New probiotic " balanced biotic"
#319478 - 11/26/07 01:18 PM
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auntdebs318
Reged: 10/18/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Yardley, Pa
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Hey Guys,
I belong to this great site called woman to woman. You might want to check it out. Anyways, they sent me this info today about a probiotic they are selling. Tell me what you guys think? Sy, if you read tell me if your a fan of Probiotics?
http://www.womentowomen.com/products/balancedbiotic
Do you suffer from occasional bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea? Would it surprise you to learn that 85% of our Personal Program members do and over half of them frequently?
Symptoms of digestive distress like these are not just an annoyance - they are signs of an underlying problem that if left unresolved will progress into much more serious health concerns. That's because your "gut health" is at the very foundation of your overall well-being, affecting everything from your moods to you immune function and the rate at which you age.
Probiotics have long been a part of the protocol offered at our clinic for women with digestive issues. Now after months of development, we are pleased to offer our own, exclusive formulation Balanced Biotic exclusively to our Personal Program members.
Our Balanced Biotic includes both probiotics and prebiotics in a dosage that allows for flexible usage, whether as a preventative or in response to acute symptoms and is of the highest potency and purity.
You may have read the most recent issue of Insight, our bi-weekly newsletter, focused on the benefits of probiotics. In it, we discuss the benefits of the active ingredients in our formula including:
Promoting better absorption of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals
Inhibiting the growth of harmful organisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, and viruses
Decreasing the side effects of antibiotic therapy
Decreasing duration and frequency of diarrhea and constipation
Promoting improvement in lactose tolerance
Reducing vaginal and urinary tract infection
Reducing bloating and gas
Boosting the body's natural immune function
If you have been interested in the Personal Program, but reluctant to try it due to digestive distress, we'd love to talk to you. Please give us a call at 1-800-448-4919 or click here for more information about how Balanced Biotic might help you feel like yourself again. If you are ready to join the Program, please start by updating your health assessment. This will provide you the same guidance we'd give you at the clinic.
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IBS-C gas, bloating and acid reflux
Babies is the plan for 2008!!Hope this IBS cooperates.
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A few probiotics have been shown to assist in the management of IBS. For example, Align and VSL#3. The Balanced Biotic supplement contains the organims in Align and many of the organisms that are in VSL#3. The amount of each organism in each capsule looks reasonable good too. However, it does contain a small quantity of inulin as filler.
I have not taken a probiotic but I am considering trying Align.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I haven't had good luck with probiotics - they tend to make me really gassy. But perhaps I'm just not trying the right brands.
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IBS-A since age 12, and fructose sensitive; with the exception of my pregnancy, have been following Heather's diet since Nov. 19, 2007.
Taking 12g of Acacia per day. Relatively stable since March 2008!
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i also didnt do well with probiotics...caused lots of gurgling...
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With some probiotics increased bloating for a week or two is expected. For others the fillers and/or other added ingredients than are not probiotics may produce some IBS symptoms. For example, I am very sensitive to fillers made from inulin and FOS. Many probiotics and supplements contain these fillers.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Hmmm. Thanks for the tip. It's been a while since I tried any, but when I did, I doubt I even gave them a week or two. MORE gas is the last thing you want when trying to eliminate it altogether!
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IBS-A since age 12, and fructose sensitive; with the exception of my pregnancy, have been following Heather's diet since Nov. 19, 2007.
Taking 12g of Acacia per day. Relatively stable since March 2008!
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Thanks for your responses.. I have had the "adult formula" from renew life in my fridge for over a month now. tinkerbelle used the "critical care" version and had results after 3months. Anyone can search for probiotic and see her post. I was wondering how she is doing now on it. I am nervous to try a probiotic because of all the gas and side effects. Thats all I need. .. 
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IBS-C gas, bloating and acid reflux
Babies is the plan for 2008!!Hope this IBS cooperates.
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I've used both FloraQ and Flora Smart. Never had a problem with either one. Switched to FloraSmart because it was cheaper. Neither has to be refridgerated which is nice.
