why probiotics are necessary

Lack of sleep=========The bacteria in your gut are directly affected by yourcircadian rhythms, which are the regular physical andmental changes that occur in your body over 24 hours (yoursleep/wake cycle). When you sleep your body produces the hormone melatonin,and this causes your white blood cell production toincrease. These white blood cells attack and kill theunfriendly bacteria in your gut. White blood cells also increase production of T cells andnatural killer cells, which both also destroy bad bacteria.So when you don't get a full 8 hours of sleep (and veryfew people do these days), you're missing out on yourbody's natural nighttime attack against bad bacteria... soyou automaticaly have more bad bacteria in your gut.========================Stress attacks your intestines========================Your mind and body are connected. Many scientists nowaffirm that the mind and body are one, not separate. Thereis no clearer evidence of this than the relationshipbetween stress and your gut. For example, just think of the last time you got a stomachache or butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous. Chronic stress attacks the protective mucousal lining ofthe intestines. Stress makes it so the intestine can'tfight off unfriendly bacteria and other pathogens like E-coli and salmonella. So the bad flora grows and makes youa candidate for leaky gut syndrome. =============Chlorinated water=============Chlorinated water (which includes the tap water that comesout of your home faucet) kills the beneficial bacteria inyour intestinal tract. This is bad because unless youhave enough healthy bacteria in your intestines, the badbacteria can easily take over your intestinal walls. In addition, chlorinated water also contains carcinogens(cancer-causing agents) that harm your immune systemfunction. ========Antibiotics========Although the importance of antibiotics cannot bequestioned, antibiotics not only kill the disease-causingbacteria in your body, but they kill your good bacteria aswell. This means that after a round of antibiotics, your gutflora is in serious imbalance and the bad bacteriatypically end up crowding out the good.This compromises your immune system and makes yoususceptible to getting another infection. This will leadto another course of antibiotics and even more badbacterial overgrowth. Millions of people (maybe even you) have gone through thisvicious cycle of repeated infections and courses ofantibiotics. Now you know why it happened. =====Smoking=====The harmful affects of smoking don't stop in the lungs.When you inhale smoke, it also enters your stomach andintestines. Once it reaches the intestines, the nicotineand 6,000 other chemicals in cigarette smoke destroy yourgood bacteria and make it difficult or impossible for themto survive and multiply. That's why smokers often have problems from their throatsall the way to the other end. I bet you never thoughtabout smoking as a cause to your digestive troubles, did you?Cigarette smoke also generates high levels of freeradicals, which deplete your body of disease-fightingantioxidants and the nutrients needed for your friendlybacteria. ====================Lacking good bowel habits====================There are many causes of this, one of which is diet. Ifyou don't eat enough fiber-rich alkaline foods, you're anexcellent candidate for constipation. But there are also many people who just don't "go" everyday. Doctors say this is normal for some, which may betrue, but it's still not healthy.Build up of wastes in your colon makes the perfectbreeding ground for bad bacterial overgrowth. It alsoallows for toxins to be absorbed into your bloodstream andcause inflammation and pain throughout your body.So as you can see, a great diet alone is not enough toguarantee a healthy intestinal flora balance.In order to give the population of good bacteria in yourgut a fighting chance, it's essential to supplement withprobiotics. A healthy diet is important, but as you cansee, it's not enough for most people. Too many otherfactors can get in the way.Give your body the best possible defense againstintestinal flora imbalance and all the GI problems andimmune system harm it can cause. Let Super Shield's 13 research-grade strains of beneficialbacteria help keep your intestinal flora where it needs tobe for you to feel great all the time.

why probiotics are necessary

Lack of sleep=========The bacteria in your gut are directly affected by yourcircadian rhythms, which are the regular physical andmental changes that occur in your body over 24 hours (yoursleep/wake cycle). When you sleep your body produces the hormone melatonin,and this causes your white blood cell production toincrease. These white blood cells attack and kill theunfriendly bacteria in your gut. White blood cells also increase production of T cells andnatural killer cells, which both also destroy bad bacteria.So when you don't get a full 8 hours of sleep (and veryfew people do these days), you're missing out on yourbody's natural nighttime attack against bad bacteria... soyou automaticaly have more bad bacteria in your gut.========================Stress attacks your intestines========================Your mind and body are connected. Many scientists nowaffirm that the mind and body are one, not separate. Thereis no clearer evidence of this than the relationshipbetween stress and your gut. For example, just think of the last time you got a stomachache or butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous. Chronic stress attacks the protective mucousal lining ofthe intestines. Stress makes it so the intestine can'tfight off unfriendly bacteria and other pathogens like E-coli and salmonella. So the bad flora grows and makes youa candidate for leaky gut syndrome. =============Chlorinated water=============Chlorinated water (which includes the tap water that comesout of your home faucet) kills the beneficial bacteria inyour intestinal tract. This is bad because unless youhave enough healthy bacteria in your intestines, the badbacteria can easily take over your intestinal walls. In addition, chlorinated water also contains carcinogens(cancer-causing agents) that harm your immune systemfunction. ========Antibiotics========Although the importance of antibiotics cannot bequestioned, antibiotics not only kill the disease-causingbacteria in your body, but they kill your good bacteria aswell. This means that after a round of antibiotics, your gutflora is in serious imbalance and the bad bacteriatypically end up crowding out the good.This compromises your immune system and makes yoususceptible to getting another infection. This will leadto another course of antibiotics and even more badbacterial overgrowth. Millions of people (maybe even you) have gone through thisvicious cycle of repeated infections and courses ofantibiotics. Now you know why it happened. =====Smoking=====The harmful affects of smoking don't stop in the lungs.When you inhale smoke, it also enters your stomach andintestines. Once it reaches the intestines, the nicotineand 6,000 other chemicals in cigarette smoke destroy yourgood bacteria and make it difficult or impossible for themto survive and multiply. That's why smokers often have problems from their throatsall the way to the other end. I bet you never thoughtabout smoking as a cause to your digestive troubles, did you?Cigarette smoke also generates high levels of freeradicals, which deplete your body of disease-fightingantioxidants and the nutrients needed for your friendlybacteria. ====================Lacking good bowel habits====================There are many causes of this, one of which is diet. Ifyou don't eat enough fiber-rich alkaline foods, you're anexcellent candidate for constipation. But there are also many people who just don't "go" everyday. Doctors say this is normal for some, which may betrue, but it's still not healthy.Build up of wastes in your colon makes the perfectbreeding ground for bad bacterial overgrowth. It alsoallows for toxins to be absorbed into your bloodstream andcause inflammation and pain throughout your body.So as you can see, a great diet alone is not enough toguarantee a healthy intestinal flora balance.In order to give the population of good bacteria in yourgut a fighting chance, it's essential to supplement withprobiotics. A healthy diet is important, but as you cansee, it's not enough for most people. Too many otherfactors can get in the way.Give your body the best possible defense againstintestinal flora imbalance and all the GI problems andimmune system harm it can cause. Let Super Shield's 13 research-grade strains of beneficialbacteria help keep your intestinal flora where it needs tobe for you to feel great all the time.

