What's the best probiotic

[melanie]

He needs a probiotic says dr.j. He has not done well in the past. Ie culturelle etc.

need something really special. Ha

 

Thanks again and again and again

Melanie

[philamom]

I use a few (culturelle, florastor, integrative pearls) but my favorite is Klaire Ther-biotic detox support.

 

Cant get rid of the underline - sorry.

Edited February 21, 2014 by philamom

[rowingmom]

We also use more than one (culturelle, align, RenewLife Ultimate Flora, PB8, PrescriptAssist) and rotate through them, 2 per day.

[Rachel]

Rowingmom,

 

I'm guessing that you use this combintion because of the different strains and I had not thought about this before. I have read somewhere that there are a few stains that a PANS/PANDAS child needs to stay away from. Is this true? I only use one brand so I can avoid those strains.

[MomWithOCDSon]

We mix strains, also, and like RenewLife Ultra Flora because of the multiple strains there. A while back, someone (LLM?) posted a thread with a web blog regarding various probiotic strains and which ones are most appropriate/helpful for certain tendencies/issues and which ones are less so, etc. As I recall, bifidus/bifido strains were supposed to be pretty positive across the board. RenewLife is heavy with those.

 

There have been studies about the strain in Culturelle (lactobillus gg) being particularly helpful for combatting depression, but like many things, I suppose if your kid is already high or sufficient in terms of dopamine and/or serotonin, using something like this strain could help "promote" too much of a good thing. Maybe that's what you're running into, Melanie?

 

Rachel, some doctors have steered us away from strains that contain strep bacterium (streptococcus or strepthermopolis, etc.), but I think the jury is still out, experientially, whether or not those are actually harmful. In fact, there's information on the web that suggests that these strains are particularly helpful against both ear and throat infections in kids.

 

I think that previous thread (I'll see if I can dig it up and post a link) would be very helpful to folks trying to discern which strain(s) might be most beneficial in their individual circumstances. It's all part of one big puzzle, and really nothing "stands alone" as everything has the potential to impact everything else!

[MomWithOCDSon]

Here's that other thread I mentioned:

 

http://latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21603&hl=probiotics

[Rachel]

Thanks for digging the old post up.

[riffleshell]

Right now I do a Flora Udo's brand with 31 strains. Before I was using a different product from the same company that had 8 strains. You might also try and see if your child can tolerate prebiotics.

 

I've read that giving probiotics after antibiotics is like planting corn after you've burned down the rainforest. The species we know how to cultivate and put in a bottle may not actually be what we need to replace was destroyed. It's better than just leaving the earth scorched, however.

 

If you haven't read this article yet, well, you must. It's an interesting read, if nothing else.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[lulu4]

We use Klaire Labs. Ther-biotic Complete Powder is good, but does have strep thermophilus. However, it has 100 billion cfu's (a lot of probiotics seem to have 10 billion or less), 12 different strains, and was recommended by our integrative pediatrician. I switched to Ther-biotic Factor 6 formula for a while because it doesn't have the s. thermophilus.KlaireLabs have other formulas as well. My daughter is doing much better after IVig, so we are going to go back to the Complete Powder, which she prefers, and see how she does with that. Good luck!

[cara615]

We use Ther-biotic detox - 50bill. At the conference this weekend Dr. Bhakta recommended Orthomolecular Probiotic. I looked it up and there is one with 225 bill CFU's. i ordered it because it comes in a powder packet and does not need to be refrigerated. You can add as much as you want and not give all 225 in one shot (mix it in applesauce). The key is to avoid the strep strain. Dr. Bhakta says that is NOT GOOD for kids that have PANDAS.

 

Another thing is that the probiotics must be rotated. So we are moving from the Ther-biotic detox to the Orthomolecular once it arrives in the mail

Edited February 24, 2014 by cara615

[cobbiemommy]

We use Sacchromyces and Culturelle. The Sacchromyces is good because you can dose it with the abx and it helps prevent diarrhea.

[LexMom]

The gastro insisted Florastor is one of the only backed by studies showing its effectiveness.