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Susan
IBS-A, Gas, Pain, Reflux
"The first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature. Every day, the sun; and after sunset, night and her stars. Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows."
Emerson, August 31, 1837
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Why are all you guys taking probiotics anyway if you don't have a bacterial problem??
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Don't bother with Align, it doesn't have enough of a count to help much and only has one probiotic in it. To top it off it has artificial coloring, sugar and milk proteins.
I haven't been to the boards for a while but I feel I must chime in here.
Do not take a probiotic that has inulin or fos in it-they both can cause gas.
Bloating for a few days is normal with a good strong probiotic because the good guys are trying to crowd out the bad guys-it could take a few days for the bad bacteris to die off and get eliminated.
The best brands I have researched are Theralac and VSL#3. Both are a little pricey but worth it-and both should be refrigerated (this is a good thing, it means the little buggers are actually alive.
After dosing with one capsule a day for 2 weeks you can taper off to 2 capsules per week to keep the colonies alive.
People with IBS most definitely should be on probiotics, it is one of the most important things to take and complete relief would be unlikely without them.
One other note-if you have diarrhea constantly there is one product thats easy to find at Whole Foods (I like to call them Whole Paycheck) and at Henrys or other local health food stores-its called Natures Way Primadophilous Reuteri. There are a few different Primadophilous products so make sure it says Reuteri on it. Whole Foods is a rip-off so if you can get it elsewhere you'll save 5 bucks.
Hope this was helpful-I have 20 years in the health food business and have had IBS for over 30 years (they used to call it colitis, then spastic colon, now IBS). Whatever they call it it ain't fun!
I have some more supplement tips I need to put up somewhere around here.
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Align contains Bifidobacteria infantis which is also contained in VSL#3. In clinical trials this bacteria by itself in the concentration contained in Align and VSL#3 has been shown to have beneficial effects for IBS.
The effectiveness of a probiotic is not dependant how many different bacteria it contains but which bacteria it contains. Many of the probiotics sold in HFS contain probiotics that are untested and in low concentrations.
A recent study concluded:
In summary, the literature confirms the potential benefit of Bifidobacteria [e.g. Align] alone or the specific probiotic combination, VSL#3, on symptoms in IBS without the induction of significant changes in bowel function
The amount of sugar and milk protien in Align is miniscule unlikely to cause problems for most IBS suffers.
Reference
Quigley, E. M. M. and B. Flourie, 2007: Probiotics and irritable bowel syndrome: a rationale for their use and an assessment of the evidence to date. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 19, 166-172.
Santosa, S., E. Farnworth, and P. Jones, 2006: Probiotics and their potential health claims. Nutrition Reviews, 64, 265-274.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Many IBS studies have shown that certain kinds of bacteria found in the flora of the large bowel when taken orally in high enough concentrations may reduce the symptoms of IBS. In some case the amount of these good bacteria can be increased by consuming certain prebiotics (e.g. some SF supplements are prebiotics).
Heather talks about it on this web page.
You can read more about this in research library. For example see following library entry
http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=library&Number=56178&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=&vc=1
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Syl what probiotic do you take? I want to take something that is friendly for those with fructose issues.. which is what it seems i have.. this diet works wonders! i feel normal!!!
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Pud
Long Island
IBS-D & SIBO - main symptom GAS 
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At the moment I don't take any probiotics. If I was going to try one it would be Align or VSL#3.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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There are other benefits to the other probiotics used in theralac and VSL#3. If the bifidus in Align doesn not affect your particular condition it will not be effective. It also takes multiple billions of probiotics to actively implant in the colon. The addition of artificial coloring is enough to turn me off to that company.
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Just a note, if you're looking for B. Infantis you may want to look at children's probiotics. The Infantis bacteria is the only one recommended for infants, so children's probiotics tend to contain this in higher concentration. They also tend to be cheaper than Align or VSL#3.
One that I've seen: Udo's Choice Infant's Blend
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Kat
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Ah - ha - that is interesting. I checked the Udo's but for some reason they only sell to US residents. I will keep looking. Thank you 
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I see the Udo's Choice probiotics all the time in health food stores (I live in Ottawa). It's always available at Natural Food Pantry, and I've seen it at Rainbow foods.
