at all.

Probiotic flora are important to proper immune function.  Recent studies have shown that those with allergies have less symptoms when taking a strong formula with multiple strains.  It is important not only to get large numbers of flora but greater numbers of strains or types of flora as well.

Probiotic flora protect against harmful micro-organisms.  As numbers decrease of beneficial bacteria then harmful bacteria increase.  It is just one more way that probiotic flora protect against disease in addition to enhancing immune system operation.  Increasing numbers of beneficial probiotic floral bacteria overwhelm harmful micro-organisms.

These are primary functions of probiotic flora though more discoveries are being made and published even in mainstream medical journals with greater frequency.

One year ago Duke University researchers published their discovery that the appendix is both a storehouse for probiotic flora and that it also produces beneficial bacteria as well.  So appendicitis would be due to lack of flora and circumstances that cause flora to be overwhelmed by harmful bacteria.

In another study published in a pediatric medical journal a few years ago it was noted that probiotic flora flourish in breastfed infants while languishing in non-breastfed infants.

Crusador:  Do you feel that the intestinal system is the most important area to focus on before any other health protocols are implemented?

Absolutely, positively, wholeheartedly, YES! Digestion breaks down food that is then carried into the intestinal system.  Assimilation of digested materials and disassimilation of waste materials is then carried out in the small intestine.  Excretion of waste materials then completes the process.

The great Dr. Antoine Béchamp established through fastidious, detailed study that the process of life is that of digestion, assimilation, disassimilation and excretion, and that failings in one or more of these areas resulted in poor health, disease and death.  One means of disease is by way of bad bacteria that proliferate due to interruptions in this vital process of life that is digestion, assimilation, disassimilation and excretion.  Careful study of probiotics further confirms this.

Also, Greg, if I may I’d like to put in a plug for the detailed article in this issue on GERD also called acid reflux.  That article reflects upon a related problem and solution to it.

Crusador:  What factors can cause damage to the body’s flora?

Well, Greg, first of all, the beneficial bacteria that are probiotic are destroyed by antibiotics.  Probiotics are pro-life and antibiotics are anti-life.  Antibiotics have varying degrees of success against harmful bacteria but tragically, have excellent success against beneficial bacteria.  Yet another case of a practice of mediSin destroying the good with the bad -- and in the case of antibiotics against probiotics much more vigorously than against bad bacteria.

Excess acid due to pH impalance also is harmful to probiotic flora.  Consumption of refined, bleached white flours and sugars increase acidity making an inhospitable environment for probiotic flora, as does excess protein consumption.  Most people consume too much protein so that probiotic flora do not flourish.

Excess alcohol consumption also diminishes probiotic flora.

Crusador:  What role does healthy flora play in helping the body to digest and utilize nutrients?

Probiotic flora assist in breakdown of food components, production of nutrients such as B-Complex vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and short chain fatty acids, and also enhance assimilation of nutrients in general.

A person will get more from their nutrient intake – whether from food or supplements – with probiotic flora in abundance.  Sometimes people with health problems don’t get good results from better nutrition – whether from food or supplements – until they build up their intestinal flora with probiotics.

Crusador:  Is Candida and other fungal related health problems a sign of poor flora health and if so, why?

Absolutely, positively, wholeheartedly, YES!  Candida and fungi proliferate in the absence of probiotic flora.  Probiotics when in sufficient numbers also fight against candida and fungi.  A body rich in probiotic flora will fend off overgrowths of Candida and fungi.

Crusador:  Is there a relationship between acid reflux, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and other intestinal related health issues and the state of the body’s flora health?

Indeed, reduced or absent levels of probiotic flora are involved in various ways and to varying degrees in each of the intestinal health issues you named and most (if not all) others as well.

Irritable bowel syndrome responds particularly well to a high potency, multiple strains probiotic flora formula.  Leaky gut syndrome generally responds more slowly.  Acid reflux results in significant decrease of probiotic flora.

Again, Greg, I’d like to put in another plug for the detailed article in this issue on acid reflux also called GERD.  That article provides a complementary approach to probiotics for that specific matter.

Crusador:  There are many different strains of beneficial bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract. When it comes to rebuilding intestinal flora how come the nutritional supplement industry only uses a few strains?

Well, Greg, there are more than a dozen strains of probiotic flora with some serving distinctively different functions so it certainly doesn’t make good sense (common or scientific) to concentrate on only one as do most, or just a few as do most of the others.

