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You may have tried probiotics to deal with digestive problems in the past, and may have gotten some relief. However, the major drawback with many probiotics is that they are unable to survive the journey through the harsh acidic environment of your stomach, which renders them largely ineffective. In addition, product processing methods and storage issues can affect what probiotic strains survive.
In one study, only four out of 35 types of ‘good’ bacteria tested reached the lower gut – and in those four types, only 50 per cent of the numbers survived.(1)
Fortunately, this problem looks like it has finally been overcome with a unique and powerful new probiotic formula, Just Thrive. It has been proven to make it through the digestive tract to the small intestine intact, where it’s able to help establish a healthy balance of bacteria that favours the growth of ‘good’ bacteria.
In research commissioned by Just Thrive, tests on a popular probiotic yoghurt, a top-brand Greek yoghurt and a leading probiotic supplement showed that in all three cases 99 per cent of the probiotic bacteria failed to survive stomach acid. But in dramatic contrast, 99 per cent of Just Thrive’s bacteria made it through the gastric system intact.(2)
Doctor has seen “dramatic changes” in his patients’ health
An imbalance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut, resulting from factors like a poor diet or antibiotic use, can not only compromise your gut health but your general health too – this is hardly surprising given that your gut is believed to be responsible for at least 70 per cent of your immune system response – and has been linked to everything from Crohn’s disease and IBS to asthma and depression.
One person who is fully aware of this important link is US physician Dr Thomas Bayne, an expert in nutritional therapies, digestive health and detoxification. He has been prescribing Just Thrive, which has been available in the US for some time now and is just about to be launched here in the UK, to his patients to help treat a wide range of conditions: “I’ve been using the probiotic strains in Just Thrive for about two- and-a-half years and I have seen incredible things with a number of different types of cases. To have these strains at my clinical disposal has been the greatest benefit to my practice, because they help with so many different things.
“Digestive issues, like IBS and Crohn’s and colitis patients, take up between 70 and 80 per cent of my practice – and I have seen incredible changes with patients with primary digestive issues. And patients with chronic sinus infections, upper respiratory infections – I’ve seen incredible immune system changes that have enabled them to break the cycles of infections and stay healthy. Really dramatic changes. Patients with eczema and psoriasis have responded very favourably – and seborrhoeic dermatitis.”
Why there’s a lot of truth in the old adage ‘a little dirt never hurt’
One guiding factor in the research that led to the creation of Just Thrive was the need to use bacteria from the external environment that are attuned to the health of the internal human environment.
As well as the bacteria we are born with – thanks to our mother – coming into contact with bacteria through diet and the environment is vital. Children who play in a natural environment tend to have a more diverse and healthy gut flora;3 and people in rural areas have been found to have more robust gut health and stronger immune systems than those in urban areas.4
Researchers also had to find probiotic bacteria that had a good safety profile, could survive the gastric barrier and were able to thrive in the internal environment of the body (aerobic species can have difficulty in an anaerobic environment).5
The solution was a range of specific bacillus spores with considerable scientific backing behind them: Bacillus Subtilis HU58, Bacillus Coagulans, Bacillus Clausii and Basillus Indicus HU36.
These are the ingredients that make up Just Thrive. They are found in soil, vegetation, dust, rocks and water, and in the digestive systems of insects, marine life and mammals. They live in the gut, using the soil to transfer from host to host. They have a symbiotic relationship with the human gut and are extremely safe.
These bacillus strains have two forms: a regular bacterial cell form similar to other probiotic bacteria, and a dormant spore form that can withstand harsh temperatures, acidic environments and antibiotics. Just Thrive utilises both strains – it took six years to figure out how to keep the spore form intact 100 per cent of the required time – as once spores have passed through and survived the stomach, they revert to their regular cell form which allows these ‘friendly’ bacteria to get to work. A daily dose of Just Thrive is claimed to deliver more than 3 billion live probiotic cells daily.
A potent probiotic that also produces key nutrients, enzymes and antioxidants
The bacillus strains in Just Thrive not only promote a healthy balance of bacteria, they also help produce nutrients, including all the B vitamins; compete with and eliminate pathogens; neutralise toxins; produce digestive enzymes; and stimulate the lymphoid tissue in the gut, which is an important part of the immune system.
But what makes Just Thrive really stand out from other probiotics is that it contains a patented probiotic strain known as Bacillus Indicus HU36. It produces carotenoids – antioxidants that promote good health and protect against some cancers – in the small intestine.6 In particular, Bacillus Indicus HU36 produces key antioxidants including CoQ10, beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, astaxanthin and zeazanthin.
What to take for best results
The recommended dose for Just Thrive is one capsule per day.
