On a recent trip abroad, I found that I had neglected one very important aspect of trip preparation.  I had laundered all the appropriate clothing, grabbed my guidebooks, forwarded my mail, and arranged for my dog to be walked.  But the one thing I forgot to take care of was my digestive health.  And boy was I sorry.

I’ve always had a delicate stomach and generally try to be kind to it.  I make an effort to eat soothing foods usually, but one can’t subsist on rice and yogurt alone.  Especially when you’re in a relatively exotic place, with delicious, if not spicy, foods.  So I indulged, and indulged some more.  Then I didn’t feel very well.

I had been doing a little research about probiotics, which are good bacteria that can help guard against infections and intestinal disorders while helping to support overall proper digestion.  There has been research indicating that taking probiotics can exert a protective effect against diarrhoeal illnesses in children and adults and that it can not only help treat such illnesses but even potentially prevent them.

Next time I go somewhere, I’ll make sure to bring some special companions with me.  Probiotics, of course!

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Want to read more about digestive health?  Check out our article here. Try our Probiotic Buddies™, with 10 billion viable ”good” bacteria per vege-capsule.  Powerful protection against harmful micro-organisms in a convenient, easy to take form.  Probiotic Buddies™ is perfect for a world traveler, or for busy people on-the-go.

Reference: http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/34885” Effects of probiotics on the gastrointestinal tract,” Snelling AM, Curr Opin Infect Dis, 2005; 18(5): 420-6. (Address: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 IDP, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. E-mail: A.M.Snelling@Bradford.ac.uk ).

As most of us know, October is National Breast Cancer awareness month.  For the 25 years that this has been going on, I’ve worn a pink ribbon on occasion, clicked on a link or two to fund free mammograms, and made a donation every so often to one of the numerous charitable groups that fund research and services for people with breast cancer.  I was doing my part.  Wasn’t I?

About six years ago a trifecta of tragedy struck my immediate family.  First, my mother-in-law succumbed to a very long and brave battle with breast cancer that had been in and out of remission.  Very soon after, my young, forty-one year old sister-in-law was diagnosed with a breast tumor and had to endure chemotherapy while caring for her two small children.  And finally, six months after that, my own mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Suddenly the war on breast cancer was hitting very close to home.

And then something happened to me.  I finally understood the hopelessness, the depression and the anger that hundreds of thousands of families around the country and around the world have had to cope with when there is a diagnosis of breast cancer.  I started to be acutely aware of changes in drug and treatment research and also how much volunteer support is needed both for the patients and families going through cancer.

I made some changes in my life.  I arranged my schedule so I could help my mother with household chores she no longer had the energy to accomplish.  I drove her to her treatments.  I emailed more often with my sister-in-law, whose diagnosis to this day is happily quite good.  I donated one of my cars that I planned on selling to a breast cancer charity.  And perhaps most notably, I shared my family story of breast cancer with everyone who would listen.  I pleaded with the women I knew to get regular mammograms, and to be sure to see their doctors immediately if anything seemed amiss with their breast health.  I became an early detection crusader and am to this very day.

My mother’s diagnosis turned out to be treatable, which was wonderful news.  But even so, she has endured many false alarms and several operations over the years just to make sure the cancer was gone.  It is highly traumatic for any woman (or man for that matter) to go through breast cancer treatment.  They deserve our empathy, our support and our utmost respect.

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To learn more about breast cancer information and ways you can make a difference, click here.  At Solanova, fighting breast cancer is particularly close to our hearts.  For every order placed over $100 dollars in October, we will donate 5% to breast cancer charities.

Thank you for your support and for your patronage.