We prefer this brand because...

There is an overwhelming array of probiotics available, and we have explored several professional formulas. BioMaintenance is an ultra-high potency, time-tested favorite in our clinic for years. It meets our specifications in nine important ways:

1. One capsule provides 50 billion good bacteria, a huge number so there is an ample dose of live bacteria at the time of taking it.
2. These species of bacteria are very stable at room temperature with a long shelf life, further ensuring that plenty of bacteria are still viable when taken.
3. The special gum capsule can withstand stomach acid, protecting the probiotics so they can pass through the stomach to be delivered intact and viable into the intestinal tract.
4. Good bacteria must be evenly distributed throughout the lengthy intestinal tract, which this formula allows.
5. Such species are able to effectively attach to the intestinal lining and reproduce.
6. These five strains of bacteria are known in clinical studies to be highly effective.
7. In our clinic, patients have ongoing excellent responses with long and short-term use with BioMaintenance for immune boosting, chronic constipation, diarrhea, respiratory and gynecological infections, and more.
8. BioMaintenance is easy to remember and easy for travel because it does not need refrigeration.
9. These probiotic bacteria can help to maintain a healthy level of oxalates in the gut.

About this product

The term “probiotics” refers to the 100 trillion beneficial bacteria that naturally occur and line every part of a healthy human digestive tract, from mouth to anus from birth onwards, which encourages healthy digestion, better food breakdown, improved immune function and brings a host of other cardiovascular, skin, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging benefits. Flooding the bowel with “good” bacteria can crowd out noxious microbes including candida yeast and bacteria that putrefy food and produce irritant by-products such as putrescine and cadaverine that contribute to gas, cramps and irritable bowel disorders.

Our gastrointestinal tracts are finely tuned ecosystems that naturally house at least 500 types of flora. Nine times more total bacteria in the bowel than cells in the body! Billions reside in the small intestine, primarily the Lactobacillus family, and even greater numbers in the colon where the Bifidobacterium family are predominant. We first acquire lactobacillus during our birth process, then bifidobacteria are passed through breast milk. As we grow, numerous other species arrive from food and thrive in our guts. There is a finite amount of space for microbes in the gut: helpful flora colonize the gut to crowd out invading microbes and starve them as they are more proficient at obtaining nutrients. The human body relies upon normal flora to break down food and absorb nutrients, metabolize drugs, increase the bioavailability of minerals, stabilize the intestinal barrier and reduce its permeability, and to generate vitamin K and lactase.

The term dysbiosis means a disturbance in the healthy microbiome balance. Dysbiosis can be caused by excessive sugar, refined carbohydrate, excessive fat in the diet or low fiber intake that slow peristalsis; antibiotics and other drugs; stress; lack of digestive secretions from the bile and pancreas; or food allergies.

There are five keys to healthy digestion:

1. An optimal balance of microbes in the gut.
2. Ample digestive secretions appearing at the right times, including bile that helps to break down fats, pancreatic enzymes for protein, fat and carbohydrate absorption, salivary enzymes and hydrochloric acid.
3. Well-functioning peristalsis, the bowel muscle movement that propels food along at a correct pace.
4. A strong ileocecal valve that keeps colon contents out of the end of the small bowel: this valve can be weakened by constipation leading to backwash of unwanted colon bacteria.
5. Ample secretory IgA, the antibody that protects and lines the mucous membranes.

For digestive health, numerous clinical studies on probiotics continue to document abundant benefits. For heartburn or GERD, probiotics can inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria including Helicobacter pylori infection that causes ulcers in children and adults and make the pH and stomach environment less hospitable to pathogens. They may also lead to more complete eradication of H. Pylori during antibiotic treatment, and offset antibiotic side effects including bloat, diarrhea, and taste disturbances. Probiotics may block harmful bacteria from attaching to sites in the gut, and they produce chemical mediators that antagonize pathogens. Immune system stimulation by probiotics also plays a role in suppressing potentially harmful organisms in the intestinal tract and aiding in digestion.

To help irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) we find that flooding the bowel with “good” bacteria very often brings excellent symptom relief as well as restoring healthy gut flora. Studies show that small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) may be a factor for up to 80% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome IBS. Normally the small intestine has relatively few bacteria compared to the colon which has many. But if there are excessive noxious bacteria in the small intestine, they compete for food which is being broken down. These “unfriendly” bacteria ferment carbohydrates to cause SIBO symptoms including gas, bloating and uncomfortable distention, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. They can also degrade proteins to produce vasoactive amines such as tyramine, histamine, putrescine and cadaverine. These amines affect the smooth muscle of gut blood vessels which can constrict or dilate too much. This disturbance in blood supply can result in increased gut permeability where food fragments leak into the circulation before they are fully broken down (leaky gut syndrome). In turn, this can increase distant inflammation in other tissues such as joints. This is how dysbiosis and SIBO lead to “leaky gut” which then contributes to inflammatory arthritis.

