How Healthy Are Probiotic Foods

Microorganisms protect the immune system, strengthen it and prevent the development of cancer. In fact, the effects of these health-promoting bacteria in our intestines have been known for many years. This also applies to food, particularly to yogurt. The intestine is the biggest immune system of the human. But now this knowledge is well established in medicine. Numerous studies have shown that diseases in which our immune system is involved or plays an important role often finds their output in the intestine or - conversely - the corresponding diseases can be improved by supporting the bacterial flora.

What are probiotic foods?

Here is what probiotics are: These microorganisms are a natural part of our healthy intestinal flora. In addition to this, they may take the form of food or food supplements to enter the intestine and settle there and support the existing flora - and this way, our immune system is stimulated and strengthened. It turns out that lactobacilli (lactic acid bacteria) and Bifidus bacteria are especially helpful - their preventive and healing-promoting effects have now become known, but there are certain restrictions, too:

Not all strains of bacteria have similar effects, the studies having demonstrated only the effects of the probiotic foods tested (this does not mean that they are not present in others, too).

Only a small part of the intestinal microorganisms improve the immune system when ingested, the others being destroyed by the stomach acid and bile.

Some people get food intolerance symptoms from these type of foods.There is also the risk that improper storage or transport routes leads to the reduction of the amount of bacteria present in the food- in this case, nutritional supplements in the pharmacy are recommended (e.g. in the form of capsules).

Probiotics are lactic acid fermented foods – they do not include only the yogurt drinks stored in small bottles, but also sour milk, kefir and yogurt, red beets and pickles. It has been known that these bacteria help to preserve food ever since ancient times because harmful organisms don’t stand a chance in front of the strong acid production.

The effects of probiotics

The shelves of food stores are now full of different products under the heading "probiotic," which is translated "for life," almost all being 15 percent more expensive than conventional products. Not every consumer opens up to the importance of Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus casei Actimel Golding and Gorbach (LGG) immediately.
Lactic acid bacteria have been found to be quite resistant to gastric and bile acid. Meanwhile, there are numerous studies on the effect of probiotics:

In fact, certain probiotics, such as yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii) and the bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG or Lactobacillus acidophilus, for example) reduce the duration and severity of gastro-intestinal infections and diarrhea. They can even be used preventively against travel diarrhea (5 days before the beginning of the trip).
Other bacteria aid digestion and reduce the number of rot-producing bacteria in the large intestine and encourage the digestion of lactose in lactose intolerant people.

In infants, the consumption of lactic acid bacteria with probiotic properties protects them against certain intestinal infections and helps to normalize the bacterial overgrowth after treatment with antibiotics.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, lactic acid bacteria (e.g. LGG, SymbioLact comp.) ingested by the mother prevents the allergic reactions and in particular an atopic dermatitis in children.
Probiotics seem to prevent chronic inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease), as well as urinary tract infections.

Probiotics also reduce the risk of developing colon cancer because they inhibit the cell-damaging enzymes. A Japanese study has shown this effect in the germ Lactobacillus casei Shirota.
Possible drawback: Probiotics can also aggravate some diseases, for example some autoimmune diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis.

It is crucial that you consume probiotic products often, almost daily and regularly. Otherwise, the bacteria cannot colonize the intestinal mucosa. Conventional, non-heat-treated yogurts and dairy products containing live lactobacilli or Bifidus bacteria are so beneficial to your health. The World Health Organization recommends that you consume low-fat acidified milk products daily.

Sore Muscles Treatment

What are sore muscles? – Definition

Sore muscles represent another term for muscle pain, which occurs about eight to twenty-four hours after an overuse of the muscles. The muscles are sensitive to pressure only on movement and there may be slight swelling and hardening. Muscle soreness can last up to five day, after which you are fully recovered.

How does this happen? - Possible causes

Muscle soreness may be caused by:

- Unusual physical activities and effort

- New, unusual movements (e.g. new gymnastics exercises)

- Extra heavy loads, such as competitions

- But also a general anesthetic (the muscle fibers begin to tremble) or epileptic seizures
The muscles are particularly vulnerable to the "hangover" after deceleration movements, as in downhill climbing or in marathon running. Short-term high-energy costs, such as weight lifting, pulling also draw soreness within themselves.
According to current knowledge, micro-injuries are mainly responsible for the pain after the effort, that is cracks in the smallest "work units" of the muscle fibers. It seems surprising that pain is not felt immediately after an injury. This can be explained by the fact that the nerves "report" the pain to the brain with a time delay, which is caused by certain substances. They are released by the damaged tissue and occur in the inflammatory reactions that initiate the healing process. What metabolic processes play a role in the manifestation of pain is still unclear. However, there is the "lactic acid" theory, according to which there is an outdated acidification of the muscles with lactic acid.

Are sore muscles noticeable? – Symptoms

A patient remains pain-free eight to twenty-four hours after a painful movement, which is when the muscle tension disappears. If the muscle is weak and sensitive to pressure, it can harden and swell.

