Disturbance of intestinal microflora (dysbacteriosis) is a condition in which the balance between beneficial intestinal bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) and pathogenic ones (klebsiella, proteus, enterobacteria, etc.) is disturbed.
KARINA GYAMJYAN
Candidate of Medical Sciences EKATERINA ZAGREBINA Candidate of Medical Sciences, gastroenterologist, hepatologist "SM-Clinic"
Gastrointestinal diseases
Microorganisms in the human intestine take up a lot of space. But in terms of mass, they weigh approximately 2-3 kg for an adult. A person of such weight not only has to be given water and food, but often also treated.
Artificial support is also often required for the intestines under conditions of stress, poor nutrition, and a sedentary lifestyle. And so-called probiotics and prebiotics are suitable for this case.
What are probiotics and prebiotics
Probiotics are beneficial substances for the human intestines.
Probiotics contain microorganisms specifically from among the beneficial inhabitants of the human intestine (these are symbiotic bacteria).
This drug also contains waste products of these types of bacteria. Drinking probiotics means populating your intestines with the “right tenants.”
Prebiotics do not contain microorganisms, but they are able to create optimal conditions for their development in the intestines. Often, these drugs consist of acids, enzymes, and oligosaccharides. It is these substances that microorganisms are accustomed to using as food, and prebiotics thus feed them and stimulate their development and growth.
Drugs to improve digestion
Festal is one of the most popular drugs
If there is a malfunction in digestion, it can be improved only by following a diet and taking medications. All drugs can be divided into several groups, each of which differs in its main active ingredient and its effect:
- Preparations containing pancreatin as the main component. It is pancreatin that is the enzyme that can provide immediate support in case of digestive disorders. Such medications include Pancreatin, Mezim, Penzital, Creon
- Preparations that, in addition to pancreatin, contain other auxiliary components, such as hemicellulose, bile acids, etc. These components help break down complex sugar compounds, improve intestinal activity and the production of enzymes by the pancreas. The main drugs in this group include Festal, Enzistal, Panzinorm
- Drugs that help normalize the exocrine activity of the pancreas. Such drugs include Somilaza, Nigedaza, Oraza
Only a doctor can prescribe this or that drug after a thorough examination, since independent selection of medications will not always be correct. In some cases, it will be better to drink Festal than Pancreatin, as many do.
Classification of probiotics and prebiotics
Bifidumbacterin is a drug containing bifidobacteria.
Probiotics come in four forms. Monocomponent (they contain only one type of microorganisms):
- Bifidobacteria – “Bifidumbacterin”;
- Lactobacilli – “Lactobacterin”;
- Colibacteria – “Colibacterin”.
Multicomponent (contains several types of microorganisms):
Is there a “magic pill”?
Probiotic preparations appeared somewhere in the middle of the last century. Then they spread. The drugs demonstrated their remarkable properties in numerous experiments.
This group of drugs had practically no contraindications, and many thought that a magic elixir had been found. I took a pill and forgot about my health problems. But these were only forecasts. In practice, many patients simply wasted their money, and the results were not always pleasing to the patients. Currently, more and more reports have begun to come not about the benefits of the drug, but about its harm to health.
The effect of probiotics and prebiotics
Bifiform is a drug containing both prebiotics and probiotics.
Single-celled “antibiotics”, when they enter the intestines, begin a war immediately. The war for free living space.
These microorganisms begin to actively colonize the intestinal wall and leave virtually no room for pathogenic organisms.
As they settle in, beneficial bacteria are ready to change the pH of the environment towards acidic. Causative agents of intestinal infections are not ready to put up with “sour life” and so they simply die.
It is also worth noting that some types of bacteria have learned to synthesize antibiotics, which also affect harmful microbes.
This is why probiotics and prebiotics can be used during intestinal infections.
Festal
Festal refers to enzyme preparations, which in addition to pancreatin also contain hemicellulose and bovine bile powder. Hemicellulose helps the stomach break down fiber, but ox bile powder improves lipase activity, and as a result promotes normal absorption of fats and vitamins. Thanks to these properties of its constituent components, Festal is able to quickly improve digestion and have an effect on the entire digestive system. It is recommended to use Festal:
- For problems with the production of enzymes by the pancreas
- For diarrhea, but only if the main cause is not an intestinal infection
- For flatulence
- For irritable bowel syndrome
- Festal is also recommended to be taken to improve digestion, especially when a large amount of spicy, fatty, salty food has been eaten.
Some experts advise taking a Festal tablet before an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs.
As for contraindications, it is prohibited to take Festal if:
- A person has acute pancreatitis
- Jaundice of any origin
- Hepatitis
- Intestinal obstruction
- There is individual intolerance to individual components of the drug
- Festal is prescribed with caution to patients who have a disease such as diabetes mellitus because the shell contains glucose and sucrose.
