beneficial bacteria and yeast

Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria and yeast that live in our intestinal tracts and help support not only good digestion and optimal absorption of nutrients but our overall health and well being.  It sounds strange, but these single cell organisms affect us in ways we can hardly imagine and which modern science is now beginning to elucidate.  Probiotics may help promote healthy mood, keep us from sniffling and sneezing, and bind toxins and heavy metals (like mercury) in order to better excrete these poisons.  By the time we are adults, 3-4 lbs of our body weight is accounted for by these organisms alone!  However, most of us in modern industrial society do not have an optimal mix of intestinal bacteria due to antibiotics, antacids, stress, lack of sleep, fast food, and hydrogenated oils, among other culprits.