In any case there are no good reasons to use only one or just a few strains.  It could be due to ignorance, laziness, or just plain old greed.

Crusador:  Do you feel that everyone should take a probiotic supplement?

If one has never taken at least a one month course of probiotics with more than a dozen strains numbering at least several billion flora then it is a virtual certainty that one should take a probiotic supplement.

The only way it would not be a good idea to take a probiotic is if you were breastfed at least one year, and then have eaten an excellent diet all your life without refined white flour, refined white sugar, excess protein, excess alcohol, and also never took a pharmaceutical antibiotic.  I neither know nor have I met such an individual.

In a Stanford University study earlier this year with severely obese, it was noted that those consuming a probiotic supplement with high amounts of flora lost more weight than those who did not consume a probiotic supplement.

The Stanford study also noted improved levels in every blood chemistry test they checked for those taking the probiotic supplement, including higher HDL cholesterol, and lower fasting insulin, lipoprotein A and triglyceride levels.

It was kind of funny because the Stanford researchers were not expecting any measurable results.  They just thought probiotics might make severely obese people on a weight loss program feel better.  They were completely taken back by the results and yet the lead researcher admitted that 1) the levels they used of probiotics were not likely to be achieved without supplementation, that 2) probiotics are safe, and 3) “There doesn’t seem to be any downside to taking them.”

So it can’t hurt to take a probiotic supplement and would be a good idea at least once each year – and twice yearly may be better.

Those with chronic problems may find they need a daily probiotic supplement for a more protracted period of time.

For general purposes take 2 capsules first thing in the morning on an empty stomach for two weeks, and then 1 capsule each morning until the bottle is empty (a little more than 4 weeks).  Those with more serious problems may want to take 2 capsules each morning for a longer period of time.

Crusador:  What is the significance of the 14 strains that have been chosen for the probiotic formula that Innate Response has developed and why do you feel this is far superior to most of the products on the market?

Well, Greg, the Flora 20-14 of Innate Response is superior to most of the products on the market for a variety of reasons.  The vast majority of other products have only one or a few strains of probiotic flora so having 14 different strains alone makes Flora 20-14 superior to most other products on the market.  Then there is the 20 billion probiotic flora per capsule which far exceeds almost every other product in the marketplace.  The vegetarian capsules break down readily and are more readily acceptable to more than any other capsule.

Also, the price is better than most every other product on the market when you calculate what you actually get.  In order to get 20 billion probiotic flora at one time with most any other product would cost far more than with the Innate Response Flora 20-14.  Then there is the matter that with almost all of those others you are also getting only one or a few strains of probiotic flora.

Both professionals and individual users who have experience with probiotic products report better results with the Flora 20-14 than with that which they have previously used.

The 14 strains have been carefully chosen for the widest range of activity and efficiency of action.

Crusador:  What kinds of successes have you personally seen with people you have recommended the Innate Response 20-14 Probiotic supplement to?

Success has been reported to me for a variety of intestinal distress issues such as reduction and even cessation of symptoms for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, elimination of digestive disturbances, and also elimination of gassy issues including flatulence.  Several have noted good success combating yeast issues – including with babies.

It also has been very helpful in cases of food poisoning.  This is one with which I have personal experience.

One evening last year after eating out I had griping and diarrhea within half an hour of the meal.  I was back and forth to the toilet more often than once each hour all night until morning.  I was drained from both the experience and the lack of sleep.  It did not occur to me until the morning that it was food poisoning.  At that point I took a triple dose of Flora 20-14 (60 billion probiotic flora) and within 20 minutes felt notably better.  It was like the cavalry had come in to the rescue.  It was several hours before I had to use the bathroom again and it was then almost normal.  I took triple doses a couple more times that day and then slept very soundly.

The next morning I felt great and thought all was well so I didn’t take any more Flora 20-14 but by late morning had just a bit of griping and small amount of diarrhea so I realized the battle was still raging inside and I continued sending in the triple dose cavalry of Flora 20-14 the rest of the day with immediate results.

Several have recounted similar experiences to me regarding Flora 20-14 and food poisoning or just feeling sick to their stomach from eating something that didn’t agree with them.

Crusador:  You have had some excellent success using Innate’s probiotic formula to help autistic children. Why are digestive issues such a problem with autistic children and why is this probiotic formula beneficial?