You can buy Festal at any pharmacy kiosk, and its price is quite affordable.
Why probiotics can fail and what affects this
Before taking probiotics, you need to properly prepare your body.
Often, probiotics begin to fail due to inadequate treatment, if we try to influence only the symptoms of the disease, but without eliminating its causes:
- Hormonal disorders, chronic infections and diseases;
- Nutritional deficiency over a long period of time (low intake of plant fiber from food, insufficient consumption of fermented milk products, during fasting and a monocomponent diet);
- Long-term use of medications (more than 7-14 days of treatment with antibiotics, treatment with antisecretory agents, laxatives, oral contraceptives, corticosteroids);
- Also excessive consumption of flavor enhancers, dyes, preservatives;
- For immunodeficiency.
Elderly people are particularly at risk. Also people who have undergone abdominal surgery. In all the cases described above, conditions unsuitable for the existence of beneficial bacteria remain in the intestines for a long time.
And consequently, taking probiotics and prebiotics at these moments may not give the desired result, but only have temporary effects. If you start taking medications correctly, you should prepare your body in advance:
- Achieve remission of chronic diseases;
- Restore hormonal levels;
- Get rid of foci of infection;
- Adjust your diet.
The video story will tell you about the restoration of intestinal microflora and prebiotics:
Restoration of intestinal microflora
If you notice any signs of dysbiosis, it is recommended to immediately consult a gastroenterologist.
The basis of treatment is to eliminate the cause that caused the disruption of intestinal microflora. If dysbiosis is caused by antibiotics, their use must be stopped, and if due to the wrong regimen or diet, you need to return to the original diet. However, the symptoms of dysbiosis themselves also need treatment. For dysbiosis, 3 types of treatment are recommended:
- Diet;
- Prebiotics;
- Probiotics.
Probiotics “to order”
This is a fairly new direction. Scientists are forced to engage in such developments due to the rejection of any types of drugs from the probiotic groups in some organisms.
Since there are frequent cases when the drug is rejected by the indigenous intestinal microflora. As if it were a foreign organ being transplanted, despite significant kinship. And even the best probiotics cannot always get along in such conditions.
This is how “custom-made” probiotics began to appear. They are created from the flora of this person. The method involves freezing normal human intestinal flora in liquid nitrogen. And then it is used as a probiotic if necessary.
Thus, on the eve of a stressful situation for the body, it will be possible to prepare treatment for it in advance using its own microflora, simply prepare a sample in a cryobank.
This can also be done on the eve of long-term medication use, pregnancy, on the eve of surgery, a business trip and other cases.
Strategies
Lactobacterin is a drug containing natural intestinal microflora.
All groups of probiotics can be divided into two large groups.
The most common probiotics available are those that contain natural intestinal microflora. Among these drugs the following names can be noted:
- "Mutaflor";
- "Colibacterin";
- "Nutrolin";
- "Lactobacill";
- "Biobakton";
- "Lactobacterin";
- "Bifidumbacterin".
These drugs contain either bifidobacteria, or lactobacilli, or colibacteria. This group has been used in medicine for more than 80 years and is quite well studied. The advantages of these drugs:
- Almost complete absence of contraindications;
- Almost complete absence of side effects;
- Mild physiological effect.
Disadvantages of these drugs
It is worth noting that the therapeutic effect of these drugs decreases every year. After all, in order to provide the proper therapeutic effect, such drugs need to undergo a course of settling in the intestines.
Creon
Most gastroenterologists recommend taking Creon, as it is available in capsule form. As mentioned above, the effectiveness of capsules is much higher, since the drug penetrates not only the stomach, but also the intestines. The main active ingredient in Creon is pancreatin, which very well stimulates the production of all necessary enzymes. It is prescribed during treatment:
- Chronic pancreatitis
- After operations performed on the gastrointestinal tract
- Cystic fibrosis
- Oncological diseases, namely tumors formed in the immediate vicinity of the stomach and pancreas, thereby interfering with their normal functioning
- Creon is also recommended to be taken during a large meal (at corporate parties, holidays, etc.) in order to improve digestion and prevent the occurrence of indigestion.
It is recommended to take one capsule before each meal. It is advisable to simply drink it with water and not chew it, so that the drug enters not only the stomach, but also the intestines. Separately, it is necessary to say about side effects. The drug does not have them as such, but as regards the reaction of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea may develop and pain in the stomach area will appear. Some patients develop hives. Usually this is the body’s reaction not to pancreatin, but to the auxiliary components of the medicine.
Creon is one of the drugs that can improve digestion. True, it is considered much stronger than Pancreatin, and therefore can only be taken after a doctor’s prescription.
