Does Anyone Out There Not Support The Use Of Probiotics?

[Sweetfudge]

Just doing more research on probiotics, and whether or not I should be taking them. Everyone here seems to think they're good. Is there any evidence to the contrary?

[blueeyedmanda]

I don't take them, I just never started. I am not for or against them since I don't really have an opinion.

[ravenwoodglass]

For me it is a personal preference driven by years of toxic meds and a dislike and distrust of pills but I much prefer to balance my tummy with a certified gluten-free yogurt. We even use it as a preventative when one of us has to take antibiotics. We start the yogurt the day we start the antibiotics and continue through the treatment and that seems to prevent the imbalance. I would go with that first then if it is not enough you could go with the pills.

[lovegrov]

I've heard nothing bad.

richard

[darkangel]

The only slightly negative thing I've ever come across in my research is IF your gut is in really bad shape and inflamed, probiotics could cause further irritation. I think this applies more to folks suffering from Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, though.

IMHO, probiotic supplementation is essential for most of us who have digestive issues, particularly if you've had courses of broad spectrum antibiotics, have taken antibiotics for long periods of time for acne, are on birth control pills, have eaten a starchy/sugary diet. All of these things disturb natural gut ecology.

I prefer to get mine in the form of a pure, powdered supplement I mix with water. I have issues with dairy and can't tolerate any kind of yogurt - even the homemade kind on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is lactose-free. Many storebought varieties do not have enough viable live strains to do any good, AND you've got the issue of possible gluten or unwanted sugar.

[casnco]

Just doing more research on probiotics, and whether or not I should be taking them. Everyone here seems to think they're good. Is there any evidence to the contrary?

I purchased a probiotic via a mail order company. I took them for a month and didn't notice any difference. I quit them feeling it was a waste of time and money. Then I went to an herbalist. She told me the probiotic needs to be refridgerated to keep them alive or working, whatever the term is. She gave one that says gluten free and I have been taking it for three months. What I notice is that when I get cross contaminated my recovery time is only a couple of days as apposed to a couple of months. I have added a vitamin to my daily routine now. I never felt any different with vitamins either, but since the probiotic the vitamins are making it to my blood stream and not my urine! My herbalist has changed to a different probiotic this month because she said there are other colonies that need to be replaced in the intestine.

I hate pills!!! I would never take something if it didn't make a noticable change. But I really feel better and believe my gut is in better shape now than it has been in years because of the probiotic. My herbalist also said that there will not be a need to take the probiotic for the rest of my life. It is only for a short time. (three months seems like a long time, but in the big picture, my gut didn't get all messed up overnight so I will stick with her advice. It has been great so far.)

Good Luck! And make sure you buy your probiotics from someone who knows alot about them.

Debbie

[jerseyangel]

In my opinion, I think they're fine to use. I've seen quite a few people here who get great benefit from probiotics.

Myself--I've yet to try one that I could tolerate.

[Jestgar]

I've started eating home meade yogurt and I've noticed a big difference in recovery time if I've eaten the wrong thing.

[burdee]

In my opinion, I think they're fine to use. I've seen quite a few people here who get great benefit from probiotics.

Myself--I've yet to try one that I could tolerate.

Patti:

If you NEED probiotics, because your 'good' intestinal bacteria are low or even depleted, you SHOULD react to them and not easily tolerate them when you first begin probiotic therapy. The new good bacteria change the way your intestines process food. If you experience no reaction or no difference, the organisms are probably dead or non-viable. I just finished a 2 week course of freeze dried powdered probiotics. Each night before dinner I mixed a probiotic packet with water and drank it. On the first night I felt like the good and bad bacteria were really slugging it out or at least beating my intestines with their little boxing gloves. LOL Every night thereafter for the next week I had a LOT of bloating and then gas. Eventually that reaction decreased until I only felt a little bloating and gas by the time I took the last of those packets which contained 170 billion live organisms each. Now when I take my freeze dried probiotic capsules which only contain 8 billion live organism per capsule, I hardly feel any reaction. So I KNOW I finally got my 'good' bacteria levels high enough. Also I'm no longer bruising easily (vitamin K deficiency) or irregular.

I don't think everybody needs probiotics. However anyone who ever took antibiotic treatment courses needs probiotics to replenish their good bacteria, especially if they have signs of vitamin K deficiency (frequent bruising) or irregularity (despite fiber and magnesium) caused by impaired gut motility. Yogurt does not supply enough live organisms or enough variety of necessary good bacteria to replenish depleted intestines after a course of antibiotics.

BURDEE