Natures Plus Vitamins for Inner Ear Support?

[JPdad]

Does anyone have experience with this vitamin? It caught my eye at the store today. DS6 has struggled for a year with ear infections. They have been his biggest trigger. This vitamin claims:

 

"This irresistibly delicious natural cherry flavored chewable brings the power of K12 probiotics to the inner ear and throat; right where children need it most! Billions of live probiotic cells maintain a balanced ecology in the inner ear, mouth and throat. Reinforced with the cooling, calming, soothing activity of chamomile and mullein extracts, Inner Ear Support supplement offers complete probiotic support for maximum inner ear health."

 

The active probiotics are:

L. acidophilus (2 billion viable cells)

S. salivarius K12 (1 billion viable cells)

 

Nature Plus Vitamins

 

Anyone have any opinions or experiences with these probiotics? I'm cautious to try it because some probiotics we've used in the past sparked a flare.

Edited February 23, 2013 by JPdad

[ThinkGutBacteria]

"Probiotics" is a hot topic for research right now because of its large therapeutic potential, but the concept is also somewhat in disarray. Scientists simply don't know yet the best species, combination of species, or dose for many ailments of interest. Bifidobacterium infants, for example, seems to help adult women with irritable bowel syndrome, but no one knows whether it reduces ear infections. Or fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which is a kind of natural probiotic-promoting fiber you'll find in some formulations of probiotics, helps mice fend off respiratory viruses. Will that help your son? Maybe. Who knows. As for the supplement in question, L. acidophilus is not a major species in that part of the body and the dose seem pretty small. It may help, but maybe not enough to notice. In the form of a lozenge, S. salivarius K12 is a potential weapon against Streptococcus pyogenes, and may therefore help protect against things like strep throat. But, again, that dose seems kind of small, the data is still too thin, and S. salivarius is not a normal gut resident (and may even become pathogenic there) so swallowing large amounts might not be the best idea. The most exciting benefits of probiotics will undoubtedly come from prevention (if they're used in the mother during pregnancy or during the child's first year or two of life.

 

As for treatments that seem to reduce the frequency of ear infections in 6-yr-olds, you might want to loo into adenoidectomy (removing his adenoids), supplementing with 2000-4000 IU vitamin D if he's deficient, and to a lesser extent xylitol gum/lozenges and cod liver oil.

 

A few links of interest:

 

Beneficial effects of probiotics in upper respiratory tract infections and their mechanical actions to antagonize pathogens

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2012.05394.x/asset/jam5394.pdf;jsessionid=3111D0A38F611E0F975FF6A71DBCD544.d04t03?v=1&t=hdjnsejrf8ca24a4

 

Chronic Middle Ear Infections Linked To Resistant Biofilm Bacteria

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712075834.htm

 

Lemon-flavored cod liver oil and a multivitamin-mineral supplement for the secondary prevention of otitis media in young children: pilot research.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12126022

 

Xylitol for preventing acute otitis media (middle ear infections) in children up to 12 years of age.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22071833

Edited February 24, 2013 by ThinkGutBacteria