Who uses priobotics?
They seem to be gaining popularity.
Some say we should take one of these tablets per day...lots of friendly bacteria. A greater variety might mean more probiotic armies in our bodies fighting with different problems.

Someone told me Nature's Way Primadophilus Optima was good.

I hesitate to add another tablet to my routine.

Would their be any benefit to simply doing this periodically? Like once a month for ten days? Or when we are sick? When we have other "issues?"
Do folks here take something like this daily? Comments?

Thank you.

People who have had alot of antibiotics may benefit from some probiotics. There are some special ones that claim to even digest the gluten peptide...and those following the gluten free diet use it.

People with a history of oxalate kidney stones, may benefit from some fancy types. Excess oxalate is absorbed when certain bacteria are killed in the bowel by antibiotics.
One is called Oxalobacter formingenes. This one prevents excess oxalate from getting into our blood stream. It is not in probiotics yet, but some claim to help with oxalate anyway.

Some yogurts are really good. Stoneyfield organic has 6 types of organisms in them.
There is the new Dannon Immune defense, which may help reduce "leaky gut". MAY. We tend in this house to do the yogurt route.

we like plain Kefir as a probiotic. most supermarkets carry it in the organic section

really healthy and a lot less $$ than the probiotic supps

I started taking Align and mainly because it was recommended by my Gastro doc over a year ago and I was given samples. It works very well but is a bit costly.

I was just reading about probiotics in a book by Dr. Stephen Wangan called "Healthier Without Wheat". He says the probiotics on the market vary widely in quality and effictiveness. Good bacteria are difficult to keep alive and many products have little--if any--living bacteria left in them by the time you bring them home. Yogurt and acidophilus milk also contain good bacteria, but it is difficult to correct a major imbalance by using them, and of course, if you have a diary allergy then they are not options. You need the right strains of viable bacteria, in a high enough dose, in order to experience the benefits of probiotics. The best sources are typically refrigerated products from reputable companies. Of course, the only place he listed to get them is his website: www.IBSTreatmentCenter.com

This book is very interesting, I would love for this doctor to move close to me!

Deb brings up a good point.

The probiotics found in stores typically are not so great.
If you buy locally, only purchase those that are kept in the refrigerator.

The very expensive ones found on the net are typically packaged under nitrogen to keep fresh. The premier ones come in GLASS containers too.

Probiotics are really hot items now. Doctors have come around to understanding their usefulness. But the good ones really cost alot of money. ($40 and up for a month's supply)

There is one caution however. If a person is immuno-compromised, they can be dangerous. Also if one is acutely ill, I'd refrain. A new study just came out using probiotics in patients with acute pancreatitis, and some deaths occurred. A surprise to all. (not in the placebo group)

http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/570319
If you cannot view this article, register --it is free.
Also I recall years ago in another forum, an HIV patient posted that he knew a man who died from probiotics. It appears that some products are contaminated with fungal organisms..this is a consequence of how they are manufactured. These contaminants are possibly virulent to people with depressed immune systems.

based on my son's reactions to probiotics since his autoimmune Crohn's dx i would so agree with that.

He used to eat yoghurt and drink kefir regularly but if he has them now he has bad GIT reaction.

This is scary in itself. I know I have tried them two different times, and they made me feel too sick to continue.

Hi. My gastroenterologist has me on Florogen 3 which he says has the most active ingredients for your $$. each pill is worth 10 cups of yogurt. He recommended taking 1-2 pills every day, and says sporadic uses isn't much good. He likens one's insides to a backyard filled with grass, and the good bacteria (stuff in the pills) is the grass... you want to have a backyard full of this...and ok you can expect a few weeds, but if you stop watering, or pulling up errant weeds, soon the weeds (bad bacteria) will take over, and just dumping more grass on top of the weeds isn't going to get your grassy back yard back because the grass has nowhere to root... you would have to eliminate the bad bacteria with a course of antibiotics and then replant the good bacteria.
I hope that analogy helped.