I've been dealing with gut issues for over a decade now, it is probably best described as leaky gut syndrome with secondary fibromyalgia, IBS, and chronic fatigue that flare up whenever I eat the wrong things. I did a blood food sensitivity test a few years back and have gradually been ridding the worst malefactors from my diet (as painful as that is!) and have been doing much better, the latest to go is too much sugar (of any variety, including honey, fruit juice, whatever) and as I have a major sweet tooth and can't tolerate the artificial sweeteners, well, it's been hard, but really worth it. That being said, I've tried all sorts of things to help my beleaguered gut over the years, but I wanted to try probiotics again, because apparently they work miracles though I had tried some a long time ago and wasn't impressed. I did my research and found one that was reasonably priced and was supposed to get live bugs into your small intestine (instead of getting killed by stomach acid like many are) and thought I was on my way. I read the reviews, they were either amazing and changed your life or almost killed you, so I figured I didn't have much to lose, being mostly dead anyway.
A few weeks before I ordered my little bacterial friends I began to significantly increase the fiber and other prebiotics in my diet (all those crazy substances the little buggers love). And as I did so, I began to feel better (this coincided with my sugar purge) and couldn't wait to see if the probiotic did its thing or not. It came and I started slowly, a half capsule twice daily (recommended serving size was two whole capsules daily). I didn't notice any magical side effects but neither did I get sick like some of the reviewers claimed. I gradually got up to the full serving and nothing appreciable happened, at least initially, after about a week on the full dose I started feeling lousy again. I stopped the probiotic and was magically better. Then I started to do a little digging. All we hear about is how magical and wonderful probiotics are, but is it just placebo effect? I found an article on the American Gastroenterologist's Association page and was stunned, nobody ever mentions what the experts actually say. If you don't want to read all the medical and scientific jargon, I'll boil it down for you: they found probiotics have not proved to be significantly beneficial in most cases of gastointestinal pathology.
And why did I and seemingly a significant number of reviewers of my probiotic of choice get sick? It was pretty much a case of self-induced SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). You're dumping 40 billion live bacteria into your small intestine on a daily basis and the body responds as it would to food poisoning or any other massive invasion of intestinal pathogens: fever, malaise, lethargy, diarrhea, gas, cramping. The product does exactly what it says, so I would rate the product as excellent, but I would carefully consider if it is wise to use the product in the first place. Technically speaking, by changing your diet (less sugar, higher fiber) your gut bugs naturally adapt to the changed environment and you get more healthy gut flora without horking down half a hundred billion bugs a day. Even 'good' bacteria, in high doses, can be a problem. The answer isn't a pill but rather a lifestyle change: eat more whole grains, more fruits (with the skin!) and veggies (eat the peal), and cut back on the preservatives, processed stuff, sugar (even honey and maple syrup), cut the artificial sweeteners, cut the NSAIDS, get tested for food sensitivities and cut the major malefactors, exercise sensibly and minimize other gut irritants (alcohol, certain drugs...).
I just sat through a bovine nutrition seminar at a continuing education event and they were adamant that we aren't feeding cows, we are feeding rumen bugs, and I figured if a cow doctor is talking about leaky gut and managing gastorintestinal health, it most definitely applies to people as well! It isn't easy, it isn't quick, it isn't fun, but it sure beats being sick all the time! The answer isn't another supplement or drug or essential oil or certain diet or exercise or avoiding certain things, it's just plain old hard work and common sense, and in an age where we just hit a button and have the world at our fingertips, that is very difficult indeed. I really miss pizza and brownies and a thousand other things, but it just isn't worth it. And don't try changing everything overnight, pick one thing and work on that, gradually work it into your lifestyle, and instead of focusing on what you can't have, pick something good that you can!
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