To Probe or not to Probe

[Nan – RA]

Hi all…. I know probiotics have been probed quite a bit on this site but I'm still confused as to which is the best for us.  I believe I'm lactose intolerant and I've taken Pearls and another one that you have to refrigerate…. I forget to bring them to work with me.  They did not set well with me when I did take them. 

Does anyone have any suggestions on what would be better?  My stomach is always bloated and has that burning feeling.  It's very uncomfortable and doesn't help with the fact that I'm already in pain from the RA.  :doh:

Thank you for your help.

Nan

 

[Suzanne]

My daughter complained of stomachaches when we tried probiotic supplements.  I can only use the supplements sporadically for her for that reason, but she has yogurt or kefir smoothies everyday.  She never has stomach problems unless she skips a few days for some reason.  

Since you are lactose intolerant, regular yogurt wouldn't work for you, but I found out Silk makes a soy yogurt with live cultures.  It is dairyfree.

Maybe starting 'smaller' would give you some relief, then you can 'build up' to a larger probiotic dose you can tolerate?  I've noticed that my daughter seems to handle the supplement better each time I give it to her.

Also, would it be possible to leave some of your probiotics at work?   That way you don't have to remember to bring one everyday.

Mom of teen daughter with Poly JIA since age 2. Current med: azithromycin 250 mg MWF.

[Jennhere]

Are you gluten free?  One of the more common symptoms of a gluten intolerance is bloating. 

Jenn

[Nan – RA]

Jenn… I'm not gluten free yet.  I feel very confused as that diet is weird to me.  I'm not quite sure what not to eat or what to eat.  I've started reading labels more closely and still…. I KNOW I'm not eating properly.  I wish someone had a simple go-to diet that just said…. chicken, rice, fruit, beans etc.  Not necessarily those foods but you get my drift.  Sigh…..

[caroline]

the simple diet for 2 weeks is

nuts, seeds,vegetables, fruits and grains, herb teas

take snacks and lunches

adjusting depend on how motivated you are to make the change, prepare
food in advance

I am doing this for one week now and seeing some gradual results for sero neg arthritus…Goodwife on this BB told me it worked

[Parisa]

A great resource for going gluten free is http://www.celiac.org.  You can get lots of advice regarding good products and restaurants.  Off the top of my head, I can tell you that Kinnickinnick and Glutino have good bread products.  They're usually in the freezer section at the health food stores.  Tinkyada has wonderful pasta.  Today I just picked up a gluten free pancake mix at Trader Joe's which is really wonderful.  Going gluten free is a little overwhelming at first but can definitely help with the stomach issues.

Other probiotics to try are:  Theralac and VSL#3.  They get good reviews at Lymenet.

[John McDonald]

Suzanne – The lactose in yogurt is completely reduced by the culture. I am very lactose intolerant since around age 14 but I get along fine with any kind of yogurt. However plain yogurt does have quite a bit of sugar in it, check the label, and sugar is a magnet as it were for yeast. So yogurt has the benefit of demonstrably live probiotic, but a possible heavy penalty for sugar.

[lynnie_sydney]

Weighing in here to this great thread – lots of really good stuff. L-Glutamine is fantastic for the immune system and healing the gut. Recommended by lots of allergy/senitivity experts.

Re gluten/wheat. Am afraid you'll have to become a really great label reader AND know about some things that are not immediately obvious. e.g instant coffee is processed using wheat (except Moccona Classic), soy milk has malt ( unless specified as malt free), soy sauce is made with wheat – a great substitute is Tamari.  I found it all confusing and frustrating at first. The more I understand, however, the more I accept. Now I'm just focused and it doesnt bother me at all. Hope that's a place you get to. Lynnie

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

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