To improve constipation, probiotics often help our patients resume regular, easy bowel movements. Probiotics have a crucial role in the internal health of the bowel; they enhance food breakdown and absorption and can help generate vitamins. ‘Friendly’ bacteria in the colon use insoluble fiber from high-fiber foods such as beans, whole grains and vegetables as fuel. As these bacteria ferment fiber they produce butyric acid, a four-carbon short-chain fatty acid. Butyric acid is the favorite fuel for colon cells, and it helps maintain good motility and a healthy colon lining. “’Friendly” bacteria also generate propionic acid and acetic acid, beneficial fuels for liver and muscle cells. So probiotics can crowd out noxious bacteria, and provide a good supply of healthy nourishment for colon cells, and significantly enhance better colon function.

For chronic candidiasis, which is overgrowth of the usually benign yeast candida albicans following damage to the intestinal lining that can be caused by excessive refined dietary carbohydras or sugar, drugs or antibiotic use, or impaired immunity, probiotics restore a normal flora balance which in turn boosts immune function.

Probiotics have a key role in prolonging remissions for the inflammatory bowel diseases Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis; they are less relevant soothing acute flare-ups. Because Crohn’s, and to a lesser extent ulcerative colitis, are both linked with antibiotic use, replenishing the bowel with abundant ‘good’ bacteria that biologically match our natural bacteria is a mainstay of care. In some studies, probiotics appeared to be as effective as the standard drug treatments for preventing relapse or maintaining remission. There has also been evidence that the inflammation of Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis may stem from the immune system fighting direct infection from invading viruses or bacteria. The mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) may be involved the development of Crohn’s disease: researchers have found MAP in the blood and intestinal tissue of people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Crowding out infective bugs with probiotics can support the body in eliminating infection. Pouchitis, a complication of surgery for ulcerative colitis, can also be helped by probiotics. Research indicates that taking a combination of concentrated lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, and streptococcus for one year seems to help most patients.

Beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract may account for as much as 80% of our immune system’s activity. Taking probiotics helps immune function in several ways. Helpful bacteria lining the intestine form a living barrier against microorganisms that arrive with food or invading pathogens. Some varieties of probiotics are capable of directly killing thousands of species of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and yeast. Acidophilus species can release powerful antimicrobial compounds in the gut such as acidolin-1, acidophilin and lactocidin which kill unwanted bugs. Friendly bacteria can also produce a number of immune-boosting mediators such as transfer factor and lactoferrin as well as B-vitamins that provide nutritional support for the immune system. It is now thought that about 70% of the body’s immune system cells occur in the colon within a layer of lymphoid tissue just below the epithelial cells lining the gut. Probiotics may restore levels of secretory IgA, the antibody that naturally lines and protects mucous membranes. Probiotics can stimulate the immune system’s gut-associated lymphoid tissue, or GALT. Acidophilus species can boost immune cytokines which kill unwanted cells, improving phagocytic activity and antibody production as well as phagocytosis of Salmonella. Helpful intestinal flora communicates with lymph nodes, part of the immune system, to help them recognize “normal cells”, and focus on attacking potentially harmful cells or invaders within the body.

For frequent, recurring or prolonged colds and flu, probiotics improve resistance against viruses and boost immune function. L. acidophilus has been shown to reduce symptoms of fever, cough, and runny nose. Studies have found that probiotic supplements can prevent recurrent streptococcal pharyngitis and tonsillitis in adults. Other clinical trials showed that children aged 3 to 5 who received probiotics for colds had a 53% lower rate of fevers, a 41% reduction in coughs, and a 28% reduction in runny noses. Antibiotic use was decreased by 84% for the children on probiotics.
In the case of sinusitis, research suggests that friendly bacteria such as L. acidophilus may actually decrease nasal congestion. We see in our clinic that flooding the body with probiotics can help override infectious microbes and reduce the intensity and frequency of sinus infections.
Gingivitis, chronic inflammation, and bleeding of the gums can be greatly helped by probiotics. Hundreds of bacterial species live within the mouth, some beneficial and others detrimental. Bacteria form plaque, a sticky film on teeth and at the gum line, where they can release toxins that cause irritation and bleeding. When minerals from saliva combine with plaque, hard tartar develops that requires scaling to be removed, not just brushing. Eventually pockets develop between the teeth and gums, where bacteria multiply fast in a sheltered harbor. These bacteria release exotoxins and endotoxins leading to chronic inflammation, or periodontitis. Exotoxins are excreted by living bacteria or released upon their death, and cause damage by disrupting normal cellular metabolism. Endotoxins are structural constituents of bacteria, usually found in the outer membrane, often lipopolysaccharide which triggers the immune system to release potent inflammatory chemicals. These toxins cannot be destroyed by stomach acids or easily tackled by the immune system, and many are absorbed directly from the capillaries in the mouth directly into the bloodstream. Probiotics can coat the gums and fill pockets, interfere with toxin absorption, and prevent inflammation from progressing. We often recommend that patients open a capsule into cool water and swill thoroughly for five minutes after brushing, then swallow the probiotic liquid.

