Tips and Linkups

The truth about probiotics; new thinking on CPR.

Probiotics: Help or hype?

You may have seen TV ads or otherwise heard talk about some new, would-be health heroes, called probiotics, and wondered what they are.
Probiotics are live, microorganisms — also called “friendly bacteria” — that may ease digestion and may have other health benefits. They are similar to those naturally found in the intestine and can be found in foods like yogurt, miso, tempeh and some soy beverages. How effective are they, really? The answer isn’t a simple one. There are several strains of probiotics, and the health benefits of each are still being investigated.

A probiotic called Lactobacillus, for example, can help prevent or treat diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and lung infections, but another strain, called Bacillus coagulans, hasn’t yet proved any health-boosting chops.

Unfortunately, the FDA hasn’t set any standards for probiotic food labeling, so it’s hard to know if that yogurt you’re enjoying really contains any live, active bacteria — let alone enough to provide any benefits. To make sure you’re at least getting live bacteria, choose yogurts that have the National Yogurt Association Live & Active Cultures seal.

CPR Goes Hands-Only

The American Heart Association (AHA) now recommends that lay rescuers skip mouth-to-mouth breathing altogether when performing CPR and simply focus on downward pumping of the person’s chest.

Why? Recently, more than 350 resuscitation experts from around the world — after examining evidence reviews and extensive discussion — determined that CPR done without mouth-on-mouth rescue breathing is easier for most laypeople to do and works just as well on people who are in cardiac arrest. So if an adult collapses and is unresponsive, the AHA advises you to take the following steps to help revive him or her.

• Call 9-1-1.
• Lean directly over the victim and place the heel of one hand in the center of his or her chest, then place your other hand on top of the first.
• Push hard and fast on the center of the chest, delivering at least 100 compressions per minute.
• Continue to provide chest compressions until help arrives.

For more information, call 877.AHA.4CPR or visit Hands-Only CPR.