What comes next? – Complications

The climax usually comes after two or three days and the damage is repaired completely after five to six days. When the repair processes are complete, more micro-fibers, called fibrils, are created and the muscle becomes stronger.

However, there is an increased risk of injury if the muscles are sore and not treated with a sports cream treatment. The pain in the muscle impedes the usual motions and one can make a clumsy move and can get a hamstring pull or a joint injury if the weakened muscles of the joint are not supported properly.
A doctor should be consulted if the soreness lasts longer than presumed because you may have a serious muscle injury.

What else can sore muscles look like? - Diseases with similar symptoms
Fatigue and pain feel the same, but occur even during stressful periods.

A muscle spasm also leads to severe pain along with swelling. However, the pain is very severe.

Hardening of the muscle can also cause a lot of pain. It can impede one to move.

Muscle strains and muscle tears can also lead to severe pain. However, the pain occurs immediately in these cases and the symptoms last longer since these are more serious injuries.

Muscle pain, bruises and swelling restrict one’s movement and is almost always preceded by an external force.  Typical bruises are usually determined by injured blood vessels.
Grandmother’s advice - Home remedies
The following things are recommended to prevent aching:

- Always warm up your muscles well before exercising and rub them with circulation enhancing oils

- Untrained muscles do not keep up too much or too long, so you should go through weekly endurance training

Contrary to the advice given by some people, stretching and massage before or immediately after exercising has not been proven to be a preventive remedy for sore muscles.

Here is what can help if the muscle soreness has already occurred:

- Easy jogging or aerobics: This promotes the removal of pain-inducing substances.

- Relaxation exercises and careful passive stretching.

- Relaxing baths or massages with circulation enhancing ointments (with rosemary or pine needles).

- Gentle massage.

- Sauna or baths (3 min 20 sec warm and then cold).

The information provided stands for a brief description and is not complete. It should not be used for identifying a medical condition or a treatment method. Please contact your doctor or a pharmacist if you experience any of the symptoms described above

Casino Games-The Skat Game

The rules of Skat are not easy. But just like with any other game, you should be able to learn these rules quite quickly if you try this game a few times. Let’s take a look at the different versions of Skat.

The rear hand (the dealer at the skat game) divides the cards as follows: 3 cards on the front hand (left rear), 3 cards to the metacarpal (right of the quarters), 3 cards to himself and 2 cards on the Skat or floor (the center). Then again, he deals 4 cards on the front hand, the metacarpal and rear, and finally another 3 to each.

Each player plays a Skat game against other two. The declarer can decide whether he receives the Skat or rather plays by the hand. If he chooses the Skat, he can choose which 10 cards he wants to keep and which two he returns. It should be noted that both of these casino games except zero "pressed" cards.

Color match

This is the classic bridge game featuring a Trump - which is represented by a color. This is determined by the single player, who can adapt it to his hand. The aim of the game is to get a higher score than the opponents. A maximum of 120 points is distributed per game. This is set according to the values of each card:

Card type Points per card/4 cards

7s, 8s, 9s 0 / 0

10 10 / 40

Jack 2 / 8

Dame 3 / 12

King 4 / 16

Ace 11 / 44

Total 120

These points can be reached by deciding the card tricks of your own. The points of the two participants who play as a team are to be summed up.

As with all popular card games, this game also starts from the left side of the transmitter (front hand). He now plays a card and lets the others know about the color of the Trump. This means that they must play the same color if they have them in their hand. Everyone plays only one card each round. He who has the highest card wins the pot and puts it aside and the points are counted at the end of the game.

If you cannot confess, you have to decide: Will you "throw away" a card or do you want to "Ditch" a Trump card, which means that you play a different color that is not a Trump card. However, this trick can never be a winner, but the scores are counted in the payroll.

For example: the front hand plays alone against the metacarpal and rear one. The Trump is the key. If you have a Queen on the front hand, then play a heart king on the metacarpal hand. If the hind has no heart, the partner has already won the metacarpal hand. Now hindquarters should naturally extract as many points as possible for themselves and the metacarpal should go for a 10 of spades. Although 10 is a higher card than a king (4 points), the win goes to the metacarpal hand because there is neither a heart (the colors) nor a trump.

Hand game

The declarer may not ask for other cards if he is content with the cards that he had on the first hand. The advantage with not receiving the Skat is that you can win at this game by getting more points, but this is true both for the single player and for his opponents. This increases your payout.

You can play a handheld game both by color and you can look for a zero and a grand open hand. Indeed, casino games are fun and challenging at the same time.

The ouvert hand


"Ouvert" comes from the French word meaning "open". This is taken literally in this game. The game is to be played literally with open cards, which means that the cards are displayed on the table in front of the opponents. An ouvert should therefore be a very good hand. The opponents should have no chance to win this game. You usually get an ouvert at a Grand or a zero variant and you can also play the colors. An ouvert hand can only be related to the previous profit levels of play.