Probiotics?

[andilynn09]

probiotics?

My GI told me on my last visit that I could try adding probiotics to my meds routine if I wanted. What kind/brand do you all use, and where do you purchase yours?

 

[DannyB]

eurgh! I havent ever tried probiotics to be honest but yakult is a good one apparently. I dunno if I fancy them but try something once and if you never try.

 

[mikeyarmo]

(spelling may be wrong) but I was told acidiphilus/bifidus was good to take. Just as important as what you are taking is the actual strength (number of bacteria you ingest).

 

[snarker]

all 3 Mike . acidopholous/bifidus/casei and the tablet form is the most effective but I LOVE the yoghurts. and they do help - i have a little regime of things for my gut that i stick to and i think it works. My Crohns is not as bad as it used to be though mainly i think thanks to the Enbrel i take for the AS.

give it a try ..

Patrick

 

[DarrylP_Ajax]

I eat tons of plain, unsweetened yhogurt, has four kinds of bacteria, basically the same as the pills, but not in as big quanitity as the pills, but its a hell of a lot cheaper and i find works well

 

[Skinsfan1229]

Yogurt is probbaly the WORST place to get the probiotics believe it or not. The refridgeration kills most of the bacteria.

VSL#3 actually has had Clinical Trials done on it with UC, which shows its the most beneficial.

I take primal defense AND acidiphillus, the primal defense actually has 12 different species of bacteria in it, acidiphillus is just ONE. Since taking them...the 2nd day I started noticing less bm's even though I have a illiostomy, by the 4th day I was having half as many BM's and had more energy, not bad.


PS. I also take digestive enzymes, only when drinking or eatin dairy. When I'm flaring I cant have milk or ice cream, but I found that if I take just ONE digestive enzyme I dont get bloated and I can handle the dairy, even though they recommend taking four!

 

[GNC Crohn's Man]

Also this is straight from my Doctor... He doesn't think it is a good idea to start taking the probiotics until the gut has had some time to settle down... If you start taking them as soon as you get out of the hospital and you have been on antiobiotics then they may actual cause you to have a flare.... Or they may just make you sick... So only take the probiotcs stuff if you have been out of the hospital/away from anibotics for at least about a month or so...


Best probotic out in the world right now that is in a pill form is Primal Defence by Garden of Life... This guy who owns the company made this up specificly to help with his crohn's...

As to him saying he has "cured himself" I think that is a load of crap because if he ever admitted to being sick again He would lose tons of customers...

You can buy this stuff at GNC but I would order it online and get it cheaper..
Their are two different ones out their now in this line... The old one is slowly being discontinued... That is called primal defense... You can still find it online at some sites for a decent price... http://www.gardenoflife.com/detail_primal_defense.shtml

Now their pushing a "new and better probiotic"... It is called Primal Defense® ULTRA... As far as I can tell due to their medical jargen the only thing they did with the new one was to put in a capsule and add a new strain of bacteria... That and they charge you $15 extra of course...
http://www.gardenoflife.com/detail_primal_defense_ultra.shtml

I don't like the price of thier products but their proboitic is a must have for any crohn's patient... WATCH OUT though... I know you want to get your natural bacteria in order after having to go to the hospital and being put on tons of antiboitcs that kill your good bacteria... Just remember to much of a change in bacteria in your guy despite whither it is good or bad may cause you to have another flare up... I would wait about 2-3 weeks after you are off the antiboitics and your body seems more or less stable before intrudcing them back into your intestines...

Also this is the ONLY product that has lots of weird bacteria that are hard for crohn's patients to get growing in the intestines... 99% of all other probiotics just have a bunch of acidphlius and biofiodo bactrium...

You don't have to stay on it though... Once a good culture of this stuff has started in your intestines then just shelf the bottle till next time you have to go on antibiotics... That's what I do... Bacteria are supposed to naturally flourish in the intestines.. So just get some of those good bacteria in your stomach and they should trive on their own...

As far as shelving the bottle goes though the bacteria in the GNC brand or any other brand will go bad and die after opening them if you don't put them in the refridgorator... The Garden of Life pills have food for the bacteria to eat so they stay alive... Plus it comes in a dark bottle so just put it with the rest of your pills and it will be fine...

Also never put pills in the bathroom... Condinsation is not good for pills and mildew can build inside of bottles even if they are sealed... Bathroom med cabinet is not a good place for meds.. Oitmnets creams, blames, salves, shaving stuff, tooth paste, good place for them... Remember meds like to be cool and dry... Unless stated otherwise... And keep them AWAY from the sun... Do not put them where direct sunlight can shine on them...

Well that's my thoughts...

I need to eat..

Bye Bye

 

[Sheryl]

I used VSL#3 and it worked well, I bought it on-line. Expensive !!

 

[Jeff D.]

