Culterelle Probiotics Review & Giveaway (2 winners)

I have a great review opportunity to try out with myself and a few of my kids. Culturelle is a product that is designed to boost the immune and digestive systems. Not all bacteria is bad, and many times our bodies don't have enough of the "good bacteria" in them. The good bacteria contained in Culturelle can improve our daily lives in so many ways.
From the Culturelle website:
Our bodies are filled with bacteria - billions, maybe trillions of them. Some are good. Others are bad. Under normal circumstances, your body maintains a healthy balance of good and bad. Trouble can arise when the bad bacteria take over, compromising digestion and your immune system. You know the feeling: bloating, poor digestion, irregularity, occasional diarrhea. That's when the power of probiotics can help.
For years scientists had studied health benefits of a "good" bacteria called lactobacillus found in foods like yogurt, milk and certain cheeses. Of the strains they were able to isolate and test, they found that most could not consistently survive the strong acids of the stomach and intestinal bile.
Enter Dr. Sherwood L. Gorbach and Barry R. Goldin. These two doctors embraced the challenge and set out to discover the ultimate probiotic power - a strain strong enough, sticky enough, fertile enough to survive the stomach acids and colonize in the intestines successfully.
What they found was Lactobacillus GG. A probiotic unlike any other.
A probiotic supplement like Culturelle can strengthen the immune system and boost your immune response. After all, the intestinal tract is the largest organ in the immune system. Culturelle's probiotic power is just what you need to prevent bad bacteria and other illness-causing substances from being absorbed into the body.

I am very excited to try out Culturelle for me and a few of my kids. I have been searching and researching for something out there that will help my kids get healthy, stay healthy...and avoid all the trips to the doctor's office. I am all about using natural or better ways to improve our health. Culturelle has sent me a box of capsules (for adults~ 30 tablets) and a few boxes of Culturelle for Kids to try with my kids. I will test them out over the next month and write in another post how we feel and if we see some better health and immunities.

I have a fun video to share with you about bacteria with a humor:

Here is the You Tube Channel for Culturelle to check out their other videos.

**Enter to Win!!**
Culturelle is sponsoring a giveaway for two T-Shirts to giveaway to my readers! Lucky You! I think these T-Shirts are fun, and will help spark a great conversation. The shirts say, "I heart Bacteria!"
This contest is open to bloggers and non-bloggers of the United States. Contest is open until July 16th, 2010. To enter, leave a comment about if you have tried alternative health care options (like chiropractic care for ear trouble), and what you have tried. Or, just leave a comment about what you like about the Culturelle website.
For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter and/or become a fan on facebook, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment about memories from a favorite teacher. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

Lastly, if you use Facebook, you should become a fan of their page - Culturelle facebook.
Twitter follow them at Twitter.com/Culturelle .

Check out the Culturelle website for some great coupons for $1, $2 or $3 off.

I was contacted directly by Culturelle, who asked for my participation in a giveaway for two T-Shirts and to sample/review their products. They have sent me a few boxes to review their probiotics and shared information for me to publish in exchange for an honest review. I am not compensated for my time or written review.

Cold/Flu Season getting the better of you? Try these natural remedies:

The most effective preventative medicine during cold and flu season is keeping your immune system healthy the natural way. This can be done fairly easily, by ingesting certain immune-boosting and nutrient rich foods.

ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Helen Lee offers the following flu-fighting foods:

· The Importance of Digestion: Keep your digestive system happy. When the digestive system is healthy it is able to breakdown and access nutrients from the foods you eat, it is better able to get rid of toxicity, and process “bad” bugs such as bacteria & viruses
· Ginger: The volatile oils in ginger warm the body, helping the body to sweat, break a fever and eliminate toxins. Ginger also stimulates mucous release. Ginger is also a metabolic enhancer and the warming also helps with nausea, is a great digestive aid, lung and chest decongesting, and a body cleansing herb. Add fresh ginger to your food or in tea, or eat alone. Ginger tea (especially combined with honey) helps too sooth the throat.
· Garlic: Garlic has allicin as an active ingredient giving it antiviral and antibacterial properties. Garlic cleans your liver (which cleans your blood) since your blood cycles through your liver every three minutes. So thereby stimulating the white blood cells and in turn boosting the immune system. An onion garlic syrup can help with mucous release.
· Honey: Honey acts as a natural antibiotic with antiseptic properties. There are vitamins such as B-complexes, C, D, E, minerals enzymes and propolis. The propolis in honey boosts the immune system, disables viruses and fights infections. Furthermore, pediatric studies have shown that honey is more effective than cough syrup because it coats the throat better. Locally grown honey is best for seasonal allergies, asthma and respiratory conditions because you are treating with the irritants that are common to your area. Take a tablespoon 4 times per day, taken straight or in tea.
· Cayenne: Cayenne pepper has a high vitamin C content making it a natural choice for a cold, as well as vitamin A, B, calcium and potassium. Cayenne also increases the circulation in the body. You may take in capsule form taking 2 – 40,000 heat units (950mg), or liquid 4 drops of the 200,000 heat units. Place a few drops in water and gargle with it every 15-30 minutes to make a sore throat disappear.
· “Good” Bacteria: Increase “good” bacteria such as acidophilus and bifidus which can be found yogurt or kefir.
· Go Green: Eat dark leafy green vegetables like kale, swiss chard, and spinach provides vitamins B12, folic acid, potassium, vitamins A, C & K which supports a healthy immune system.
· Acid and Alkaline: Keep your internal acid/alkaline chemistry balanced by squeezing a half lemon into a cup of hot water to break up congestion, stimulate digestion, and create an alkaline or healing pH chemistry in the body

For additional information please visit www.ChicagoHealers.com.