What no one told me about probiotics and kefir

When I started taking abx, everyone here strongly encouraged me to take probiotics. Something called acidophilus. Well, I went to the store and looked around. I found some that I had seen advertised on TV which seemed expensive to me, and next to them, some generics for just a few bucks with like 9B cultures in it. Not being wealthy, I went for the cheap stuff.

Well, I started taking it but I didn't notice a difference. Because of this, I would take it sometimes, and other times, I was either too lazy or forgetful to take them.

But then, many months later I began to have digestive issues. How could I if I was taking probiotics? So like anything else, I began to do research. Wow! I could not believe what I was reading… there is a whole new world out there!

So After months and months of research, I thought that I would share my experience with you because I wish someone had told me this from the start. If someone did, maybe it went in one ear and out the other (grin).

There are lots and lots of probiotics, not just acidophilus. These probiotics come in bacteria and yeast form.
We have our guts filled with these bacteria and yeast. It is called microflora.

From what I have read, these micro flora make up to 70% of your immune system, they protect you from infections, bad bacteria and yeast and scour your food for nutrients which are then made available to your body. Have you heard of people who are lactose intolerant? There is a probiotic for that. Have you heard of someone who can’t extract vitamin B12 from food? There is a probiotic for that. Maybe someone you know doesn’t get enough fiber from food? There is a probiotic for that.

So as you can see, many of our digestive ailments could be because we lack a certain bacteria in our gut. As a matter of fact, probiotics are added to baby formula. I didn't know that!

And so what happens when we use antibiotics? Well, some are gentle enough that they don’t mess your gut too much. Some are horrific on your gut. One thing that they have in common is that they kill your bad bacteria but also your good bacteria, making you vulnerable to infections.

For me personally, I have found that Bactrim, Rifampin and Doxycyclin give me severe stomach issues. Are they worse than other antibiotics? I don't know, but my tummy seems to think so.

OK, so what am I am doing for it? Well, there are five major factors that I have found to take into account when choosing a probiotic.
1. Whether it is bacteria or yeast based.
2. The quantity of beneficial bacteria in it (in the billions)
3. How many different strains of bacteria are in the product
4. If the probiotic comes with enzymes, bile or other digestive aids
5. Whether the probiotic is shelf safe or if it needs to be refrigerated. Seems that the better probiotics are refrigerated.

I found a probiotic from NOW products that is doing great for me. Intestinal pains, bloating and ulcer pain have either gone away or diminished. I still have acid reflux from a weak LES but at least my other pains are gone.

One more thing, I used to go to the bathroom (number 2) once a day and after taking this, I now go two or three times (which is a good thing). I don't own stock on NOW brand and mention it here as a reference only. The probiotic is named “NOW Probiotic-10 50 Billion” and contains 10 strains of probiotics: Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-14), Bifidobacterium lactis (BI-04), Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp-115), Bifidobacterium lactis (BI-05), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lr-32), Strepto. thermophilus (St-21), Lactobacillus paracasei (Lp-37), Bifidobacterium breve (Bb-03), Lactobacillus salivarius (lS-33), Lactobacillus casei (Lc-11)

I also wanted to share with you a website (http://www.probiotic.org/) that I use as reference and one that I use to find out what each probiotic does. It has great information and references if you want to search further.

For example:
-- Lactobacillus Rhamnosus prevents urinary tract infections, aids in dairy product digestion, decreases duration of diarrhea.
-- Strepto Thermophiles prevents transformation of nitrates into cancer-causing nitrites and helps with chemotherapy side effects.
-- Bifidobacterium breve inhibits e coli, produces lactic acid and acetic acid. It also breaks down fiber and other types of food that are considered non-digestible.
-- Lactobacillus salivarius is instrumental in reducing at least five bacteria associated with the formation of plaque. It also helps the immune system response to colitis and septic shock.
-- Lactobacillus casei: This one is especially good for crohn’s disease. It also produces lactic acid, helps control diarrhea, alleviates constipation, and modulates the immune system.

So there you go, next time someone tells me to get probiotics, I will know that not all probiotics are the same and that some research needs to be done to find out which are most beneficial for me.

I also just got some free kefir grains that I am going to use for making kefir and can't wait to try it.

In some website, they mention the following beneficial bacteria and yeast that are in kefir:Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species. Beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir are also in it.

I would love to hear from you as to which strains of probiotics work best for you. Maybe there is an even better brand that I might have missed.

This is great info, thanks for posting it! Moderators, is it appropriate to add this to the New to Lyme thread?

