Probiotics - From Buzz to Branded
The safety of probiotics – essentially good bacteria that every person’s body needs both internally and externally–is so convincing that they are being used in everything from baby food and yogurt to pizza crust and toothpaste.
Many hospitals have gone from relying on antiseptic soap-scrubbing to washing with probiotic products.
According to a conference report from The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), convened by the American Society for Microbiology, there is encouraging evidence from the study of specific probiotic formulations in treating rotavirus-caused diarrhea, urinary tract infections, irritable bowel syndrome, intestinal infection and the prevention and treatment of eczema in children.
A team at Tufts-New England Medical Center is studying probiotics for treating an antibiotic-resistant type of bacteria that causes severe infections in people who are hospitalized, live in nursing homes, or have weakened immune systems.
Probiotics in skin care balance the pH of the skin, reduce inflammation and redness and have a long-term effect against premature formation of wrinkles. Rosacea can be reduced or controlled when the skin is no longer too acidic or too base. “Getting to Know Friendly Bacteria” , an article published by Complimentary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institute of Health, states that, "Acne and dermatitis can also be reduced or eliminated when skin is brought back to its natural state."
Bacterial spore formers have been the focus of intense study over the last forty years. Spore forming bacteria are becoming increasingly important in the areas of probiotics, vaccine technology and biotechnology.
The Bacillus species of probiotics possess the ability to exhibit probiotic activity in aerobic conditions such as on skin or mucous membrane tissues and thereby treat, control and/or inhibit numerous conditions caused by microbial infections.
Probiotics meet a growing need for preventive and therapeutic agents that can inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms without the use of antibiotic chemicals to which the microorganisms already are or can become resistant to.
Probiotics can be applied internally or externally to restore the balance of beneficial bacteria , without contributing to the evolution of drug-resistant pathogens.
Probiotics made Pierce Mattie Public Relations Firm’s list of Top 10 Ingredient Trends, with the organization saying they have gone from “buzz to branded”.
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