*This post on probiotics was originally posted October 3, 2016, with updates posted December 27th, 2016. The resource referenced was part of the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, a MadeOn-sponsored bundle of resources focused on health, nutrition, and skin care. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.These products and accompanying information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Probiotics: A Rash Fix?
Several months ago, a friend asked if I had any advice for her regarding her baby daughter’s diaper rash. Assuming it was a gentle redness that needed a good lather of our Simply Soothing Rash Cream, I was about to suggest it when she exposed the baby’s skin to show me the rash.
It. Was. Inflamed. The poor baby’s skin had broken wounds and clearly it would take more than a topical ointment to fix this.
The good news is that the nursing mom began taking probiotics and the rash began to clear.
But how and why?
I read through Mother’s Guide to Probiotics, written by nutritional therapy and GAPS practitioner Melanie Christner. (It’s a book that is included in the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle 2016.) Beginning with a skin condition, I’ll work backward to show how in the end, probiotic supplementation can help.
“If your human ecosystem is a community, then probiotics are your exemplary ‘civic minded’ neighbors.” – Melanie Christner
Let’s play detective and first identify the crime scene:
Problem: newborn has a rash.
What we know: our body is loaded with microbes (single cell organisms) and we want GOOD microbes to reproduce in our bodies as a defense against factors (food, environment, toxins) that want to mess with our good cells. Remember the manipulator in your childhood 6th grade class and the influence he had on all the other kids? You have to rob him of his influence before he wreaks havoc in the classroom.
The way you build the good influencers – er, good microbes – is to get rid of the bad stuff and replace it with something stronger. This could mean replace stress with productivity. Get rid of processed foods in favor of whole foods. Take probiotics instead of some medications (consult the proper medical practitioner first).
The Rest of the Story:
In the case of my friend, her daughter was exclusively breastfed but it appeared that something was being passed to her baby that her baby’s body clearly didn’t want. (Many breastfeeding mamas eliminate dairy for this reason.) But what impressed me is that by taking probiotics, my friend was able to help her baby’s microbes to fight whatever it was that was bothering her. Her next step, had her baby’s rash not changed after taking the probiotics via her breastmilk, was to allow the baby to take some directly. (Christner recommends a small amount of the probiotic strain on the nipple for the baby to ingest).
Now, several months later, when her infant does get the occasional rash, our Simply Soothing Rash Cream takes care of it. But she’s also armed with probiotics should she need a stronger defense.
I highly recommend reading A Mother’s Guide to Probiotics if you’re fighting a skin condition that just won’t go away despite topical treatment. Christner lists specific strains that have been proven to work on various conditions, to even state that one strain works better for prevention of eczema, while another strain is preferred for eczema’s treatment.