What do you know about your digestive tract bacteria? Normally, a wide range of bacteria helps us digest our food and works together to keep us healthy. But when infections or antibiotics intervene, the variety of beneficial bacteria drops and undesirable strains like Clostridium difficile can gain the upper hand.

What About Probiotics?

Could probiotics help? These beneficial bacteria could help shape the ecology of the intestinal tract. The result should be a better intestinal microbiome, and fewer symptoms of indigestion. Should you be taking probiotics and prebiotics? What about the foods that feed healthy digestive tract bacteria?

When the Small Intestine Harbors Digestive Tract Bacteria:

The majority of our intestinal bacteria make their home in the large intestine, or colon. When bacteria start flourishing in the small intestine, trouble ensues. Could small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) be causing your heartburn? If so, you could overcome it without drugs simply by changing what you feed your digestive tract bacteria–and yourself.

This Week’s Guests:

Gerard E. Mullin, MD, MS, CNSP, is Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is an internist, gastroenterologist and nutritionist. Dr. Mullin co-directs the Johns Hopkins Hospital Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program and directs the Celiac Disease Clinic. He also directs Integrative Nutrition Services.

He is author of The Gut Balance Revolution: Boost Your Metabolism, Restore Your Inner Ecology and Lose the Weight for Good.

Norman Robillard, Ph.D., Founder of the Digestive Health Institute, is a microbiologist and gut health expert. He devoted his career to developing new medicines before he discovered the power of diet for his own digestive health. His goal is to develop holistic treatments for digestive and systemic illnesses based on a clear understanding of the underlying causes of disease.

Dr. Robillard recognized a connection between gas-producing bacteria in our intestines, nutritional malabsorption and the symptoms of acid reflux. Based on this research, he created the Fast Tract Diet for a variety of functional gastrointestinal disorders. The diet is a safe and effective alternative to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and H2 blocking drugs.

The following resources are available at the Digestive Health Institute:

§ The Fast Tract Digestion Heartburn and Fast Tract Digestion IBS books (http://digestivehealthinstitute.org/shop/).

§ The Fast Tract Diet Mobile App (http://www.fasttractdiet.com/) for putting the diet into action and tracking symptoms

§ Individualized consultation on the Fast Tract Diet (http://digestivehealthinstitute.org/consultation/)

The photo is of Norman Robillard.

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