Sept. 29, 2018

20 years ago when I was dispensing medications in a retail setting, it seemed like we handed out antibiotic prescriptions at least 50% of the time. This overuse without a reason often led to antibiotic resistance, and secondary a lot of yeast and fungal infections. Pharmacists often would recommend that patients eat yogurt to try to reestablish the correct bacterial flora. The problem with yogurt is that often the processed grocery store variety had little or no live cultures, or the patients could not stand to eat it.

Now we have supplements with these active cultures that make it easy for anyone to try to establish a correct flora. These probiotics, as they are called, along with prebiotics like inulin and soluble fibers, are recommended for many patients with gastric distress and reflux as well as an adjunct for weight loss.

Our PharmD Candidate from USF, Melissa Bailey, has found out that this same probiotic therapy can be very beneficial to our patients with type 2 diabetes, helping to improve insulin sensitivity and vessel inflammation, among a list of things. To see how recommending probiotics may be a powerful therapy for your patients, click here.

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We can make a difference!

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Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief