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Probiotics

(33 Posts)
Coppernob Sat 25-Aug-18 19:29:38

At the beginning of July I had minor day surgery on my knee. Unfortunately the wound became infected and for the past 5 weeks I have been on strong iv and then oral antibiotics. These have been making me feel pretty grim, but thankfully, as the knee is now much improved, my surgeon has said I can stop taking them from next Monday.

I have been told that I should take probiotics to replace the good bugs in my gut. I would greatly value recommendations from those who know about such things as to what it is best to take - tablets, a drink such as Yakult, probiotic yogurts, all of the above or something different? Whatever I take needs to be fat free. Any advice would be gratefully received.

gerry86 Tue 28-Aug-18 17:20:40

You've had me rushing to the ingredients list on the packet. It's a minefield nowadays to know what's good/bad/too much fat/too much sugar and what is actually in what we eat and so on and on and on. Maybe I'll cut down to one every other day.

OldMeg Mon 27-Aug-18 22:44:06

gerry86 I take an actimel to bed every night. So, there’s some sugar in it but also a healthy dose of calcium and Vit D. I can’t stand kefir personally - it makes me heave.

teifi Mon 27-Aug-18 20:17:28

Look in the 'Polish' section of your supermarket (mine is Tesco) and you will find various imported fermented products, cheeses and no-added-sugar keffir, both full fat & reduced fat. I've replaced yogurt with keffir, it is much nicer, more like yogurt used to be years ago. If you read the label carefully you can puzzle out the fat content, and also see which bacteria have been used in the product. These imported products are also very reasonable, the keffir I buy costs 79p for a bottle which lasts me for three days.

Sparklefizz Mon 27-Aug-18 19:14:21

And the sugar in the yoghurt will feed the bad bugs in your gut and counteract the good bugs in the yoghurt, which is the reason you're eating it.

petra Mon 27-Aug-18 17:37:59

gerry86
If your not concerned about your sugar intake, that's fine. But if you are, that one pot contains a third of the recommended sugar intake.

Sparklefizz Mon 27-Aug-18 16:17:06

gerry86 They don't do any harm but they don't do any good either.

gerry86 Mon 27-Aug-18 14:54:52

My doctor recommended Actimel after I had a bad stomach reaction to antibiotics and it cleared up.. I still have one everyday now, don't know if they do any good or not but I assume they're not doing any harm.

Sparklefizz Mon 27-Aug-18 13:32:36

petra You are quite right!

petra Mon 27-Aug-18 09:18:12

Sparklefizz
We don't have the saying 'gut feeling' for nothing grin

Sparklefizz Mon 27-Aug-18 09:02:46

I recommend the book GAPS (Gut & Psychology Syndrome) by Dr Natasha Campbell McBride. It's become my gut bible as I have a number of gut illnesses which I'm clearing following certain protocols.

Dr Natasha recommends Bio Kult probiotics, by the way.

There is also a chapter on caesarean births which is probably much the same as the one you mention, PamelaJ1. The gut is our second brain and we have done a lot of damage with antibiotics. Even Hippocrates knew that all illness stemmed from the gut, and we are only just catching up smile

PamelaJ1 Mon 27-Aug-18 08:36:49

?? Monica and Petra. I even took my research with me!
When the Drs. do their rotation they spend 12 weeks at a time in each department. I think if a subject doesn’t catch their interest then they don’t delve deeper.
I think they are also restricted in how they can help and tend to go down the traditional way. You are lucky if you get one that thinks out of the box.
The Diet Myth by Tim Spectre is a good read. All those women who either have to have or elect to have caesareans should read at least the one section on the subject.

OldMeg Mon 27-Aug-18 08:24:21

This is a fascinating area. There is a growing body of evidence that all kinds of metabolic disorders stem from poor gut bacteria.

This would tie in with conditions such as type 2 diabetes, which is often the result of poor diet, over eating, stress, poverty and/or a genetic predisposition. All these can influence your gut flora in subtle ways.

NotAGran55 Mon 27-Aug-18 07:24:17

I can thoroughly recommend the book Clever Guts by Dr Michael Moseley . It’s an easy fascinating read . I have followed his recommendations since a January when I had a course of antibiotics for a tooth abscess which gave me gut issues .

A by-product of the eating plan is a 35lb weight loss and better skin and hair .

M0nica Sun 26-Aug-18 22:01:16

Pamela Doctors, like all of us are prone to prejudice and ignorance, in their field of work as well as their personal lives.

I have always done my own research as well, unless my problem is blindingly obvious.

Coppernob Sun 26-Aug-18 12:20:15

Lots to look into now. Thank you

starbird Sun 26-Aug-18 12:03:51

I have heard that Keffir (mostly dairy items) and kombucha (tea and other products) are good for the gut too.

petra Sun 26-Aug-18 11:46:10

PamelaJ1
Your Dr should should get up to speed with this product.
They are 'experimenting' in some hospitals to replace antibiotics.
There is evidence where it is helping people with depression because there is a lot of evidence that depression starts in our '2nd brain' our gut.
I'm sure my Dr would have an open mind on this product as he recommends fresh turmeric for arthritis.

PamelaJ1 Sun 26-Aug-18 09:47:37

I was on a special Dietfor my skin. I took caprylic acid to kill the bad bacteria and acidophilus to bost the good. When you’ve got that sorted a very wide and varied diet is recommended.
Petra I did go to my Dr. but he just poo pooed it all.

M0nica Sun 26-Aug-18 09:29:18

I am another who would recommend Symprove. DD was on very high doses of antibiotics for several months after an accident. It left her with all kinds of gastric problems, including food intolerances.

Over several years she tried everything from probiotic foods to everything in Holland and Barrett without any relief. In the end she discovered Sympruve and did the three month course Petra mentioned. The results were fantastic. Her life is now back to normal.

It isn't cheap, but it really got her life back on the rails again.

OldMeg Sun 26-Aug-18 06:52:19

I believe Bio Kult contains 14 different strains.

OldMeg Sun 26-Aug-18 06:50:05

You need more than acidophilus to repopulate your gut. Look for probiotics that contain several strains of gut bacteria in pill form.

stella1949 Sun 26-Aug-18 01:11:43

You don't have to use any fancy or expensive products. All you need to to is to replace the "good" flora in your gut , which is easily achieved by eating some yogurt every day. Select one that you like and eat a serving each day - problem solved.

MargaretX Sat 25-Aug-18 22:02:43

Probiotics in Joghurt don't survive the stomach acid, they only improve the finances of the firm making them.

Acidophilus in concentrated form are the best it is the only way and lots of different foods to create a healthy gut.

petra Sat 25-Aug-18 21:34:27

Sparkle
Yes I am in the uk. I picked up on Symprove reading an article by Dr Rangan Chatterjee, who is a GP who recommends it to his patients. Also one of the Van Tulleken twins (Drs)
As for getting it on the NHS, I don't know. I suppose it would depend on how your Dr feels about such products.

DanniRae Sat 25-Aug-18 21:06:12

Sparklefizz - I have just started taking Bio Kult after reading about it a magazine. Early days yet but I was glad to read that you recommend it. I got mine from Boots.