Probiotics: Beneficial for Life

Do you take a probiotic? Which one should I take? Do I need to take it continuously or just while I’m on antibiotics? These are a few examples of questions I get asked everyday as a pharmacist. On average I get about 5 minutes (max) to educate patients about their medications, so here is my little lesson on probiotics and what you would hear from me if you were my patient. 

Probiotic means “for life” and are consumable bacteria that provide many health benefits. Often people take them while they are taking antibiotics because during their office visit the doctor might have mentioned that it would be beneficial to add on a probiotics to help their gut. But what most patients don’t realize is that taking a probiotic offers many additional health benefits such as reducing our chances of getting infections and also reducing the recovery time. 

An interesting fact about probiotics is that they are transient bacteria, meaning that they are only temporary residents of our GI track, and need to be taken daily. Studies have shown that probiotics help with digestive health, mood, immunity. The gut is your second brain and is also involved with serotonin productions, lets make sure we are taking the best care of it.