Eureekah!

So, I made an astonishing discovery about my health by reading an Andrew Weil news letter. The news letter listed several symptoms and stated that if you had any of them, you might benefit from taking probiotics. I had half of them: unexplained rashes, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), feeling drained of energy ALL THE TIME, multiple UTIs (urinary tract infections).

While hospitalized for a spinal cord injury in 1992 I was given many antibiotics, including some of the worst: vancomycin & gentamycin. I also had terrible diarrhea while hospitalized but I assumed that this was because I wasn't eating and was on tube feedings.

Over the past summer (2008) I began taking probiotics. Andrew Weil recommends taking one with either Bacillus coagulans (BC-30) or Lactobacillus GG in liquid or capsule form. I did not start with one of these but began taking a capsule with BC-30 about two weeks ago.

Wow, the results have been stunning. My bowel movements changed dramatically for the better and most all of my problems with rashes have disappeared. I do not expect all of my problems to be resolved instantly, after all, the problems began about 16 years ago while I was hospitalized. I am going to be very interested to see if the probiotics help with UTI and with increasing my energy level. Also, I have had lots of problems with epigastric pain from GERD (gastric-esophageal reflux disease) and I am hoping that this will also resolve with time. I do recommend taking a probiotic with the either of the two bacteria that Andrew Weil touts as I took an inferior brand for about a month and they truly were not as useful. I started taking the brand Sustenex and found it to be very good. Their website says that you can find the product in Walgreen's, CVS & Walmart but I did not find this to be the case. I eventually ordered it from Amazon.

I always thought that my intestinal flora was fine because I eat a lot of yogurt, almost every day. But the culture in yogurt degrades in stomach acid and does not get to the intestines. The Sustenex definitely gets the organism to the gut. I have given some capsules to a couple of friends to try. One has problems with diarrhea and the other has had multiple sinus infections. It will be interesting to see how they work for them, too.

By exultant
Posted December 7, 2008 at 1:04 pm
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Thanks for the post, my brother, my sister-in-law and I have GI issues including GERD, IBS and diverticuli. I will definitely look into the probiotics.

By Earnie
Posted January 1, 2009 at 9:55 pm
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Since September 2004, I have drank Dannon probiotics two or three times a week and also a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar 5 to 6 days a week to balance my PH levels. In addition, I drink 2 ounces of Acai Juice every morning before I workout in the gym. As a result, I haven't had any digestion problems since January 2005.

By DianaJ
Posted January 2, 2009 at 10:52 pm
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Interestingly, Vancomycin, for one, is the usual treatment for a severe form of hospital borne intestinal virus, which can actually be life threatening. It is an extremely potent antibiotic. It seems as if you may have acquired that viral infection while hospitalized but were possibly never told about it. When one is undergoing such intensive treatment for something like a Spinal Cord Injury, it is not difficult for a doctor to add a new med to one's daily regimen without explanation. I do not believe tube feeding should cause diarrhea.
I am not surprised that such potent medications destroyed the balance of beneficial bacteria in your body or that you never fully recovered, even after all these years.
I still suffer some ill effects from my long hospitalization in 1993 for my SCI and might also benefit from the program you are sharing.

Thanks..... Diana

By Myle
Posted January 15, 2009 at 11:43 am
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I will also vouch for the probiotics!!!!
I went to a Natualpathic doc in April of 2007. ( I was recovering from a surgery on my right lung). One of the components she suggested was the probiotics.(she also suggested some magnesium) What she gave me has several types of bacteria, 16 billion per capsule. Took one in the am and one in the pm. It only took 3 days to notice the difference...and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!
She said I could stop taking them when I finished the bottle (a 2 month supply) I finished the bottle and everything was fine for several months. I tweaked my back and things started to go back to how they were prior to the probiotics. I got back on the PB's and we were back in business!

By Myle
Posted January 15, 2009 at 11:52 am
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Oh, one more thing....
I have had to get up in the middle of the night at least once, sometimes twice, EVERY night of my adult life...to go pee.....but not since I started using the probiotics!!!!
What a perk!!!!

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