bio and sherri.... i'm taking a probiotic

[jimmie 48]

hey girls, i have not been over here in such a long time. lots of threads are new!

i've had some problems with my intestines lately. most likely, late side effects from the radiation. both of my oncologists tell me the intestines can go through changes for quite some time. fun fun.... not

i was chatting with sillygirl about my problem and she suggested taking a probiotic supplement. i've purchased a Rexall brand called Ultimate Probiotic Formula Acidophilus.

do you have any words of wisdom about this product or the benefits of probiotics?

[misplaced southerner]

hey jimmie...i am not bio or sherri but i DO know a lot about probiotics...can i jump in here?

your "system" is FULL of bacteria or "flora" both good and bad. these bacteria help to keep the body working smoothly. also, they keep the lining of the intestine healthy so that it is better able to absorb the most nutrients from the food that you eat.

when people are subjected to a LOT of medicine, such as chemo, radiation (i think) and a lot of antibiotics, all of that GOOD bacteria ALSO gets killed of or altered. your intestines are then much less able to work properly, causing, in many cases, a lot of pain, bloating, well, you know the drill.

i just read also that it CAN cause allergies of many kinds since the body HAS to react to fight off certain things since the good bacteria is not around to do its job adequately.

the BEST kind of probiotic is generally refrigerated. it keeps the bacteria alive longer. do not keep it in a warm place...it will lose its potency. also, look for one that has the most bacteria...i think i just bought one called PB8 and it has a LOT.

when you start to take them you may notice a little change in your "system" as it is regulating the good/bad bacteria. it does not last long. in short order, you will notice HUGE relief. i only take two a day with my meal in the evening. i don't think you can really overdo. i have a friend who uses hers each time she has a meal with no bad effects. it is all naturally occurring "stuff" that you already have/had in your body.

i SWEAR by them. ever since i can remember, food, all kinds, has caused me to bloat and puff and my poor gut gurgles and churns. sometimes my system seems inactive, sometimes TOO active....when i am taking my probiotics, i have a peaceful tummy.

and that is a good thing

i am interested to read what the pros have to say! i sure do hope that you find some relief with them. please let us know! for me, it did not take long.

[jimmie 48]

[[[betsy]]]] of course i welcome what you have to say!

i have read some but not all of what you wrote so i appreciate the added information. i don't feel real comfortable telling the whole story of what my insides are doing, though. lets call it TMI
i've had some sort of difference ever since radiation started/ended. dr.s are sure it is nothing to be conerned with but i'm still not 'right'.

i am hoping the good success you had and the success sillygirl has will be the same for me.

btw. how much is 'alot'? what i bought was a capsule form. was that the wrong form of the item to be buying?

[misplaced southerner]

jo i am sure that the one you got is fine. i have gotten mine from places like vitamin world and the health food stores. the PB8 does not have to be refrigerated. it contains 14 BILLION life bacteria. the more, the better.

like vitamins, maybe all are not created equal. when i talk to the folks at the health food store, of course, THEIRS are the best.....but trader joe's and even wal-mart sell them! so i think you can't go wrong. start on what you have and then you can talk around and read up and try different ones. they are relatively inexpensive. i prefer NOT to have the kind that MUST be refrigerated....for me it is less convenient. the ones i got are high in bacteria, were a good price and i can take them anywhere. they work for me

i hear ya on the TMI. i have no real excuse...just a contrary digestive system!

i can't wait to hear what bio and sherri have to share! hey, tell silly hi for me! tell her we miss her. glad she is in touch with you! and do let me know if this helps you. hopefully it won't take too long.

[biogeek]

Jo,

I second what Betsy had to say! The ones that are stored in the fridge tends to be the freshest and most potent of the probiotics. My probiotics are in capsule form (similar to the old-school Tylenol capsules that you could take apart) and I store them in the coldest part of the fridge. However, you can find them in powder form as well as a liquid extract. Which ever way you go, just make sure they are fresh (there should be a date on them), how many active critters it has as well as types, and note the serving size.