I have seen others but can't think of the brand names right now. Next time I'll have a closer look.
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Kat
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OK - I will check some HFS here in Saskatoon. When I checked last year the choice was limited.
By the way - I too found that my IBS wasn't so problematic when I was in China for a few weeks. This is interesting given that the frequency of IBS seems to be the same across racial, ethnic and national boundaries.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Is anyone familiar w/the Whole Foods Co-Op brand? It's called Suprema Dophilus & contains 4 billion cells.....
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A single dose of VSL#3 contains 450 billion cells composed of three strains of Bifidobacterium (B. longum, B. infantis and B. breve); four strains of Lactobacillus (L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. bulgaricus and L. plantarum); and one strain of Streptococcus (S. salivarius subspecies thermophilus). A clinical trial on 25 IBS-D suffers showed that it provided some relief for bloating. It had no effect on other individual symptoms such as abdominal pain, gas and urgency.
The single probiotic bacteria species - Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 - was given to 362 IBS-D and IBS-C primary care patients. It was found that at the level of 100 million cells there was significant relief from many of the symptoms including pain, discomfort and bowel habits. This particular bacteria has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects too. Align contains 1 billion of these cells.
It makes you wonder what the few hundred billion other cells in VSL#3 are actually doing
References
Whorwell, P. J., et. al 2006: Efficacy of an Encapsulated Probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 101, 1581-1590.
Kim, H. J., wt. al., 2005: A randomized controlled trial of a probiotic combination VSL# 3 and placebo in irritable bowel syndrome with bloating. Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 17, 687-696.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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From what I understand, if there is a bacterial overgrowth, that is, of "bad bacteria", it is because the "good" bacteria (which usually holds the yeast in check)has been affected...wiped out, possibly from antibiotics, birth control pills, etc. This can permit excessive yeast and fungus growth. I guess that's where the IBS symptoms enter into the picture. So, wouldn't it also make sense, that along with taking probiotics to replace the missing "good" bacteria, that one would also want to kill off, or starve the yeast/fungi that has also formed as a result? Just thinking out loud..........
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What makes sense to me is that using a probiotic to replenish the good bacteria can help cut down both the bad bacteria and yeast. It may not be an immediate effect but over time it will help.
So probiotics should help both states. If you don't have a noticeable overgrowth of bad bacteria or yeast, it doesn't necessarily mean that the good bacteria levels are high enough for normal gut function. So taking probiotics can help even if there is no overgrowth.
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Kat
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I have a question, if anyone can answer it. If you have a gut flora problem -- too much bad bacteria, not enough good -- can this be tested by a stool sample or colonoscopy? And if your symptoms are due to an imbalance in gut flora, then that wouldn't be IBS? Because then it wouldn't be a functional disorder, but an infection?
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Probiotics is a relatively new area of research. There are over 500 different types of bacteria in the bowel flora. The role of most of the individual types of bacteria are still unknown. Perhaps some day there may be a simple test.
An imbalance of gut flora is not considered to be an infection. Function GI disorders (FGID) include immune and inflammatory responses. For example looking at the a discussion of the Rome III diagnostic criteria for the assessment of FGID such as IBS see statements like "The symptoms of the FGIDs relate to combinations of several known physiological determinants: increased motor reactivity, enhanced visceral hypersensitivity, altered mucosal immune and inflammatory function (which includes changes in bacterial flora), and altered CNS-enteric nervous system (ENS) regulation (as influenced by psychosocial and sociocultural factors and exposures)." The role of gut bacteria in immunological and inflammatory process in FGID including IBS is well accepted. I guess that is part of the reason that IBS is called a syndrome
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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FOS
#319623 - 11/28/07 06:22 AM
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Jordy
Reged: 08/12/06
Posts: 2095
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This product does contain FOS which can be very troublesome. Personally, I would avoid anything with FOS.
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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they both have dairy in them... is that ok?
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Pud
Long Island
IBS-D & SIBO - main symptom GAS
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The amount of dairy is very small. In most case I doubt that it will be a problem. I would take them.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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