Probiotics have received a good amount of attention recently. And with increasing research on the microbiome’s impact on human health, it’s not hard to understand why. This ecosystem of living microbial organisms in the gut has been credited with providing all kinds of health benefits.

As you probably are aware, the natural medicine market is flooded with probiotics. They have differences — what strains are included, and the bacterial colony counts among them. So understandably, choosing the right one for the intended result can be confusing.

Now, probiotics are almost an “artisanal” or “designer” thing, with specific formulations aimed at addressing specific health concerns. If your patients are looking to use probiotics to boost their health, it is essential to ensure they take the right ones to get the desired results. (1)

What Are Spore-Based Probiotics?

Spore-forming probiotic bacteria have received significant scientific and commercial attention for their therapeutic qualities recently. Spore-based probiotics are soil-based microorganisms — they are formed from spores and typically found in dirt and vegetation. (2)

Soil-based organisms (SBOs) are bacteria that are naturally found in our soil. Due to sanitization, sterilization, and food processing, people today are exposed to fewer and fewer of these SBOs. As a result, it violates the premise of the “hygiene hypothesis.” This theorizes that early childhood exposure to these particular microorganisms can contribute to healthy immunity, decreasing the risk of allergic and autoimmune diseases. The overuse of sanitization, resulting in food deficient in SBOs, has been associated with conditions such as asthma and eczema. (3, 4)

Spore-based bacterial strains are vital, as they have the natural ability to produce antimicrobial compounds, carotenoids, enzymes, secretory proteins, and vitamins. Humans have consumed spore-based probiotics throughout history by ingesting fermented foods and raw vegetables containing soil microflora. (8)

 

What Makes Spore-Based Probiotics Different

Most traditional probiotics are similar to the microorganisms naturally found in the human GI tract — they are live, active bacteria. 

On the other hand, spore-forming probiotics are delivered as dormant spores. The spores encapsulate the beneficial bacteria (such as bacilli or saccharomyces), making them extremely stable and highly resistant to stomach acid’s low pH. The protective spores deliver more usable probiotics to the small intestine. Once there, the spores revert to active, growing bacteria. (5)

Stomach acid dismantles the majority of traditional probiotics — they never make it far enough into the GI tract to deliver the desired results. Spore-based probiotics have an innate resistance to stomach acid, resulting in more healthy bacteria surviving in the intestinal tract. (6)

Another major difference is refrigeration. Non-spore-based probiotics need to be refrigerated, as they don’t live very long otherwise. Spore-based probiotics have a longer shelf life. Spores are tough enough to make it through the harsh gut environment and thrive. (7)

Plus, lower numbers of what’s called CFUs (colony-forming units) are required with spore-based probiotics because there’s no need to account for what will be killed off before the bacteria reach their intended target.

Since nearly 70% of the immune system lives in the GI tract, interacting with the gut microbiome, it is crucial to maintain optimal levels of beneficial species. An imbalanced microbiome, or gut dysbiosis, disrupts overall health and wellness. Taking spore-based probiotic supplements can provide this essential microflora balance. (9)

How Carbon Technology Boosts Probiotic Efficacy

CT-Biotic is formulated with Carbon Technology. Carbon Technology adds an extra layer of pH protection against stomach acid. The low pH of the carbons, which come from soil-processed fulvic and humic acids, prevents them from interacting with stomach acid. As a result, it protects the bacterial strains in this probiotic supplement from the digestive process.

CT-Biotic contains four different carbon sources. These carbons each have different pHs, so they have different potentials to travel system-wide and protect the probiotics as they are delivered.

The spores survive the journey through the harsh digestive process (stomach acid, bile) and bind harmful toxins that could kill the bacteria or spores in the process. These fulvic acids, humic acids, polysaccharides, electrolytes, and humins also act as prebiotics for the probiotics to ingest. (10) 

How CT-Biotic Helps with Detoxification

There is an entire group of toxins that are not fully cleared out with binders alone. According to Antoine Bechamp, the creator of the “terrain theory,” bacteria gain a foothold in the body for a specific reason — they manifest to break down poisons and toxins. (11)

Bacteria are nature’s way of biodegrading poisons and toxins because bacteria produce enzymes, vitamins, and antimicrobial compounds that help clear toxins from the body. (12)

Bacteria change their form, becoming more pathogenic or infectious in a toxin-laden environment. They change form in an attempt to break down the toxins and poisons around them. If the toxic environment is eliminated, then the bacteria can return to their healthy form. (13) 

An excellent example of this is H. pylori, which can exist in the digestive tract as a normal, harmless organism. However, when it lives in a toxic environment, it morphs into its more harmful form and becomes a threat to wellness. Once the toxins are cleared, H. pylori reverts to its innocuous form and is no longer a threat. (14)

This also explains why probiotics are so helpful for individuals with leaky gut. Probiotics break down the poisons and toxins that target the gut lining or travel through it into the bloodstream, contributing to and perpetuating the condition. (15)

So when an individual has a pathogenic infection, it is generally true that his or her environment is laden with toxins. CT-Biotic targets the toxins that binders cannot reach. This does not mean that targeting or bringing down the pathogen or parasite load is unnecessary — that is still very important.

However, this is the next step in identifying why the pathogen is there in the first place. And usually, it’s because toxins are present. So the poison must be cleared from the body. 

Enter a probiotic with a remarkable capacity to degrade those toxins. CT-Biotic helps with the detoxification of specific poisons, such as diesel fuel, PCBs, and xylenes. (16, 17, 18)

Here’s a useful guide to combining binders with CT-Biotic:

  • CT-Biotic plus ViRadChem Binder is the best binding combination overall.
  • When targeting an industrial or environmental toxin, use CT-Biotic along with either BioToxin Binder or Carboxy. 
  • When targeting many types of pesticides, including glyphosate, use CT-Biotic along with HM-ET Binder.

The takeaway: CT-Biotic drives the process of pulling out toxins. We recommend CT-Biotic be taken with a binder.