Probiotics Supplements for Women’s Health
Let’s face it, women go through a lot. It’s no surprise that there are a large number of supplements for women on the market. Some are geared towards sexual health, others towards general lady problems. Then there are those like probiotic supplements, that are usually used for stomach health but also happen to have beneficial effects on the entire body for both women and men.
For this guide, we want to take a look at how they can help women specifically. It’s not that men aren’t important. It’s just that women’s health issues are unique and like we said… as women we have our own troubles that they have to contend with when it comes to health.
A Special Look Into Women’s Issues
Not only do we have to bare and mostly raise the children, women are often the centerpiece of every family, which means a lot of responsibility and running around. Many women don’t pay attention to their own needs as much as they do the needs of their partners, work or family.
Women are often powerhouses of the work force and of the home. Women statistically tend to sleep less and eat worse on the whole (either not eating enough or eating too much based on what is available in the drive through.) They can be overweight or underweight, simply because they don’t have time, on the whole to really focus on what they are taking into their body. Immune systems and stomachs are affected by their busy lifestyles.
Women also tend to hold their tension in their gut, and so the digestion is negatively affected just by living the way that we do. And who has time to take for oneself anyway? Not with that big project due or the science project that you need to help your child with for the science fair. But in order to keep all of the pieces together, we need to take care of ourselves as well.
Probiotics can help with that. But how?
Women’s Health and Probiotics
Aside from the wide array of awesome things that probiotics can do, they can also have a beneficial effect on all of the systems that are unique to the body of a woman. If you are a woman (or a man just curious about women’s health), you will be interested in all of the ways that probiotics are beneficial for women.
Healthy Bacteria
Probiotics are the good type of bacteria that exist everywhere in the human body. They exist to fight off excess germs and toxins that might be dangerous to the body. They also help breakdown material so that your body can function properly. If an illness is going around, healthy types of bacteria will help you fight the common cold, allergies, or any kind of infection that your body might become susceptible to.
These bacteria live anywhere you might be vulnerable, particularly in mucous membranes in the body. If someone has a cold and sneezes around you, these bacteria will form a full speed advance to attack the germs threatening to breach the perimeter.
When there is a buildup of toxins in the body it can cause a whole host of problems. Constipation, stress, high blood pressure and high cholesterol to name a few.
Yeast Infections
Yeast infections happen when good bacteria are killed from antibiotics. Research tells us that the more you encourage growth of healthy bacteria in the body, the better off your chances will be when it comes to fighting these dangerous infections. You can even cure halitosis by creating a lush environment for good bacteria to grow in.
Probiotics are promoted to improve the immune system, strengthen and help the digestive tract process food and toxins. They rebalance the microflora that can be found in the colon.
Two of the more common types of bacteria which are used as probiotics are Bifidobacterium and lactobacillus.
Probiotics and Healthy Body Image
Research shows that probiotics which include the lactobacillus gasseri bacteria for an average of 12 weeks actually reduced the fat content of the body. Women were also able to lose that pesky water weight. This is because the bacteria fought through and flush the toxins in the large intestine as well as helped to break up fat in the body.
Some fat stays in one place for so long it is very difficult to redistribute it, but probiotics help women be more energized, because things are moving better through their digestive tract and aids in weight loss as a result.
For this reason, many women take in probiotics as supplements, but also will should seek out foods that are high in probiotic content. Consuming both in conjunction with each other can have added benefits for all systems within a woman’s body.
Some foods with probiotic properties include:
- Kimchi
- Tempeh
- Miso
- Olives
- Yogurt
- Buttermilk
- True Pickles
- Sauerkraut
- Pickled ginger
- Super Biotic (8 different microorganisms which supplies a whopping 15 billion organisms per pill!)
Probiotics for Women’s Health
As stated, there are a number of ways in which probiotics can be helpful for women specifically. Here, we will take a closer look at some of the following ways in which ladies may find them to beneficial to their lifestyles in particular. If you have any of the following conditions or issues, you may want to consider adding probiotics to your women’s health supplement routine.
- Increase estrogen recycling
- Migraine headaches
- Osteoporosis
- Water retention
- Breast soreness
Increase estrogen recycling
The bacteria known as Beta Glucuronidase helps to enliven estrogen in your bloodstream which makes it run smoothly in the body and kept cycling. If there is not enough estrogen in the blood stream, because it’s not being held onto, it can all too easily pass through the intestinal tract and then cast aside as stool. Probiotics help make sure your body is keeping the enzymes that you need in order to function at a higher level.
Migraine Headaches
Many women don’t realize that the primary reason for their headaches have to do with being a bit stopped up in the digestion area. Healthy bacteria found in probiotics eat away at the bad bacteria that keeps you blocked up and allows the right amount of breaking down of food so that it can be safely eliminated as waste. The less toxins built up, the faster the headache will go away.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects millions of postmenopausal women all over the world. When the body begins to stop producing a certain amount of hormones, the bones slowly begin to decrease. Research has now begun to suggest that taking probiotics for osteoporosis and women’s health can effectively battle decreasing bone mass and bone break down as well as increase phosphorus in the blood.
Probiotics helps with osteoporosis by:
- Strengthening the immune system
- Allowing milk to break down in the digestive tract easier
- Enhances absorption of the phytoestrogens which are diminished during menopause
- And most importantly, probiotics increases the body’s overall ability to absorb calcium and magnesium, which as we all know, helps keep bones healthy!
Water Retention
Edema, or Water retention is caused by swelling in the body as a result of fluid build up. This fluid can be built up in the abdominal cavity, and lungs (which raises serious health concerns) and more commonly in the hands, arms, feet, legs and then the face.
When the blood leaks into the tissues of the body if the lymphatic system isn’t working correctly. Probiotics help to redistribute the fluid so that the blood can be sent back to the correct part of the body. It allows you to eliminate unnecessary fluids while letting the rest go where they need to go.
Breast soreness
Most common reasons that breasts are sore are as a result of swelling either after childbirth or before and during the menstrual cycle. Probiotics relieve swelling by gently redistributing the fluid to other parts of the body. This can be especially helpful before your period, before giving birth or while breastfeeding.
*Note: Always consult with your physician before including any women’s supplements if you are pregnant or nursing.
Ladies – Give Yourself A Break
If you are a busy person, and you don’t have time to do much, just remember – Probiotics are in your food, and you can easily buy a supplement that you can take every day with your morning coffee to help keep things going. You are the core of your family, of your friends’ network, give yourself the chance to feel good and keep your body going. If you take supplements you won’t have to think about much, but remember that you can also incorporate these kinds of foods in your dinners too.
Think of a nice Asian dinner meal with some pickled ginger! Or even just having yogurt for breakfast. You work hard, but your body doesn’t have to. Check out the kinds of women’s supplements you can use today and ensure the healthiest and most active lifestyle that is comfortable for you. You have a choice. No matter how you take them, probiotics allow you to take charge of your health in your way.