PROBIOTICS

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SUE ANN
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PROBIOTICS

Post by SUE ANN »

i've seen several posts recommending a good probiotic - but which ones are good??...my GI dr told me a few years ago ( pre diagnosis of MC) to take ALIGN...i never could tell if it was helping or not, but i took it religiously...now i'm post diagnosis of MC for about a month and not taking any probiotics...i am now ( for 2 wks) on an elimination diet and not taking any extra pills / supplements except my prescription stuff...and i'm on Budesonide for 3 wks now.

there are sooooo many probiotics out there that it's quite confusing...and at this point in time i trust members here a bit more than my doctors!...

so which ones are GOOD or BAD?...feedback about bad or useless ones is good info too...

and should i wait until the elimination diet is finished to start a probiotic or would it be helpful now?
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Erica P-G
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Post by Erica P-G »

Hi Sue Ann,

It seems probiotics are a bit controversial....my system seems to tolerate the Probiotic from Dr. Mercola's website it is GF, DF and SF. I am not currently taking it so that I can give my whole system a rest of everything for a little while. I think the thing to take into consideration is if it has anything in it that is sensitive to your MC. I understand some people on this site are not able to tolerate a probiotic, I'm not completely sure the reason for that, but anything is possible.

You may want to wait until you are feeling betting before venturing out on a probiotic quest, at least then you may be able to notice if you feel good on it or not.

Cheers
Erica
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
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tex
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Post by tex »

Hi Sue Ann,

I agree with Erica. With a handful of rare exceptions out of hundreds of members here who have tried probiotics, most of us find that early on in our recovery, virtually all probiotics either seem to have no effect, or they make our symptoms much worse (or cause a relapse), because for some of us, our immune system perceives those bacteria as pathogenic, and it attacks them (making symptoms worse). After we have been in remission for a while, our immune system is more likely to tolerate a probiotic, and a probiotic is less likely to cause an adverse reaction, and more likely to be beneficial.

If you will look at those posts recommending probiotics, you will see that most of them are made by members who have either been in remission for quite a while, or they are far enough along that their immune system has settled down significantly. You can see how long ago members joined the board by the number of yellow stars under their avatar. Each year, the system adds a yellow star on their anniversary of registration. Also, the exact date they joined is displayed as the first line under their avatar.

In general (IOW, for most of us), the fewer supplements we take during our recovery (especially early on), the sooner we are likely to reach remission. After we reach remission it is much easier (and safer) to experiment, and it's also much easier to tell if a test food or supplement is helping or hurting our recovery.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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SUE ANN
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Post by SUE ANN »

thanks guys....i'll hold off until i'm much better, then i'll revisit this topic...
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ldubois7
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Post by ldubois7 »

I could not take probiotics until 1 & 1/2 years post diagnosis of MC. I could not take any supplements while I was healing. The first supplement I took was Vitamin D, and took that for 6 months to get my level up before trying anything else. Vitamin D is very important in the healing process. Have you had that checked?
Linda :)

LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
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SUE ANN
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Post by SUE ANN »

i haven't had my vitamin D checked....i'll see if my doctor will ok it...

thanks again...
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tex
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Post by tex »

Sue Ann,

If your doctor balks, you can order an accurate and reliable test kit at the link below, for about $70 bucks, including shipping both ways.

https://vitamindcouncil.zrtlab.com/

This is the test that many of us order if/when we want to know and our doctor doesn't feel that vitamin D testing is important.

You're very welcome,
Tex
:cowboy:

It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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SUE ANN
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Post by SUE ANN »

thanks Tex....my doctor has been reluctant to do any of the tests i've asked for...i was scared to ask her for anything else!...this outside lab seems a perfect solution...
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DJ
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Post by DJ »

I am two years post-diagnosis and I am doing rather well. I am still unable to take probiotis without lots of GI distress.
seeljanerun
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Post by seeljanerun »

As a side note - I'm not sure if I would go back to Align, as I believe it has lactose in it and milk protein unless you know you aren't sensitive.
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Post by brandy »

Sue Ann,

I used the lab that Tex referenced and the results were very fast.

Brandy
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SUE ANN
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Post by SUE ANN »

i'll double check the Align...i've been dairy free for 3 years - or thought i was!...
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