For what it's worth, my two youngest step-daughters also take probiotics to help them with irritable bowel syndrome. They've tried all kinds of prescriptions, but the best thing that has helped them ease their symptoms has been the probiotics.

Probiotics help raise the good flora in our gut because when their numbers are low (from illness, antibiotics, etc), diarrhea often occurs. Not nice! I recall a lecture when the professor told us that our gut flora weighs about 3 pounds in total. Trillions and trillions of critters there! You definitely do not want the bad version to outnumber the good ones or else you'll be on the toilet for often than you want.

The probiotic in your supplement is one of many types that can help us. You may wish to try a variety of different ones to see which ones work best for you. When you're purchasing a probiotic, the bacterial strains come from two main types: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus. Then there are the various strains that arise from these groups. I hope this makes sense. [An example of bacterial strains would be E.coli. You've heard of this, I'm sure, but some strains of E.coli are worse than others, one of the dangerous being E.coli O157:H7 (remember Jack-in-the-box?). Other strains of E.coli can make you ill and other still won't even be noticed by you.]

There are also some yeasts that are considered probiotics, so you may see a name such as Saccharomyces boulardii, but just know that yeast can cause some folks to be gassy and feel bloated.

You can also get probiotics from food, too! Besides yogurt, you can consume both fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, some soy products and some juices, saurkraut, most pickles, some soft cheeses. Fermented foods tends to have lots of probiotic strains. I know there are other foods, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment. I mention these foods because you're at goal, so you may wish to endulge in some yogurt. A lot of the others can be low carb.

There are also prebiotics, which are suppose to help the good bacteria in our guts. They don't contain bacteria or yeast, but are suppose to help the good guys we already have in our system.

I can write more later, but it's time for dinner! Please let me know if you have ANY questions or concerns. I will do my best to answer them to the best of my ability. I can also find some journal articles about probiotics to see what's new.

[jimmie 48]

i never got an email reply for this thread! it's a conspiracy! LOL

thanks for answering back betsy and for your input, bio. sillygirl wanted to know your thoughts on the prociotic. she also takes one and swears by it.

i've not noticed much change so far. how long does it take to see or experience some difference?
i seem to have a good day and then the next day, not so much. a couple days ago, i had the thought that maybe nuts were messing with me so i've dumped those too. right now i am basically just trying anything that will work.

[biogeek]

Probiotics can take about a week or two for the good bacteria to outnumber the bad ones. What are the numbers with the Rexall brand you're taking? You may also wish to take other varieties of probiotics if acidophilus isn't working alone for you.

Oh, and about not getting a notice about this thread...that has happened to me as well, but there's no pattern to it. *shrugs*

Are you still keeping a food diary? If so, I can take a peek at it and see if you're eating anything that may be interfering.

Tell SG I miss her!! She was always so kind to me.

[jimmie 48]

i did another look at my supplement. it says each capsule has 2 billion active cultures. it directs me to "take 1 capsule, one to three times daily, preferably with a meal." i have been taking one and with my first meal of the day. today, i upped it to 2. one this morning and one this evening with my dinner.

maybe i needed the larger dose?

[biogeek]

Yeah, you'll want the larger dose, but it's always nice to work up to that, too. Once you're at 3x/day, then give it a week or two.

[jimmie 48]

bio, my only food diary of late is kinda in my head and an overall view of what rungs i'm eating from.

i had a problem with raw veggies during and after my radiation. i quit eating raw veggies and then added them back as a test. i also quit eating the low carb ice cream with has the sugar alcohols, adding that back after a time. the ice cream never gave me problems before but my system is different now so i figured why not dump that too. now the other day i had something happen that made me think i needed to dump the nuts/seeds for a time. so, it's been just a trial and error type thing for me.

i contacted the RN at the radiology oncologists office and she assured me there was nothing bad going on .... more cancer type bad. she told me as did my gyn. oncologist, that the bacteria in my intestines was messed up from the radiation and even now, this many months past it, i could still be experiencing problems.