# Probiotics



## 21541 (May 13, 2005)

Has anyone tried probiotics? I just read a brief article in Health magazine that said they're helpful for people with IBS. Would love to hear from anyone who has tried them. (And what exactly are they, anyway?)


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

They are "friendly bacteria" most of what is in you is really fairly friendly but these ones get the reputation for it more than others.Basically they do not produce gas (of any variety) from the digestion of carbs. Some of the other bacteria in there can produce methane or Hydrogen for example when they digest carbohydrates that you do not (either because no human on the planet does you you have a specific intolerance).Some IBSers seem to have isssues dealing with even normal levels of gas production (they feel the distention more than they should or it triggers symptoms when it should not)I find that good brands (i.e. those likely to have actual bacteria in them that are probiotic bacteria and actually alive) do reduce my fart fequency, but I really started on them after the IBS was under control, so not much on how it effected my IBs.K.


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## 21541 (May 13, 2005)

How did you get your IBS under control? (And what does "under control" mean for you, since it's really all relative?)


> quote:Originally posted by Kath M.:They are "friendly bacteria" most of what is in you is really fairly friendly but these ones get the reputation for it more than others.Basically they do not produce gas (of any variety) from the digestion of carbs. Some of the other bacteria in there can produce methane or Hydrogen for example when they digest carbohydrates that you do not (either because no human on the planet does you you have a specific intolerance).Some IBSers seem to have isssues dealing with even normal levels of gas production (they feel the distention more than they should or it triggers symptoms when it should not)I find that good brands (i.e. those likely to have actual bacteria in them that are probiotic bacteria and actually alive) do reduce my fart fequency, but I really started on them after the IBS was under control, so not much on how it effected my IBs.K.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The main tale is in the link in my sig.Short version.I got into a Clinical Study for IBS using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the treatement.After the 3 months in 1998 I was using much less medication and had normal stools and no pain at all with the minimal amounts of meds.Currently I am off all IBS medications have pretty normal stool consistancy/frequency (not quite as good as when I last took small amounts of meds, but probably still in the normal range) and almost never have any pain.I used to have daily severe stop me in my tracks prevent me from doing what I want in life pain, with moderate stool consistancy issues (if it were just the stool consistancy I probably wouldn't have been bothered by it, it was the unrelenting can't walk to the mail box without getting into fetal position that was getting to me).K.


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