How to Improve Your Immune System with Probiotics

by Catherine J. Frompovich

As a retired practicing Natural Nutritionist, Consumer Healthcare Researcher and writer/author in that field for close to 40 years, I came to the conclusion about probiotics, as discussed in this lengthy Public Service Announcement, a very long time ago. Back then—in the 1980s, I recommended a dietary protocol as best could be implemented without the means of a probiotic supplement as discussed in that public service announcement. My strategy was “eliminating the fungus among us,” what the video refers to as the “Vampire fungus” or Candida albicans.

Every client I ever interacted with while I was in private practice was encouraged to eat a non-sugar/non-fruit-filled Lactobacillus acidophilus yogurt daily, since probiotic supplements in pill form had not been marketed/mainstreamed as they are today. Humbly, I have to admit that I was ahead of the curve—as I’ve been during most of my professional career, which endeared me to vested interests as a ‘quack’, a badge of honor for many of us of my vintage. Although it may seem as though I’m bragging, I’d like to remind readers that now even allopathic medical professionals support and recommend probiotics, especially during antibiotic use.

During the above well-produced and illustrated public service announcement and infomercial, much information is disseminated that anyone concerned about maintaining correct weight and ridding the body of numerous health problems ought to take seriously, I think.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: Rather recently, I had the opportunity of speaking with a licensed doctor in a healthcare specialty field who told me about her inability to lose weight and stomach pouch no matter how much and how strenuously she exercised daily or weekly. My automatic response to her despair was that she probably was overwhelmed by candida in the gut, so I talked with her about probiotics and the physiology involved. Being a doctor—apparently it made body-chemistry-sense to her—she took some notes and, unbeknown to me, immediately went on a probiotic/dietary protocol/program.

Long-story short, a few months later I happened to see her again and she looked fabulous! Her skin was glowing and her pouch was gone! She proudly showed off her new figure. She could not thank me enough for telling her about probiotics and how she finally was able to lose weight after all her previous efforts obviously were to no avail. Also, she told me that she was so satisfied with the results and feeling so much better that she purchased a supply of probiotics and gave them to her son and his girlfriend to take back with them to college. I’d say that’s a real-time probiotic success story, wouldn’t you?

The importance of probiotics and the physiology of fungal growth in the human gut have been overlooked for far too long, I do believe, since most of our immune system resides in our gut.

Furthermore, almost everything we put into our mouths encourages the overgrowth of yeast / fungus / Candida albicans that, in turn, overtake the digestive system like a ‘two-ton steamroller’ causing sugar and other carbohydrate cravings such as acidic-forming, edibles-munchies that lead to an acidic pH balance [1-2], which negatively impacts morbidity, especially cancers.

As a consumer healthcare researcher, who at 73 years of age [in 2011] contracted breast cancer and chose to treat it holistically, i.e., without surgery, chemo or radiation, and subsequently have received a clean bill of health as of December 18, 2014 and verified by various medical tests, I wrote a book while documenting the protocol I was using. I wrote A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, available on Amazon.com.

In Part II of A Cancer Answer, I stress the importance of the diet, which I designed (since I’m a retired Natural Nutritionist) to eliminate from my body any fungus / Candida albicans or other candida strains, which truly is key to overcoming and beating any type of cancer—not just breast cancer. Conversely, once fungus gets into the bloodstream (candidemia) of a cancer patient, it becomes a very serious complication for the patient. Sadly, much of the fungal overgrowth can be attributed to chemotherapy and drugs, which promote fungal growth as evidenced by chemotherapy patients’ losing their hair and/or thrush in the mouth and/or throat. 

Plus, finger and toe nails becoming fungus-encrusted.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/nail-care/tips/treat-a-nail-infection1.htm

There are numerous strains of Candida, as articulated in the Resource item at the end of this article. That information ought to emphasize the importance of healthcare consumers taking probiotics as a daily supplement for optimum health, even if one does not suffer with a disease. Probiotics, plus cleaning up one’s diet—no GMOs or chemicals, preferably organically-grown foods—should be considered the prime mechanism for reinforcing and maintaining a healthy immune system. Personally, daily I take a probiotic that contains 50 Billion CFUs (50 Billion Colony Forming Units) during flu season, but only 20 Billion CFUs on a normal daily basis at other times.

Probiotics and vitamin D3 are essentials in maintaining a healthy immune system and, I also contend, for disease prevention and management.

In my opinion, any probiotic of choice ought to be one with as many colony-forming variants as possible; the more the better – such as various strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, and Lactococcus. The one I take has fourteen different strains but no dextrose, which is a sugar.

After all the years I spent in the vanguard of natural nutritional science, healthcare, and research/writing, it’s more than gratifying to see that allopathic medical professionals are listening to what we, the ‘quacks’, were standard bearers for back in the 1970s and ’80s.

References:

[1] http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Chem_AcidsBasespHScale.shtml

[2] http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm [Comprehensive listing of food pH values]

Resources:

Treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis in adults
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/treatment-of-candidemia-and-invasive-candidiasis-in-adults

Candida albicans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_albicans

Whole Foods Plant Based Diets Research / Dr. Michael Greger, MD
NutritionFacts.org http://nutritionfacts.org/

The Dr. Oz Show / Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, MD
http://www.doctoroz.com/episodes

Dr. Oz directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmet_Oz

The Times of India Newspaper / Ayurveda unani doctors to practice allopathic medicine
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Bill-amended-to-let-ayurveda-unani-doctors-practise-allopathy/articleshow/31072628.cms

Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) Licensed in 17 USA States, District of Columbia, and territories
http://www.naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=57

Two Kinds of Physicians: Allopathic and Osteopathic
http://www.hpplc.indiana.edu/medicine/med-res-twokinds.shtml

Catherine retired from researching and writing, but felt compelled to write this article. 

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008)