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Deciding on probiotic. Help please
- Thread starter awagner
- Start date
Aboveallislove
Super Moderator
Our gi says the only proven for gi is culturelle but I think they aren't as current. We use culturelle and once we 3x dosing we got great results...went from the child to adult which could be dosed for kids at same level....augh gi never said that!
W
windex125
Guest
I use acidpophitus for yrs now but I think I need to chg there are so many on the market? I find it confusing to choose.
H
Hail2Pitt
Guest
I've tried several probiotics, and have settled on Primal Defense Ultra. It seems to work really well for me, and it doesn't have to be refrigerated, which is nice. Vitacost.com has the best pricing I've seen.
Though, I should note that my son has had a lot of GI issues (exacerbated by an antibiotic), and I got him child's RAW probiotics also made by Garden of Life. They have worked wonders - I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself. So, I'm considering trying the adult RAW probiotics when my current batch runs out...
Though, I should note that my son has had a lot of GI issues (exacerbated by an antibiotic), and I got him child's RAW probiotics also made by Garden of Life. They have worked wonders - I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself. So, I'm considering trying the adult RAW probiotics when my current batch runs out...
Thanks for all the responses! I was impressed with Garden of Life having so many different strains in it's probiotic. Is it true that if you take multi strain it is less effective? I read on a previous post on this website once. Something to the effect they fight agianst and kill each other?
There is a lot to be said about probiotics. I read an entire book about probiotic therapy recently and I could dedicate my whole life to its study (many do). But a few basic things to keep in mind are:
1) not all probiotics you buy at the store are created equal and most are useless and a waste of your money (mostly because they are not stored properly so the bacteria die before you even bring it home). There is essentially no regulation related to probiotics, so you have to choose your brands carefully if you want an actual therapeutic benefit. It's unlikely any will hurt you, but only a few trusted brands will benefit you.
2) Probiotic therapy is critical for modern humans and for people who frequently use antibiotics. Eating fermented foods is also critical. Probiotic yogurts (organic and say "live" or "probiotic" specifically on the label), keifer, and sauerkraut/kimchi (my favorite, I don't do dairy) are very important to eat a lot of everyday. Sauerkraut is arguably the most reliable way of getting enough probiotic bacteria into the diet. It is said that a tablespoon of it has many many times more bacteria in it that a pill (even if the pill is legit, which is rare, like I mentioned). So in the absence of a good probiotic brand, or while searching for a good brand, bulk up on probiotic foods!
3) CF MDs and gastroenterologists in general know next to nothing about probiotic therapy (sadly) and so you may use their advice as guidance but be aware that most of them are way behind the curve when it comes to research on this topic. Yes, florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii, a yeast) and culturelle (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a bacteria) are two of the most well-studied "probiotics" out there. I take Culturelle myself bc it's indicated to improve CF lung function. But a complete probiotic therapy includes specific strains indicated for specific disease (like culturelle for CF), fermented foods, AND a multi-strain probiotic. You cannot rebalance a complex intestinal ecosystem with just a single species! It's like clear-cutting a rainforest and planting only pine trees! A reliable multi-strain probiotic is the hardest thing to come by, but there are several brands out there that I've come across in my research that are frequently used for severe GI disease for successfully correcting dysbiosis...
4) Reliable multi-strain brands: I am currently taking Ther-biotic Complete by Klaire Labs. I am impressed with Klaire's products in general. They are very diligent about testing and ensuring that there are live cultures present in the bottle until the date of expiration (when refrigerated) and that those cultures are in fact the ones labeled on the bottle. Not all brands guarantee this. This one needs to be refrigerated at all times (including in the store and when being shipped). There is also BioKult, which is a UK brand and does not need to be refrigerated. It is very reliable and well-studied for purity and freeze-dried for safe storage at room temp (like culturelle is). This one is used for correcting very severe dysbiosis, such as that in Celiac's and Crohn's disease. VSL #3 is another well-studied reliable brand and even used by (smart) mainstream gastroenterologists for treatment of ulcerative colitis, IBS, and other severe GI diseases. You can even get a specific form of this as an rx from a smart doc. This is a super heavy duty one, so be cautious. Biokult is too, but not as intense. I used biokult with no ill-effects, but it can be intense for certain people. I've never tried VSL #3. It needs to be kept in the fridge. There may be other reliable multi-strains out there, but I would try to buy well-researched ones, or those that you know have been effective for other people.
There is much more research out there on good brands, and the GAPS and SCD communities have really done a lot of good work in this front.
1) not all probiotics you buy at the store are created equal and most are useless and a waste of your money (mostly because they are not stored properly so the bacteria die before you even bring it home). There is essentially no regulation related to probiotics, so you have to choose your brands carefully if you want an actual therapeutic benefit. It's unlikely any will hurt you, but only a few trusted brands will benefit you.
2) Probiotic therapy is critical for modern humans and for people who frequently use antibiotics. Eating fermented foods is also critical. Probiotic yogurts (organic and say "live" or "probiotic" specifically on the label), keifer, and sauerkraut/kimchi (my favorite, I don't do dairy) are very important to eat a lot of everyday. Sauerkraut is arguably the most reliable way of getting enough probiotic bacteria into the diet. It is said that a tablespoon of it has many many times more bacteria in it that a pill (even if the pill is legit, which is rare, like I mentioned). So in the absence of a good probiotic brand, or while searching for a good brand, bulk up on probiotic foods!
3) CF MDs and gastroenterologists in general know next to nothing about probiotic therapy (sadly) and so you may use their advice as guidance but be aware that most of them are way behind the curve when it comes to research on this topic. Yes, florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii, a yeast) and culturelle (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a bacteria) are two of the most well-studied "probiotics" out there. I take Culturelle myself bc it's indicated to improve CF lung function. But a complete probiotic therapy includes specific strains indicated for specific disease (like culturelle for CF), fermented foods, AND a multi-strain probiotic. You cannot rebalance a complex intestinal ecosystem with just a single species! It's like clear-cutting a rainforest and planting only pine trees! A reliable multi-strain probiotic is the hardest thing to come by, but there are several brands out there that I've come across in my research that are frequently used for severe GI disease for successfully correcting dysbiosis...
4) Reliable multi-strain brands: I am currently taking Ther-biotic Complete by Klaire Labs. I am impressed with Klaire's products in general. They are very diligent about testing and ensuring that there are live cultures present in the bottle until the date of expiration (when refrigerated) and that those cultures are in fact the ones labeled on the bottle. Not all brands guarantee this. This one needs to be refrigerated at all times (including in the store and when being shipped). There is also BioKult, which is a UK brand and does not need to be refrigerated. It is very reliable and well-studied for purity and freeze-dried for safe storage at room temp (like culturelle is). This one is used for correcting very severe dysbiosis, such as that in Celiac's and Crohn's disease. VSL #3 is another well-studied reliable brand and even used by (smart) mainstream gastroenterologists for treatment of ulcerative colitis, IBS, and other severe GI diseases. You can even get a specific form of this as an rx from a smart doc. This is a super heavy duty one, so be cautious. Biokult is too, but not as intense. I used biokult with no ill-effects, but it can be intense for certain people. I've never tried VSL #3. It needs to be kept in the fridge. There may be other reliable multi-strains out there, but I would try to buy well-researched ones, or those that you know have been effective for other people.
There is much more research out there on good brands, and the GAPS and SCD communities have really done a lot of good work in this front.