Hey GNC man how much does that stuff cost and how long does it take for you to not need it. I have always taken acidopholus/bifidus that you can get at GNC. I read his book and have always thought of Mr. Rubin as a shady dude but thats besides the point. If it works then I will definitely try it. Thanks

 

[GNC Crohn's Man]

The guy who did the Garden of Life stuff is a shadey dude... If you know what your looking for you can get all the stuff he sells in other brands for a hell of a lot cheaper... You just have to know what ingredients or blends of ingredinets do certain things...

If you were to go to a GNC store right now (without a gold card thats their discount card for the 1-7 of every month you get 20% off of everything even off of sells) then a bottle of Primal Defense ® ULTRA will be $49.95 before taxes a bottle of the old kind (again it is being discontinued) Garden of Life® Primal Defense will be $44.95...

The difference between the two is that the ultra is in a capsule and it has 1 extra strain of bacteria... That's it... The old one is a tablet that looks like a yucky green color and is kind soft and nastey looking and it tastes funny...

Also the primal defense line has bacteria in it that help with direah and other odd gut problems... It is hands down the best probiotic out their... I would not recommend taking any of his other products though unless you want to go poor really fast...

I would just go ahead and get the Primal Defense ® ULTRA but do not buy it from GNC unless you just want it right now and you have a gold card... Or if you are planning on shopping their regularly and you plan on getting a gold card... Otherwise you can get the same product online through various websites up to 33% of that $49.95 price... Granted you need to find a company with very good customer feed back though before you just order something or else the product my be damaged or it may take forever in arrirving...

 

[Jeff D.]

Thanks sorry for hijacking this great thread but I had to ask. Anyways I have a gold card but do not know if it is still good because my parents and I have not bought something from GNC since I got my last two acidopholus comtainers and they last a while.

I will definitely check it out though

THanks

 

[GNC Crohn's Man]

To answer your question... First ask your self? Has it has been more than 1 year since you have last been to GNC? If you said yes then your card is expired.. If you said no then go to the same store your parents purchased your gold card at... They have a list of all the people that have bought gold cards from that store and the cards are active... We do not keep a list of inactive gold card numbers in the store.. You just tell them your last name and they will look you up on the list... Also you'll probably have to tell them your mom or dad's first name.. It just depends on how long the list is... Remember gold card week is the 1-7 of every month... And no Garden of Life products never go on regular sale...

If you were to get a new card it would cost you $15 dollars... But you would save $10 due to the 20% off by getting the card... So if you bought a new card and the Garden of Life® Primal Defense® ULTRA your bill would look like this.. Remember the card is good for a year but it is the 1-7 of the month you can also use the card online at GNC.com and at some rite aid stores on GNC things the 1-7 of the month...

No it is not a credit card it is a discount card and you get a wallet one and a keychain one... Don't put the card in your bag or the reciept in your bag... Otherwise you'll lose it.. Put everything in your wallet and the key ring on your keychain... Otherwise you will lose it or throw it away...

Buying New Gold Card or Renewing Old Gold Card

Primal Defense ****** $49.95
Gold Card Doc ****** $15.00


Gold card dis ****** -9.99
-----------------------------------

Subtotal: 55.96
Tax X% tax

______________________________
Total 55.96+tax <------ If you got a new card or renewed

Total before savings $64.95+tax
Savings -9.99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Already Have Active Gold Card


Primal Defense ****** $49.95

Gold card dis ****** -9.99
-----------------------------------

Subtotal: $39.96
Tax X% tax

______________________________
Total 39.96+tax <------if you already have a card.

Total before savings $49.95+tax
Savings -9.99

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just walk in and buy product without dealing with gold card

Primal Defense ****** $49.95

-----------------------------------

Subtotal: $49.95
Tax X% tax

______________________________
Total 49.95+tax <------ walk in and buy price

Total before savings $49.95
Savings $0.00

 

[GNC Crohn's Man]

So basicly if you renew your card your gonna be spending 5 bucks more than if you just bought the product by itself... IF your coming back their to buy products then go ahead and get it... If this is just gonna be a one time thing then don't worry about... If you are afraid you are going to have to return the product then don't worry about getting the card unless you are gonna be coming back their for other products... Make sense? I can confuse people pretty easly...

Also capn admin can you cut and past this section between us to another area.
Just stick it under the how to deal with gnc thread thanks ...

 

[Skinsfan1229]

Actually crohns man...if your read the books by jordan rubin...( I read the makers diet AND restoring the digestive health, which was written by jordan and a GI)the owner of primal defense and Garden of Life, suggests taking one a day, adding one a day, until you ge tto 12, taking that for 6 months, and then you can come down to 3 to 6 pills a day for life.

I dont know how much of this is just advertising and pushing on the growing market of IBD, but it has worked for me.

Like I said I also take digestive enzymes by garden of life, I believe called o-mega zymes

 

[Op.28/18]

I've used a few.

VSL#3 was the first. It did work--once I used 4 packs/day--but it's expensive. I heard that in the US that insurance plans are going to start covering VSL#3 for UC and Crohn's. Not sure if that's true or not, but it might be worth checking out. And supposedly, even now, if you have a nice doctor, he or she can write a letter to your insurance company saying you need it and a lot of times they'll cover it. (Their website has information about this: http://www.vsl3.com/VSL3/order-reimbursement.asp.)