We recommend taking probiotics after antibiotic therapy, to replace the good microbes killed as antibiotics do their job. We see little point in using probiotics along with antibiotic drugs whose job is to indiscriminately destroy bacteria, good and bad!

Asthma is twice as common in children who received antibiotics before age one, probably because of disturbance to the normal flora of the gut and respiratory passages, studies show that lactobacillus and bifidobacteria reduce asthma and eczema, both atopic allergic conditions. Probiotics reduce inflammatory chemicals and boost IgA, a helpful antibody on the gut and lung linings that removes irritant allergens. Children with high intestinal IgA at age six months have only half the risk of developing asthma or eczema over the following two years. Eczema patients have excessive activity of certain immune white blood cells and mast cells producing histamine, and deficits in immune cells that kill skin bacteria. They often also have excess antibodies against bowel candida indicating overgrowth. Probiotics often bring significant improvements for eczema. Infants whose mothers took probiotics during pregnancy have one-third the rate of childhood eczema.

Gynecological conditions are much helped by probiotics: For vaginal yeast, oral probiotics boost immune function and find their way to colonize the vaginal ecosystem. A douche is also effective: one capsule of BioMaintenance mixed in about 30 ml of cool water, introduced with a syringe or just a teaspoon to relieve odor, itching and burning. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the dominant species in vaginal flora, and its production of lactic acid maintains the naturally low vaginal pH of 3.5 to 4.5 which inhibits growth of yeast and pathogens. Lactobacilli also release hydrogen peroxide that research finds makes the environment inhospitable to microbial overgrowth including Gardnerella and trichomonas; and bacteriocins that kill or inhibit growth of microbes and yeast. Probiotics attach to the vaginal lining, blocking out other bacteria, and make bio-surfactants that prevent invading bacteria from adhering. Clinical trials show that oral and vaginal probiotic treatment can reestablish normal vaginal flora and prevent future yeast overgrowth or bacterial imbalance. Cystitis that is recurrent also benefits from oral probiotics to support whole-body systemic immunity, and to attach to the bladder walls to prevent colonization by pathogens. Vaginal douching as above helps restore healthy pelvic flora which further protects against urinary tract infections, especially after antibiotics.

For acne, probiotics have been known to be helpful since the 1940s. Healthy gut microflora can improve the lipid balance in skin, improve blood sugar balance, reduce systemic inflammation, and replenish good bacteria after antibiotics which are too often used for acne. Probiotics enhance immune function, improving resistance against Propionibacterium acnes and other acne-causing microbes. Higher levels of good bacteria throughout the body help crowd out noxious ones. There is evidence that emotional stress, depression, and anxiety disturb normal intestinal flora, increase gut permeability and increase sebum production in the skin. Up to 40% of acne sufferers may have impaired levels of digestive enzymes, allowing for more overgrowth of noxious gut bacteria which impair immune function.

Rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory joint conditions from lupus and collagen disorders have been recognized for years to be helped by probiotics. Friendly bacteria in studies reduce pain, self-assessed disability, and inflammatory markers including CRP and improve the ability to walk two miles and range of daily activities. For silent inflammation, probiotics including L. acidophilus have been found in clinical research to decrease serum C-reactive protein levels and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines from hostile microbes. This has far-reaching benefits for heart, skin and joint health, and chronic disease risk.

