Anyone heard of Flora-Q?
#171694 - 04/20/05 05:03 AM
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kidsx4
Reged: 04/02/05
Posts: 35
Loc: Fairfax, VA
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Had my son to the pediatric GI yesterday for a recheck. I raved about how well he's doing on Heather's diet. He was impressed and recommended we add Flora-Q which is a probiotic blend. I couldn't find any info on it doing a "search"... Has anyone heard of this? Is there something else that might be better?
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Thank goodness. I posted the same question about a month ago and got zero replies. I thought maybe Flora-Q was some probiotic my doctor got samples of because it fell off a truck somewhere. I'm in New Jersey, my doctor's in NJ, the stuff is made in NJ - logical assumption. If someone else's doctor is recommending it, that makes me feel a little better.
Okay, now that I've vented, here's my understanding of what's going on. Flora-Q looks good to me because it's got very high counts ("at least 1 billion colony forming units") of several probiotics (lactobacillius acidopholus, bifidobacterium, lactobacillius paracasei, and streptococcus thermophilus). From what I've read here and on other Websites, the first two, in particular are good stuff and 1 billion is the magic number you want in your probiotics.
However - you just knew this was coming - the stuff is in capsules that you store on your kitchen shelves. There seems to be some sentiment that the only probiotics that are any good are the ones that are "live" and must therefore be refrigerated. IBS being what it is, there is, of course, some other sentiment that non-refrigerated ones are okay, too.
I haven't tried the Flora-Q yet. I see my GI guy again next week and I plan to talk to him about the whole live/unlive issue. The phrase "colony forming units" sounds great - they've even got an acronym for it on the box ("CFU"). It makes me think that once I take the capsules, the little guys will suddenly rise from the dead and fan out through my digestive system, which is what I want.
I'll post whatever I learn from my GI guy. In the meantime, if anyone on the Board has any thoughts about Flora-Q or about the whole live/unlive thing with probiotics, I'd love to hear from you.
Sorry, kidsx4, I sort of feel like I hijacked your post. And I'm so, so glad to hear your son is doing so well. Hurray!
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Go for it...I've never understood the reasoning behind the "live" argument myself.
Probiotics can be a great thing to try...they can really help some people.
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Thanks for your input. I think we'll try it. I guess it didn't fall off a truck in NJ!! The doc didn't go into too much detail about it, but strongly recommended it considering my son's history. I think we really lucked out with this GI...but I also found out that he has lots of "tummy" troubles himself so maybe that's why he's more sympathetic than others we've seen. I'll let you know how it goes with the Flora-Q.
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Please do let me know how it goes. And I'll let you know what my GI guy says about the live/unlive thing, although if Linz says unlive is worth trying, you can pretty much take it to the bank.
I'm glad you've got a sympathetic (empathetic?) GI. As you've probably gathered from some of the Board posts they can be hard to find.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Probiotics are bacteria, so in order for them to do their job (colonize) they must be alive. The problem is often with shelf life that many may die off and thus be ineffective. Unlive=dead=waste of money
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So are you saying that the ones in my capsules are in fact alive? And that the problem is not that they're already unlive, but that they may die as they sit at room temperature?
The side panel says:
Quote:
Guaranteed potency up to expiration date when stored at room temperature (25 degrees C/77 degress F) or below. Needs no refrigeration.
The expiration date is August 2006.
Can I assume from this that at least 1 million of each will still be alive in July 2006 provided I keep them below 77 degrees F? It also sounds like it wouldn't actually hurt to keep them in the fridge (especially since NJ has decided to have 88 degree weather today, although it's back to winter tomorrow).
Thanks.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Okay, now I'm totally confused. I thought it was worth a try...I also noted the package information about expiration.
Even if some of the potency is lost, there must still be some "live" element left. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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Well, that's what I'm thinking now and I assume that's what both our doctors were thinking. I'm hoping stevensa or someone else will answer my request for clarification. In the meantime, since you've already got the stuff, it's not like you're going to be wasting money if you give them to your son.
Why is this stuff never simple?
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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You're right. It's not like I'll be giving my son a narcotic or anything. Anyway, the doc gave us a free sample so it's no money out of my pocket immediately. Also, I'm anxious to get him started on something. This whole thing started after a round of antibiotics and I know it did a number on his insides.
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Absolutely. There are a bunch of posts on the Board about people whose IBS was triggered by antibiotics - I think mine was, too, although I had earlier experiences that kind of set me up for it.
Let me know how your son does with the Flora-Q and I'll raise the whole live/unlive thing with my GI next week and post what he has to say.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Only just saw this...and realised my post was confusing. Stevensa's right...for them to do any good, they have to be alive, whether they say refridgerate or not. I guess maybe how they coat them depends on how protected they are from the elements.
If you've got 88F weather and the pack says 77F, sticking them in the fridge could be a good idea. When I tried probiotics, I just kept them in a cool cupboard, but then it's not often that hot here! 
Also, working from what best-before-dates are like on food, I'd guess they'd have to still be the stated amount in July 06 as long as they're kept in the prescribed conditions.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Have you put him on Heathers Acacia yet? It is more than just another SFS. It also has a PREbiotic in it which means that, overtime, it helps your body grow back the good bacteria which is what you are trying to do with the probiotics. You can use them together.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Yes, I've started him on Acacia but only recently so we'll see how it goes.
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The probiotics (bacteria, I assume) in the capsules are live. Apparently, the company that makes Flora-Q has developed a way to keep the little suckers alive in capsules for a reasonable period of time without refrigeration.
My GI guy says his practice (5, 6, 7, 23 doctors, who knows, there's another name on the door every time I see him) has used Flora-Q for a while and gotten good results. He doesn't think the probiotics will make a huge difference, but they might "give me a little edge". I'll take it.
And in an unrelated issue, I asked him about Naltrexone (sp?). He said everything he's heard about it is "sketchy", but there are supposedly a fair number of new drugs in the pipeline, mostly on the C side. Nothing definitely wonderful, of course. And some A drug that was in clinical trials just got the plug pulled because people were hallucinating on it. I have to admit that there have been days when if I had to choose between suffering IBS symptoms and hallucinating, I'd hallucinate, but I guess the FDA doesn't see it that way.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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