Probiotics

[L.A.]

Has anyone tried probiotics? What were your experiences?

[lovegrov]

I never did use them but I know that Cynthia Rudert (sp??), considered one of the top celiac doctors in the country, recommends all new patients take probiotics for a while. She's even had cases where other doctors diagnosed refractory sprue and the probiotics solved the problem.

richard

[Guest cassidy]

I take them and have noticed a huge difference. I had a stool test done and it showed that I didn't have any good bacteria. I was feeling much better after going gluten-free, but I was still going to the bathroom several times a day and it wasn't always fully formed - sorry to be gross.

Now, I really don't have any bathroom issues unless I get glutened. I took a strong, expensive one for a month and then backed down. I still take one a day. I also drink kefir which is like liquid yogurt with lots more probiotics.

I really feel that they have helped me.

[kbtoyssni]

I take them and it's the one thing that really helped me. (NOTE, at the time I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and was taking so many different things to see if anything would help). I went to england for two weeks and didn't take my probiotics with and my guts hated me. Now I think my intestines are healed so I'm not sure if I need them any more, but when I was first healing they helped a lot.

[dionnek]

What kind (brand) do you recommend and do you have to get them at a health store like GNC, or can you just get them at the drug/grocery store? I've been thinking about taking these myself. Been eating the Activa yogurt but I think dairy is a problem....

[lorka150]

I use Bio-K Dairy free, and love it.

[taz sharratt]

I use Bio-K Dairy free, and love it.

what about asidofolis, if you cant find yogurt DF then this is a goodreplacement, it gives good bacteria back into your tummy. sometimes when ive felt the thrush coming on ive downed a few for a couple of days and sometimes i manage to fend it off.

[elye]

Yep, I take acidophilus every day (a cheaper brand but you have to make sure you're getting six billion active cells), and if I ever feel the start of a yeast infection starting, I triple the dose and it always goes away.

[L.A.]

Thanks for the input, as always, everyone is most helpful I contacted my health food store and they have two probiotics that are gluten free--here i come. Thanks again.

[Guest cassidy]

What kind (brand) do you recommend and do you have to get them at a health store like GNC, or can you just get them at the drug/grocery store? I've been thinking about taking these myself. Been eating the Activa yogurt but I think dairy is a problem....

I don't think activia is gluten-free. If you search for it on here you will see that someone called the company and they said that no activia yogurts are gluten-free. Maybe that is whey you aren't doing so well eating it.

[kbtoyssni]

I think the brand of acidopholis I take is Pro Flora. I'll have to check when I get home, though. The label does say gluten-free. I get mine at the health food store, but my old pharmacy also carried it. I got a different brand of acidopholis from my new pharmacy, and I don't think it's gluten-free. I kept getting sick and that was the only thing I changed in my diet. The company couldn't tell me if it contained gluten - they only had information on the active ingredients so I stopped taking it. I'll post the brand later.

[ebrbetty]

Am I the only one who has problems with them? my stomach hurt more when I was on them

[gfp]

Am I the only one who has problems with them? my stomach hurt more when I was on them

That might not be a bad thing, think of it like adding antiseptic to a cut.

If you add antiseptic and it stings its because its killing the germs....

If your stomach is full of bad bacteria then it makes sense it would be a bit upset and hurt while they wage thier little war?

[kbtoyssni]

The brand that I take is Florajen. The brand that I think is NOT gluten-free is BC Lactinex.

[acousticmom]

I don't have any experience with probiotics, but I just read this in a book about food intolerance (Food Allergies and Food Intolerance, by Jonathan Brostoff, MD and Linda Gamlin, 2000):

"Some of these [commercial preparations of bacteria intended to restore normal gut flora] have been tested and a crucial difference was found between those bought in health food stores or drug stores and those purchased through mail order. The former had often been stored for long periods at room temperature, and, not surprisingly, researchers found very few live bacteria in them. The bacterial replacers bought by mail order had only spend two to three days in nonrefrigerated conditions and were as rich in bacteria as the manufacturers claimed."

Also:

"If you choose yogurt, you can make sure the brand you are buying really is live by adding a spoonful to some warm milk that has been heated to boiling and then allowed to cool. Keep the mixture in a thermos for six to eight hours. If it has not turned to yogurt, then the original yogurt was not live. The best way of ensuring that your yogurt is live is to make your own--starter cultures are available from some health food stores, or by mail."

I can't vouch for the accuracy of these statements, but the rest of the book has helped me a lot. The authors address the medical controversies surrounding food intolerance and candida issues in a pretty evenhanded way. And they give much more detailed info on doing an elimination diet than my dr. provided. (When I asked her about their advice, she agreed on every point. I was too polite to ask why she didn't tell me all that in the first place!)

Hope some of this is helpful.

Carol