There is a small but growing awareness of especially notable probiotic benefit among the autistic.  Results go beyond digestive and intestinal matters with improvements noted in behaviors and concentration.  This occurs even with lesser formulas than Flora 20-14 though to lesser degrees, but may not occur with the simplest formulas that appear to be inexpensive.

Let me relate a recent example with a near teenaged autistic child that soiled herself/himself on a daily basis, sometimes more than once daily and often very severely.

The mother began to give the child 2 Innate Response Flora 20-14 first thing each morning.  The response was almost immediate as the child ceased self-soiling. One month later the mother reported that the only incidents the child had that month were what she called “skid marks” with barely a marking of the underwear in only a couple incidences.

Furthermore, the mother noted that in the past when the child did manage to use the toilet for a bowel movement that the stench was so foul that another could not use the bathroom for half an hour.  After one month on Flora 20-14 the mother noted that no odor could be detected at all.

Now it gets even more interesting.

A few weeks into initial use of Flora 20-14 the mother had a regularly scheduled appointment with a neurologist for the child.  In the course of the appointment the mother asked what the doctor knew about probiotics.  The mother reported that the doctor didn’t seem to know what she was talking about.  Not knowing a lot herself she reported that they were suppose to be some kind of beneficial bacteria for digestion.  At that point it appeared that the doctor understood.  The mother then explained to the doctor that she had been giving her child probiotics and the dramatic -- almost instant -- results she was seeing.

The mother reported that the doctor said he didn’t know any reason this product would be a problem.

Now, Greg, let me just pause here briefly to note that when I related this information to a medical doctor friend of mine she laughed.  She told me that in medical school the subject of antibiotics was pounded into her head and then said, “Chris, until I met you I had never heard the word ‘probiotic’.”  So it was not surprising that a doctor would not know the word ‘probiotic’.

I expressed that I couldn’t believe that there was not even mention of beneficial bacteria in medical school at least as to basic function and my medical doctor friend then noted that the subject was mentioned, but only as to the existence of beneficial bacteria in the small intestine.  There was no particular significance noted to its function in the body and certainly no mention at all as to its absence presenting any issue at all.

Well, Greg, returning to the subject of the mother with her autistic child’s appointment with the neurologist, she noted that upon leaving the doctor noted that if there were any problem arising with the child’s medication protocols the assumption would be that it was due to the probiotic supplement.  THAT got the mother thinking on the way home.

The mother realized that there had been changes in her autistic child and that they were positive, beneficial differences.  The child’s behaviors controlled by medication were not wearing out early afternoons so often but were more commonly lasting late into the day – and sometimes later.  I noted to the mother that one of the functions of probiotics is to enhance absorption so that it was not outside of the realm of possibility that positive benefits could be extended due to probiotic usage.

The mother did find it necessary to keep the child on two Flora 20-14 each morning longer than two weeks.  However, after several months the child is maintaining – with other improvements as well – on just one Flora 20-14 each morning.  The mother also recently noted to me that skipping a day makes a noticeable difference – a negative one – and that even giving the Flora 20-14 later in the day shows some reduced benefit.

Even better though is that the mother reports the child’s behaviors and concentration abilities are improving – and it is not just “placebo” because she noted that others with whom she and the child are in regular contact have noted the behavioral improvements as well.

Also, the mother has been able to successfully re-introduce foods that previously the child did not tolerate.

So, Greg, there is a LOT to be said for probiotic usage with autistic children.  As to why this is so … well …

The medical system refuses to admit this – or even the possibility – that the problem of autism is due to vaccinations.  Even the autism community has difficulty with this understanding.  It is not particularly – especially not exclusively –  a matter of mercury in vaccines.  It is the vaccines themselves – especially with regard to the multitude of them and the many additives in modern vaccines.

The primary methods of harm directly caused by vaccinations are to the immune system and to the digestive system so it should come as no surprise that infectious and digestive issues are so much – even commonly –  a part of autism.  Your paper recently published the quintessential article on the matter of how vaccines damage the body.  It is an ironclad, irrefutable, detailed article by Dr. Rebecca Carley, M.D.

As probiotics are directly beneficial to both the digestive and immune systems it is only natural and logical that probiotics would be beneficial to the autistic.

Crusador:  I really appreciate your thoughts and input, Chris. I hope and pray that many lives will be positively impacted by what you’ve shared with us.