Probiotics may ease gut disorders

Another unsurprising finding. There is also recent evidence that normal flora provide protection against some types of cancer as well. Below, I make a case that traditional chinese herbs and diet may be unable to alleviate this problem without the addition of modern probiotic supplements.

The chinese have long expressed concern about digestive health and the potential damage done by bitter heat clearing (anti-bacterial) herbs. In modern times, we know that the overuse of antibiotics leads to disruption of intestinal flora and candida overgrowth, food allergies and autoimmunity.

It would seem to me that in order to fully treat theses iatrogenic conditions, one will need to restore normal flora. I doubt the Chinese had a conception of beneficial symbiotes living in the human gut. all literature seems focused on the harmful parasites known to be there. Yet in order to successfully treat these conditions, normal flora would have to be restored. This didn't necessarily have to be done directly or with knowledge of microbiology, it just had to happen as an indirect effect of therapy.

The source of intestinal flora is fermentation. As long as the chinese were eating fermented foods and providing a good growth medium for these critters, all is good. In fact, healthy chinese diet probably included some naturally fermented foods (miso). Water soluble fiber (from various grains and veggies) and mucilage (as found in seaweeds and funguses; typical of congees) also are now known to feed normal flora and inhibit the bad ones. Digestive aids containing enzymes (like shen qu and mai ya) also improve the implantation of flora. Add to this chinese herbs to improve digestion, such as huang qi, bai zhu, etc. If strong digestive "qi" is said to prevent leakages, I think this concept is easily extended to the microscopic level to prevent leakage of poisons from the intestines into the bloodstream. All this suggests that skillful chinese medicine could have treated this condition without any knowledge of microbiology—just good convalescent diet and herbs for the GI tract. However, I think the chinese did not have to wrestle with the degree of flora disruption experienced by modern patients. It also underscores a vital point; these conditions do not resolve well without addressing the diet and flora. If a person is unwilling or unable to eat a convalesecent diet with adequate flora, mucilage, enzymes, etc, then it is vital that one supplement with these things in order to effect full recovery. In fact, I am skeptical that this can be accomplished with traditional diet and herbs.

Herbalist Simon Mills also points out something very interesting. There is abundant evidence that the activity of many herbs is based upon changes caused to the active constituents of those herbs by the intestinal flora. The herbs are not as active in deranged gut environments. Thus, the importance placed upon digestion by all herbal traditions worldwide and a reminder to us that we cannot expect to successfully treat many chronic illnesses without use of therapeutic diet or supplements to make up for dietary deficiencies. This is one of the main uses I make of my background in naturopathy.

I have found that most people will not eat a traditional chinese diet and thus it is necessary to consider what is lost when eating even a wholesome american diet. I suggest that many people do not get adequate mucilage, fiber, enzymes, antioxidants, minerals, and ferments in even a low fat fish and veggies diet. Many of the important sources of these substances are just not considered palatable (such as seaweed) and whole grains are still hard to come by outside the home (I really wrestle with this one‚—I can eat freshly cooked refined grains when I am at work or microwaved whole grains I bring from home). We can't overlook this crucial component of our patient's healing process and we can't be so stubborn to think that only adherence to Chinese diet is the way to address this.