Primal Defense was another. That did seem to help, too.

Now I take Primadophilus Reuteri, made by Nature's Way, the one with 5 billion CFU.

 

[dad_01]

Also this is straight from my Doctor... He doesn't think it is a good idea to start taking the probiotics until the gut has had some time to settle down... If you start taking them as soon as you get out of the hospital and you have been on antiobiotics then they may actual cause you to have a flare.... Or they may just make you sick... So only take the probiotcs stuff if you have been out of the hospital/away from anibotics for at least about a month or so...


Best probotic out in the world right now that is in a pill form is Primal Defence by Garden of Life... This guy who owns the company made this up specificly to help with his crohn's...

As to him saying he has "cured himself" I think that is a load of crap because if he ever admitted to being sick again He would lose tons of customers...

You can buy this stuff at GNC but I would order it online and get it cheaper..
Their are two different ones out their now in this line... The old one is slowly being discontinued... That is called primal defense... You can still find it online at some sites for a decent price... http://www.gardenoflife.com/detail_primal_defense.shtml

Now their pushing a "new and better probiotic"... It is called Primal Defense® ULTRA... As far as I can tell due to their medical jargen the only thing they did with the new one was to put in a capsule and add a new strain of bacteria... That and they charge you $15 extra of course...
http://www.gardenoflife.com/detail_primal_defense_ultra.shtml

I don't like the price of thier products but their proboitic is a must have for any crohn's patient... WATCH OUT though... I know you want to get your natural bacteria in order after having to go to the hospital and being put on tons of antiboitcs that kill your good bacteria... Just remember to much of a change in bacteria in your guy despite whither it is good or bad may cause you to have another flare up... I would wait about 2-3 weeks after you are off the antiboitics and your body seems more or less stable before intrudcing them back into your intestines...

Also this is the ONLY product that has lots of weird bacteria that are hard for crohn's patients to get growing in the intestines... 99% of all other probiotics just have a bunch of acidphlius and biofiodo bactrium...

You don't have to stay on it though... Once a good culture of this stuff has started in your intestines then just shelf the bottle till next time you have to go on antibiotics... That's what I do... Bacteria are supposed to naturally flourish in the intestines.. So just get some of those good bacteria in your stomach and they should trive on their own...

As far as shelving the bottle goes though the bacteria in the GNC brand or any other brand will go bad and die after opening them if you don't put them in the refridgorator... The Garden of Life pills have food for the bacteria to eat so they stay alive... Plus it comes in a dark bottle so just put it with the rest of your pills and it will be fine...

Also never put pills in the bathroom... Condinsation is not good for pills and mildew can build inside of bottles even if they are sealed... Bathroom med cabinet is not a good place for meds.. Oitmnets creams, blames, salves, shaving stuff, tooth paste, good place for them... Remember meds like to be cool and dry... Unless stated otherwise... And keep them AWAY from the sun... Do not put them where direct sunlight can shine on them...

Well that's my thoughts...

I need to eat..

Bye Bye

There's a lot of complex information - some contradictory - on probiotics.

I went to a health fair in northern new jersey and an M.D. who is big in alternative health said that he considered it malpractice for your doctor prescribed antibiotics without reccomending probiotics at the same time. Though, of course, that reccomendation may not have been specific to someone with crohns in the middle of a flare.

 

[dad_01]

The guy who did the Garden of Life stuff is a shadey dude... If you know what your looking for you can get all the stuff he sells in other brands for a hell of a lot cheaper... You just have to know what ingredients or blends of ingredinets do certain things...

If you were to go to a GNC store right now (without a gold card thats their discount card for the 1-7 of every month you get 20% off of everything even off of sells) then a bottle of Primal Defense ® ULTRA will be $49.95 before taxes a bottle of the old kind (again it is being discontinued) Garden of Life® Primal Defense will be $44.95...

The difference between the two is that the ultra is in a capsule and it has 1 extra strain of bacteria... That's it... The old one is a tablet that looks like a yucky green color and is kind soft and nastey looking and it tastes funny...

Also the primal defense line has bacteria in it that help with direah and other odd gut problems... It is hands down the best probiotic out their... I would not recommend taking any of his other products though unless you want to go poor really fast...

I would just go ahead and get the Primal Defense ® ULTRA but do not buy it from GNC unless you just want it right now and you have a gold card... Or if you are planning on shopping their regularly and you plan on getting a gold card... Otherwise you can get the same product online through various websites up to 33% of that $49.95 price... Granted you need to find a company with very good customer feed back though before you just order something or else the product my be damaged or it may take forever in arrirving...

A nutritionist I see - an alternative nutritionist - thinks that the advice that Jordan Rubin gives is basically sound. I told her I have a hard time getting past the fact that he hawks his own stuff seemingly everywhere that he can in his books.