Probiotics

Helped with what? Your digestion/regularity or with weight loss?

I make kefir at home which is all about probiotics. It is really good for my husband who has diverticulitis and keeps you healthy in general. Kefir and high fiber (metamucil) have literally changed his life. It also has been shown to lower your blood pressure.

Have no idea if it helps with weight loss.

I take a probiotic daily, mainly because they help to balance hormones.

I don't think they have worked single-handedly, but along with a good diet and exercise, I'm fairly symptom-free and I've exceeded my original goal!

I also rarely get sick, although I have 3 kids that tend to bring bugs home.

So, although I can't prove that they help, my opinion is that they definitely can't hurt!

I recently started taking probiotics and feel less turmoil in my stomach when taking one with each meal. No more gassiness when eating high fiber foods which is good since I just had my gall bladder removed and I need to increase my fiber intake.

Good Luck!

I saw your post and just had to reply. Probiotic supplements were a lifesaver to my now 19-year-old son a couple of years ago. He was having all sorts of digestive issues - extreme pain every time he ate, gassiness, frequent diarrhea - and we couldn't find a cause. We saw lots of doctors, but every test they ran showed he was "normal." We even had him tested for parasites, but again - nothing. They said he had "irritable bowel syndrome," which is their way of saying, "We don't know what is wrong, so he'll just have to continue to suffer." This went on for a couple of months, and he was losing a lot of weight - down to 117 pounds at 6'1"!!! He said he felt like he was starving, but it hurt so much to eat that he didn't want to. At times, he was writhing on the floor in pain and sobbing. He said it felt like an elephant was standing on his belly. He truly didn't have any emotional or stress issues. This was a physical problem.

My pharmacist sister recommended a probiotic supplement with several different strains of good bacteria, and within a few days of taking it, my son's symptoms began to subside. After a few weeks, he was pain-free. He still takes them occasionally, but he has made an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables to keep his good bacteria happy and healthy. After some time and research, we think he had either had a virus or mild food poisoning that had killed off his good bacteria, leaving him unable to digest foods properly. Once healthy levels of probiotics were restored to his gut, he was fine. In his case, yogurt alone wasn't working - he needed the billions of units of bacteria found in the supplements.

What flabbergasts me is that NOT ONE doctor or nurse mentioned probiotics. It broke my heart to see my son suffer and starve, and my husband and I were terrified for his health, but the medical community offered absolutely no help. We spent thousands of dollars on doctor's visits, tests, and scans, but a $20 supplement from CVS turned him around.

Probiotics are a naturally occurring phenomenon in nature. Current mass production agricultural systems have destroyed probiotics and have stripped them and their health benefits from our diet. Science has demonstrated that reintroducing probiotics into humanoids has actually reversed or slowed the activity of some diseases and healed people from other diseases altogether.

And yes, it will help with weight loss, too!

:laugh: :noway:

Have you tried reading an actual science journal (or even a book without pictures)?

I had my gall bladder removed a couple of years ago and had some digestive issues sporadically after that, which got way worse this summer when I had H-pylori. The doctor put me on probiotics and they've REALLY helped with my issues! I can't really say that they've helped with weight loss at all but my quality of life has definitely improved.

I make kefir at home which is all about probiotics. It is really good for my husband who has diverticulitis and keeps you healthy in general. Kefir and high fiber (metamucil) have literally changed his life. It also has been shown to lower your blood pressure.

Have no idea if it helps with weight loss.

Oh, I love Kefir!! And would love to be able to make some at home but I can't find any live culture locally.

Like your husband, I, too, have diverticular disease; through 2 resections I have lost over 4 ft of intestine. I take probiotics every day (Tu-Zen x 2) and have a high fiber mix (PEG 3350) that I can either sprinkle on my food (I don't) or mix into my water (2 heapings tsps to 2 liters). Both together these keep me functioning!! As I drink in excess of 8 liters of water per day, I have a lot of fiber in my diet, a lot of water, and the probiotics. I have been using both of these since 2003, and would say it does not help with weight loss.

Yes, my husband also lost a few feet of intestines. The kefir was very helpful. Home made has a wider variety of flora in it than store bought (and is way cheaper), but the storebought tastes good.

I could have bought culture locally, but actually, of all things, bought it for something like $8 through ebay. If you search you can also find people who will send you culture for free. Mine has been growing for 4 years and I have given many, many cultures away locally. Every time I get too much I put in an ad in our college paper.

You can also buy it through http://www.cheesemaking.com/