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Dr. Rakel explains what women should know about probiotics and prebiotics.
Dr. Rakel:
If you are pregnant and you’re interested in learning about probiotics, you should see that clip on pregnancy and probiotics but for general, women should generally use probiotics and again, the idea is how can we create a fertile soil so the seed of that bacteria grows and is healthy? So in order to do that we need a nice emotional environment, we need the mucus, we need the fiber in our diet but sometimes if we need antibiotics over a long period of time or if we have to go through breast cancer radiation or chemotherapy, that might deplete the healthy bacteria. So we actually have to re-inoculate or replant those seeds of bacteria.
And if that’s the case that if someone is on an antibiotic, so I usually tell people to start a probiotic towards the end of the antibiotic because if you take the probiotics while you are on the antibiotic the antibiotic will just destroy the probiotic. So you start it towards the end of the course of the antibiotic and take it for two weeks after and then hopefully that will re-inoculate those healthy bacteria.
But also remember prebiotics – prebiotics are those foods or the nutrients that the bacteria need to be healthy. Foods that are really good at prebiotics are foods that often make us smell like garlic and onions and asparagus – these are high in a chemical that these bacteria love to eat, not a chemical but a food, and so those foods, bananas is another one, artichokes is another one – these foods are really good for these healthy bacteria to grow and maintain that healthy eco system.
About Dr. Rakel, M.D.:
Dr. David Rakel, M.D., attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and completed a family practice residency in Greeley, Colorado. He spent the next five years in rural practice as one of two physicians staffing a 14 bed hospital in Driggs, Idaho. As medical director for Grand Targhee Ski resort in Wyoming, he developed an interest in sports medicine and received his Certificate of Added Qualification in 1999.
Dr. Rakel completed a two year fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona from 1999-2001. He joined the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine in 2001 where he teaches and practices, and is the medical director for the University of Wisconsin Health Integrative Medicine. Dave is board certified in family medicine, holistic medicine and sports medicine. He is also certified in Interactive Guided Imagery.
Visit Dr. Rakel at The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health