Probiotics - Reducing Inflammation & Improving Auto-Immune Conditions

Everyone's different, but many people with almost all the autoimmune (inflammatory) conditions (even MDs) are posting that probiotics (good bacteria) have helped many of their symptoms. Inflammation is usually a sign of infection or allergy. Ulcers are caused by bacteria. Many with Crohn's have ulcers throughout their systems. Ulcer is in the name 'UC'. Bad bacteria can get through the gut, into the bloodstream (the same way food nutrients do) and affect other parts of the body. Some GI's are prescribing probiotics to their patients. Some say the more the better.

A healthy adult can have 100 trillion and about 500 types of probiotics. We first receive them from our mothers during a natural birth and from her milk.

Probiotics (good bacteria) help us digest, and may reduce bad bacteria/pathogens (they are 70% of our immune system). Probiotics, as they reduce the bad bacteria, reduce the inflammation. After 10 days on probiotics, I felt as well as I had before all of this started.

Antibiotics, aging, stress, may reduce our natural probiotics. Stress is a major cause of flares and makes many conditions worse.

Without probiotics, we can develop food intolerances and allergies, and may not be able to fight off bad bacteria and pathogens.

Also, previous surgeries often cause scar tissue and adhesions. In the digestive system, this can cause future strictures and obstructions.

They may cause you to lose some weight, so please keep an eye on this and if it happens, try to eat some more if you can, or cut back, or stop taking the probiotics. It is best to start slow and work up to higher amounts...as the bad bacteria are being destroyed, you may feel under the weather. You can open a capsule and pour some of it into yogurt. Yogurt alone does not usually contain enough probiotics. Greek yogurt has less sugar than regular yogurt. Some people rotate brands of probiotics as their bodies get used to a brand after a while. You have to find the right kind and the right amount - a trial and error process. They are sensitive to heat, light, moisture, stomach acids, and chlorine. Try to keep them refrigerated, take them 2 hrs. after food and at least 20 mins before food (I wait as long as I can), and with filtered water.

Please do some searches for your own situation, and for side effects and interactions with other meds. Omega-3's and George's aloe vera juices are also anti-inflammatories. Oils and fats may cause inflammation, especially cooked oils. There are many websites talking about this. I got most of my info from listentoyourgut.com.

What kind of probiotics do you take? My daughter was just diagnosed with Crohn's with inflammation. She is on prednisone and methotrexate but still has inflammation. She is terrible at eating healthy and I am looking for some alternatives.

Hi countryatheart,

I haven't taken probiotics in some time but I did find an interesting article that may help you in looking for the right one for your daughter. Hope it does some good for you both.

http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/how-to-choose-the-best-probiotic-supplement/

Hi, I did some searches, but I still wasn't sure which site had the best info.

It can be a trial and error process to find the right kind and the right amount for each person, but it's always best to start slow.

I first started out with half a Culturelle pill (so half of the 10b pill - or 5b) mixed the powder into some yogurt - within an hour, it shrunk to half the size. Then I tried the Natren probiotics (their website can tell you where they sell it locally), and the Renew Life Ultra (30 billion-2 or 3 times a day). I've read about people taking lots of different brands. A good starting point may be if she has any food intolerances, then maybe try to do a search for probiotics for that. I used the listentoyourgut.com website. I think oils are the most inflammatory. I hope you find some help.

Hi CountryAtHeart,

My primary care doctor recommended that I take probiotics and suggested the Align brand. They are pretty expensive, but I buy them anyway.

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Hello New7, everything I have read about probiotics discourages the use of them for ostomates because one needs a colon for them to be beneficial. For anyone else they are wonderful.

For BeeGeeDee:

The Align brand is only $1 billion per pill. The probiotic it contains is B. infantis. Quite a few brands also contain B. infantis (may be other species of B. infantis, though) along with other strains and are cheaper - some contain 30 billion per pill.

For vollovr:

The Lactobacillus family of probiotics are good for the small intestine. Some are good for the mouth, esophagus, stomach, ulcers. Other strains are good for our internal organs. People with almost all the autoimmune conditions (joints, skin, nerves, organs) are posting that probiotics help with their symptoms. They are 70% of our immune systems. They aid in digestion and once you have built up enough of them in your system, they will help with a lot of the bloating and discomfort of having only partially digested food in your system, and for some food intolerances (even in just the small intestine), and so are also good for people who are contemplating whether or not to have a reversal. As they reduce the bad bacteria, they reduce the inflammation. They are starting to find out that bad bacteria may be the cause of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, mood, depression. They are still researching the many positive benefits.

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Thank you! I will take a look at it!

Thank you all so much! I am going to have my daughter try a small dose and see what happens. Trial and error seems to be the name of the game!

Check out Bio K. They have a pill which survives the acid in the stomach with a special coating, so it does not kill off the good bacteria. Good luck.

I will check it out! Thank you!!

The medical field is beginning to see the benefits of probiotics.

Guess it's better late than never for them. We've known it for quite some time.