Probiotics are well known for their presence in our small and large intestine, but there are actually human microbiota in our oral cavity, respiratory tract, genito-urinary tract and skin too!  There are 100,000 billion microbes in the intestine and only 1,000 billion on our skin, and this colonization begins at birth, assuming the mother has a vaginal birth. As the baby travels through the birth canal she/he is coated in the mother’s bacteria and begins to colonize these as her own.  In the case of a c-section birth a baby is robbed of this “gift” from her mother and comes from a sterile environment (the uterus) into a hospital setting, where her first exposure is to hospital bacteria such as ...

Our intestines do the vast majority of the digestive process. Use of HCl without a buffering agent (bile) weakens the activity of the intestines, as the digestive juices in the stomach require an alkaline environment to fully work. In the stomach, acidic reactions prevail; in the duodenum it must be alkaline. The stomach attempts to give the body sodium to form the bases by increasing the breakdown of salt into sodium and chlorine. NaCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + NaHCO3 (sodium hydrogen carbonate) The base NaHCO3 is more important for digestion and is given preferential treatment. As the HCl leaves the border cells in the stomach and enters the lumen, the base is taken by the blood to ...

For years, bananas have had a bad wrap. Dieters were told to avoid bananas because they were too high in calories. Bananas have amazing benefits. High in fibre, a natural antacid, with blood pressure benefits, for anemia, and so much more. Here are some things that you may not know about bananas.  Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Hence the expression, “going bananas”. ...

Submitted by Edison student Tammy Gouweloos, RDH www.barriedentalhygiene.ca     Oral Health is linked to the overall health of an individual.   Optimal Oral Health has several basic components: Strong immune system Healthful food choices and client-specific nutritional supplements Regular professional dental care Great home oral care regime with effective, safe products Balance in life activities: work, exercise and play   In previous articles in Healthy Smiles For A Healthy Lifetime, I have discussed many topics: It’s All About the Bugs, The Mouth-Body Connection, Achieving Optimal Oral Health and Brighter Healthier Smiles to name a few. Researching oral health products that are effective and safe is challenging as there are many ingredients in common oral health products that are considered ...

The ideal solution to produce the best drinking water is steam distilled water.  Distilled water is 99.9% pure, clean, safe water.  A water distiller is not a filter.  The distiller boils the tap water, creates steam and cools the steam back to pure water, slowly accumulating in a storage vessel or tank.  The boiling process kills micro-organisms.  The process separates all of the water from all the grunge in the water.  The distiller can’t plug up like a filter, since it is not a filter.  Therefore, the quality of the distilled water is constant. Water distillers are available in manual-fill counter top design as well as larger automated units installed in the basement of a home that pump distilled water ...