The word bacteria is enough to send the average person scrambling for anti-bacterial handsoap, frantic to eliminate these miniature disease carriers from their systems. But bacteria have gotten a bad rap and, in fact, good bacteria function throughout your body to keep you healthy. Getting these “good guys” out of whack can cause you to become sick.
Researchers at the National Human Genome Research project found that an average of 1,000 different types of bacteria live on each person’s skin! Clearly, if all bacteria were bad, you’d be losing the battle to stay healthy. Good bacteria even helps fight off some of the bad bacteria that causes illness or disease.
One key to bacteria’s role in your body is balance, or keeping the good bacteria at a healthy level. To understand the role of bacteria and how probiotics – the general name given to “good” bacteria sold in supplements or occurring naturally in some foods – work to maintain that balance of good and bad bacteria. But first let’s talk first about what happens in a healthy digestive system – coming up next on DrChalla.com.
To your health,
Dr. Shekhar Challa
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