What is "Endocarditis"?

Endocarditis is an infection of the heart valves and parts of the inside lining of the heart muscle (known as the "endocardium"). This is an uncommon, but not rare, infection. It is often very serious. The infection may begin at the time of a dental or medical procedure in someone who has a predisposing abnormality of their heart. It may also occur in someone who has had no previous problem with their heart, and who has not had any other procedure which is associated with a risk of endocarditis.

I have an artificial valve -- do I need to take blood thinners?

Many people with mechanical valves will need to take warfarin to prevent clots from forming on the artificial valve. These clots may then travel to other parts of the body. Many patients with the abnormal rhythm known as atrial fibrillation will also need to take warfarin regardless of the type of valve which is placed. Aspirin or other agents may be used instead of, or in addition to warfarin.

What is the best kind of artificial valve?

It very much depends on the situation.

The need and ability to maintain long-term anticoagulation (blood thinning) is a very important factor. Several classes of people may not be good candidates to take warfarin (brand name coumadin), and therefore should receive a bioprosthetic valve. This group includes young women who wish to become pregnant. They should not take warfarin since it can frequently cause birth defects. Some people wish to continue to lead very, very active lives and taking a blood thinner would complicate the ability to do so. People who have had previous and sometimes repeated problems with bleeding (for example, frequent bleeding from ulcers) are often felt to be better served with the bioprosthetic valves which do not require anticoagulation.
On the other hand, for people who are going to need to have anticoagulation anyhow because they have the abnormal rhythm known as atrial fibrillation, using a bioprosthetic valve would have little advantage since they are going to need to take the blood thinner anyhow. They will most often receive a mechanical valve to take advantage of its longer life.
Another consideration for some people is the efficiency of the valve. That is, the replacement valve is never as good as the "real thing" in terms of how well it opens. Some artificial valves obstruct the flow of blood quite a bit, while others (mainly some of the bioprosthetic varieties) obstruct very little. There are some world-class athletes who compete despite having artificial valves, and they will have one of these "low profile" valves utilized to avoid loss of efficiency. This is generally not a consideration for most of us.

What kinds of artificial valves are there?

The two main types of valves are "Mechanical" and "Bioprosthetic". Mechanical valves have simply been devised from scratch, and are made of metal or similar materials. Bioprosthetic valves are fashioned from animal or human tissues.

Mechanical valves. There are several different varieties, including "bileaflet tilting valves" which are extremely popular and reliable. Tilting single disc devices are also quite popular. Older models included the "caged-ball" device and "floating discs". The body does not recognize these as "foreign", and thus there is not a fear of rejection. Mechanical valves are generally felt to have the advantage of lasting the longest time. Their main disadvantage compared to other types of valves is the need to take potent blood thinners which decreases the tendency to form clots on their surface.

Bioprosthetic valves. These use some biologic material in their composition. They are all treated, and do not carry the risk of rejection. Treated aortic valves from human cadavers, treated pig aortic valves, and valves fashioned from the pericardium (the outside lining of the heart) of cows are all utilized. These types of valves do not necessarily require that the patient take blood-thinners, but generally do not last as long.
Please note that there are pictures of various valves below.

What kinds of surgery are available for problems with the Aortic Valve?

Aortic valve replacement. Unlike the mitral valve, repair of the aortic valve can only rarely be accomplished. If surgery is required, then replacement with either a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve is necessary (see explanation and picture below). This may be accomplished from either the classic approach through the breastbone ("median sternotomy") or newer "mini" procedures.

The Ross procedure. The Ross procedure utilizes the patient's own pulmonic valve for replacement into the aortic position.

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty. Balloon valvuloplasty of the aortic valve is an attractive technique for aortic stenosis since a large number of people with this problem are quite elderly and thus not ideal candidates for surgery. However, these same patients also typically have a heavily calcified aortic valve, and strokes secondary to loosening of this material can occur. Unfortunately, there is also a higher recurrence rate, with up to 80% of patients requiring repeat procedures within 6 months.