Natren's January newsletter, Ancient Arts Of Health And Healing Meet Modern Science, introduced our new back-tobasics collaboration with the esteemed Ayurvedic practitioner, Sivakumar Varma. Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest systems to promote health. Ayurveda's health promoting practices originated in India over 5000 years ago, and have continued to evolve and to gain recognition and respect across the world for centuries.

Ayurveda is a holistic system of health promoting practices, focusing on the entire person - integrating body, mind and spirit. The emphasis is on creating and maintaining physical and emotional balance and well being.

Sivakumar Varma, an Ayurvedic practitioner and founder of one of Canada's largest Ayurvedic centers, Revitalize Centre, teaches that the ultimate health of the digestive tract begins in the small intestine, as Natren founder and probiotic expert Natasha Trenev has long maintained.

BENEFITS OF FRIENDLY BACTERIA HAVE A LONG HISTORY

Both our growing scientific knowledge of the health benefits of probiotics and the ancient wisdom from Ayurveda inform us that optimal levels of friendly bacteria, (probiotic bacteria) in the gastrointestinal system maintain proper gastrointestinal health and efficient digestive system function.

The health benefits of probiotics were well known in ancient cultures, and there are records of their application, usage and recommended daily intake. Lactobacillus bacteria were used to make healthpromoting fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, miso and sauerkraut.

"In this day and age, individual and environmental stresses are more prolific than ever - and probiotic supplementation helps provide the support needed to maintain digestive health"

THE VALUE OF CULTURE

Traditionally, a few select houses in a village would take the responsibility for keeping a master yogurt culture viable and available from generation to generation. From this specialized yogurt culture, experienced Ayurvedic practitioners used a variety of applications to help support digestion.

Ayurvedic practitioners highly recommend dairy products to their patients, as milk is considered the pure love of the cow for her calf. For example, buttermilk warmed with curry and/or coriander leaves, turmeric, ginger and salt is a time-honored Ayurvedic application for occasional indigestion. Natren is one of the few custom probiotic manufacturers to still use dairy as a growth medium for a select number of beneficial probiotic products for promoting health.

Dairy milk is one of the original foods that these beneficial bacteria thrive on, which is why they are called Lactobacillus (Lacto = milk, bacillus = bacteria), meaning milk bacteria. Using milk as a growth medium produces the strongest probiotic characteristics in beneficial bacteria such

as L. acidophilus DDS-1. If you are vegan or allergic to dairy - Natren also offers an outstanding line of vegan dairy free beneficial probiotic products.

LAYERS OF HEALTH

The gastrointestinal tract is complex and changeable. A diet rich in fermented foods, fruits and vegetables, (and low in refined carbohydrates) enhances friendly bacteria levels. In this day and age, individual and environmental stresses are more prolific than ever - and probiotic supplementation helps provide the support needed to maintain digestive health.

Periodic gut support with a strong probiotic system - like Natren's amazing 3-in-1 HEALTHY TRINITY^® - supports the health and function of the intestinal tract. It can go one step further with the addition of Natren's HEALTHY START SYSTEM^® to create a probiotic layering program. Can't wait to get started? Call one of our Probiotic Consultants for your customized probiotic system program today. This layering system is available only from Natren probiotic supplements. Accept no substitutes.