Thanks all. I am 50 years old and every day I am amazed that all of this has existed my whole life and I have never heard of it.

How come my doctors never told of this? Do they even know?

Many doctors have no clue about the world of probiotics or that they are helpful! But you stated many of the reasons why I'm always suggesting Kefir - many strains of good bacteria and good yeasts, and not expensive to make yourself at home, or you can buy non-sweetened, plain flavored kefir in many grocery stores now.

Each of us has to find what fits and works best for us, but there is no doubt about the need for probiotics in our healing protocols.

Great information! Thank you

That probiotic descriptive web site is pretty awesome.

cd3764 -

"Most doctors just do not keep current with preventative medicine. Our health system isn't a health system at all....it's a band-aid system that addresses symptoms."

-Isnt that the truth.

The only Drs that keep current are the ones that are actually interested in what they do. Think about it.

The rest - its just a well paying job for them. They dont even Google info in their field. In college, they decided to be a Dr instead of a Lawyer.

Healing98 awesome info, thanks for doing our homework. Actually it gives me another site to study, I love learning health stuff.

I actually started making my own Kombucha tea before I got diagnosed and fermenting my own veggies/fruits. I'm recently purchased water kefir grains, since we are suppose to not consume dairy and if I did consume it, I would go the route of real cows milk without the processing.

I do also take the pill form multiple times of the day and one of the other important ones to take and my LLMD actually told me to take it is the SBC - Saccharomyces Boulardii which helps keep away C-diff from to many anx, I believe it is also in the Kombucha tea.

Great post, thx

Healing98, I can totally relate to your kefir grains story. The lady who gave me mine would not take any money, and the way she talked about them it was like they were little living people, full of life and vitality.

You were very smart to only drink an ounce or two to start. I gulped down 8 oz. the first time I took it and things didn't go so well. I had trouble getting it down because of the smell and taste, and soon after drinking it I got very nauseous. That was two days ago and my tummy is still not so happy but is getting better. Looking back I should have started with a much lower amount and worked my way up. I'm going to hold off taking it for a few days until things calm down and then start back up with taking one ounce. I do have a sensitivity to candida so I'm wondering if, even though all the bacteria/yeast in kefir are good guys, my body just thought that they were bad guys. Anyway, the kefir adventure continues. Thanks so much for sharing your story!

I wish my story was that interesting and funny. I just bought mine from www.culturesforhealth.com/starter-cultures/kefir-cultures.html

I like them a lot, there are plenty of articles and recipes about kefir, the right equipment and ingredients, recipes, and how-to videos. I just wish I had more room in my fridge and kitchen to store everything I want to do.

I'm so glad I finally made it back to this thread!! Thanks all for the hearty giggles you gave me!!!

The Kefir Adventures begin!!

You can flavor the kefir with things like berries (yum!!) and then sweeten it too - I got to where I looked forward to my daily dose of kefir, like an ice cream treat or something!! LOL!

Even those that are lactose intolerant can generally tolerate kefir well, because as the milk is turned into kefir, the lactose is generally used up - if I understand correctly anyway. I know that I'm very lactose intolerant - to the point it was thought for a while that I was allergic to all milk (fortunately not the case!) - yet I can tolerate larger doses of kefir daily. It does take a bit for your innerds to get used to all of that good bacteria and good yeasts though, especially if it's been deprived of them for a while!

And I felt that way about my little kefir buddies too - wanting to protect them - then I ended up giving too many of them away!! ARRRRRG!!! So I have to get some more and your stories are making me want some of that yummy kefir now!

Do enjoy!!

Oh Gosh traveler!, you are too kind. The more I think about Lyme and Co, the more I believe that you can't beat it without a good stomach flora. What I mean is that if the immune system is 70% in the gut, then that is probably as good a place as any to start killing those buggers, don't you think?

If we hit them with herbs, abx, a healthy gut, a healthy diet, good detoxing, and exercise, I just don't see how they can survive.

If I was a bug and they did all of this to me, I would be like "heck with this, it ain't worth it...I'm out of here!"

My LLMD highly recommended kefir.

People think probiotics mean "acidophilus," but acidophilus is only one strain, and by itself, won't do much good.

Margaret

Luv the stories about kefir grains...I do Milk and Water...and gladly give away grains to anyone totally interested...refer to the grains as babeez ...I found they brought my cholesterol down ..I have milk in morning and water in arvo..1/2 glass..but yes when you start off .take a small dose so your stomache gets accustomed to the kefir...