Cholesterol totals and ratios may benefit from probiotics taken daily. Evidence indicates that Lactobacillus species can reduce total and “bad” LDL cholesterol while maintaining “good” HDL levels. Probiotic bacteria can bind bile acids to cholesterol as it passes through the digestive tract, and the bile-cholesterol complex can gently be excreted from the bowel. Probiotics may boost fatty acid formation in the intestine, then blood fat levels drop, either because cholesterol is moved out from blood into the liver or because the liver makes less of it. Probiotics may also help reduce atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries. Preliminary research suggests that L. acidophilus may reduce risk for coronary heart disease by 6-10%.

Brain health and mood may be much helped by probiotics, according to recent research. Doses need to be high: over 112.5 billion colony-forming units or CFUs daily, well covered in two capsules of BioMaintenance. Probiotics may work in three ways: (1) bacteria that live or are introduced into the gut help to make neurochemicals there, including wellbeing serotonin and dopamine, and relaxing GABA. These may signal to the brain via the vagus nerve; (2) improved gut neurochemical levels reduces the secretion of stress hormones like cortisol; (3) probiotics regulate the immune system and calm inflammation which is now considered to be one underlying cause of depression, anxiety and “brain fog”.

Early studies indicate that animal behavior improves with better gut flora. Since June 2013 human studies have confirmed a gut bacteria-brain link in humans. MRI scans show that regular probiotics alter the activity of brain regions that control emotion and sensation. Researchers now propose that medically supervised probiotic supplementation may be a therapy for anxiety and depression. Further, probiotic supplementation may improve memory. Several published studies indicate that probiotics can help with ability to learn and information retention, and with spatial memory for physical tasks. Even with a processed Western diet, adding probiotics can reduce anxiety, possibly ease ADHD and OCD, improve memory, and prevent weight gain.

Weight may also be helped by probiotics. Since 2012, data has shown that friendly gut bacteria can block fat absorption from the gut. Probiotics may interfere with or degrade bile salts as they enter the intestine from the bile ducts. Without bile to emulsify fats, fat absorption is limited. One study found that after three months people lost about 8% of the visceral fat around the heart and organs, which is linked with disease risk, and up to 3% of their belly fat. Sugar and processed foods encourage overgrowth of candida yeast and noxious bacteria, leading to fatigue, less activity and more weight gain. Overweight people have more of the kinds of bacteria that convert complex carbohydrates into fat, and as they lose weight these species decline, and microbes predominate that are less likely to promote fat assimilation. A 2014 study found that over six months people taking lactobacillus lost weight even when they ceased to restrict calories, while the control group without probiotics regained pounds. Gut bacteria seem to affect appetite. Bugs that need sugar signal more sugar-cravings to the brain and may worsen insulin resistance and inflammation; crowding them out with probiotics can improve sugar cravings and metabolism.

Contents

1 capsule provides:
Probiotic Blend: 50 billion organisms CFU:
Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS®-1, Bifidobacterium lactis UABla-12™,
Lactobacillus plantarum UALp-05™, Lactobacillus paracasei UALpc-04™,
Lactobacillus casei UALc-03™, Lactobacillus brevis UALbr-03™,
Lactobacillus rhamnosus UALr-18™, Bifidobacterium breve UABbr-11™,
Lactobacillus salivarius UALs-07™, Bifidobacterium bifidum UABb-10™,
Bifidobacterium longum UABl-14™,Lactobacillus gasseri UALg-05™,

Other Ingredients: Rice maltodextrin, Vegetable delayed release capsule (Hypromellose, Gellan gum), Organic rice fiber, Organic rice extract blend

This product does not contain artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, preservatives, binders, fillers, stearates, dairy, gluten, tree nuts or peanuts.

Cautions

Always take natural remedies under the supervision of your health care provider. Do not use BioMaintenance without the advice of your healthcare professional if you take immunosuppressant medications including azathioprine (Imuran), cyclosporine, muromonab-CD3, prednisone, or other corticosteroids as probiotics contain live bacteria. The immune system usually controls bacteria in the body to prevent infections, medications that decrease the immune system may theoretically increase your chances of side effects or infection from bacteria.

Rarely probiotics may temporarily increase intestinal gas or bloating, which usually resolves within hours. Antibiotics will kill the ‘good’ probiotic bacteria so take BioMaintenance after completing a course of antibiotic medications.

BioMaintenance is stable at room temperature and can be taken with unheated food such as salad, fruit, a smoothie or a sandwich, but it should not be taken with hot food as heat can inactivate the probiotics. It should be stored away from direct sunlight.

If you are pregnant consult your healthcare provider before starting BioMaintenance. Probiotics are generally considered safe during pregnancy, but every case is different, and not all strains have been studied extensively for safe use during pregnancy.