The Best Top Rated Probiotics
Strong therapeutic probiotics are necessary for healing a damaged gut, evidenced through food intolerances, depression and a host of other conditions.
For those with the most damaged guts, those who are on GAPS, recommended probiotics assist in healing the gut. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride said at the Wise Traditions Conference in London 2012, “GAPS diet is very rich in nutrition. You will get all your nutrition, all your vitamins, all your minerals from food. A handful of supplements are very helpful particularly at the beginning. The probiotic market is full of various brands. The majority of them are prophylactic. They are designed for healthy people to boost themselves a little bit and
they don’t make a huge difference in the body.”
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An effective probiotic is classified as a therapeutic strength probiotic held at a certain dosage for a certain length of time, individual to that person.
Dr. Natasha says, “Strong therapeutic probiotics, when they come into your gut, will start killing Clostridium, killing Protells, killing Staphylococcus and Streptocopha, and killing pathogens. When these creatures die they release toxins which make your child autistic or hyperactive or gives him epilepsy or multiple sclerosis, or gives you arthritis, migraine headaches or something else. This reaction is called a die off reaction.”
This die off causes many people to flee from the very thing that will heal them, encountering histamine reactions which are telling the body to go in a certain order of recovery, not disbanding the probiotic assistance altogether. If this occurs click here for more information.
“Therapeutic strength probiotics need to be introduced gradually. Start from a very small amount, it’s a very individual process. Start from a tiny amount, take it for a few days, if nothing significant is happening, double the dose, stay for a few days, then double the dose, stay for a few days. You may come to three or four capsules of therapeutic probiotic and suddenly you get the die off. Stay on that dose for as long as it takes for the die off to subside, for the body to clear out all those toxins, for that amount of pathogens to die out in your intestinal tract safely. Then move on increasing the dose up to the therapeutic level. Every therapeutic probiotic has their own therapeutic dosages,” Dr. Natasha says.
Staying on the therapeutic dose for a few months enables and encourages healthy bacteria to kill off the pathogenic bacteria and allow homeostasis to establish a foothold.
Seeking Health.com says, “Consuming food increases the production of stomach acid, which can damage the probiotic bacteria, it is usually best to take any probiotic away from food. We recommend waiting at least an hour after eating and 45 minutes before consuming your next meal.”
The probiotics listed below are those recommended for the most damaged guts and are all considered therapeutic strength at your individual dosage.
Prescript Assist contains 29 strains of microflora from soil-based organisms and is shelf stable, not needing refrigeration. It is considered a prebiotic and probiotic with the manufacturer saying probiotic bacteria are encompassed in a seed-like barrier which ensures the probiotic bacteria makes it thru the stomach and into the intestines with over 95% effectivity. This same protective barrier allows for a two year shelf life. The manufacturer recommends taking this product with meals. Click here to order prescript assist.
NOTE on Prescript Assist. Some concerns have been questioned about PA since it is a prebiotic. I posted the question to GAPSdiet.com and this was the answer, “Prescript-Assist came on the market after the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book was published. Information surrounding the use of prebiotics has been very mixed and inconclusive, so it has generally been recommended to initially avoid them in serious digestive conditions in case they are feeding bad bacteria. However, many Certified GAPS Practitioners and holistic health professionals are using Prescript-Assist with their patients, as all of the strains are soil-based and they have reported great results with their patients.”
Unlike conventional Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics, the strains in Prescript-Assist are a balanced formulation of a new generation of probiotics, capable of forming a protective shield until reaching the probiotic-friendly environment of the intestines. Acid, bile and heat-resistant, routine testing of Prescript-Assist confirms > 95% viability two years after date of manufacture.
Supported by peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo controlled human trial, as well as a one year study verifying long-term efficacy,
– See more at: http://www.prescript-assist.com/professional-probiotics/#sthash.W5VLxoIl.dpuf
Unlike conventional Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics, the strains in Prescript-Assist are a balanced formulation of a new generation of probiotics, capable of forming a protective shield until reaching the probiotic-friendly environment of the intestines. Acid, bile and heat-resistant, routine testing of Prescript-Assist confirms > 95% viability two years after date of manufacture.
Supported by peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo controlled human trial, as well as a one year study verifying long-term efficacy,
– See more at: http://www.prescript-assist.com/professional-probiotics/#sthash.W5VLxoIl.dpuf
Unlike conventional Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics, the strains in Prescript-Assist are a balanced formulation of a new generation of probiotics, capable of forming a protective shield until reaching the probiotic-friendly environment of the intestines. Acid, bile and heat-resistant, routine testing of Prescript-Assist confirms > 95% viability two years after date of manufacture.
Supported by peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo controlled human trial, as well as a one year study verifying long-term efficacy,
– See more at: http://www.prescript-assist.com/professional-probiotics/#sthash.W5VLxoIl.dpuf
Gut Pro has eight strains, however does not contain D-lactate which causes acidosis in some people. The product contains L. plantarum which reverses acidosis. The manufacturer says, “D-lactic acidosis occurs when the body is unable to properly metabolize excess D(-)-lactate.” Click here for the Gut Pro page.
Biokult is considered the Gold Standard of Probiotics. This, however, is not something that can be evaluated as each person’s gut flora is missing certain strains, which may not necessarily be in Biokult. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride helped formulate this product making it specifically geared towards those patients with the most damaged guts. The manufacturer uses food sources in which they grow strains on, then scrape the strains off the top and discard the food source. Two of the food sources are soya and milk. Through personal correspondence the manufacturer says, “The soya and other food sources are filtered out and discarded.” They go on to say, “It goes through a filtration process a number of times. This is a standard process used by most probiotic fermentation companies.” Biokult uses organic food sources that are non-GMO and does not use corn. Click here to view or order Biokult.
Just Thrive Probiotics are one of the newest players on the market. They are GAPS approved and have been recommended by Dr. Natasha to Certified GAPS Practitioners at the 2016 Certified GAPS Practitioner Meeting. Dr. Natasha also recommended Just Thrive Probiotics at the 2017 WAPF Conference and the 2017 Certified GAPS Practitioner lunch gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota in November of 2017. Click here to view or order Just Thrive.
Living Streams is said by the manufacturer, “This product is NOT a full spectrum probiotic, although it does contain the original bacterial which produced the Living Streams Probiotic™ solution, and grow in the intestinal area, which is many times as powerful as any probiotic product can produce in the body naturally.”(Click here to see or order Living Streams).
LS Derma Gold is a paracasei flora specific liquid probiotic designed to be applied directly to the skin for absorption. One drop is the application dosage. The manufacturer says their products, “Can be used effectively by applying to the skin or be taken by mouth. You can safely use them in the eyes, ears, nose, lungs, vaginally and rectally.”
Custom Probiotics (click here to view) contains 2 strains totaling 50 billions microorganisms in each pill and requires refrigeration. This product ships unrefrigerated. The manufacturer says, “The loss at room temperature within a few weeks is very low. We can therefore assure you that the quality of our very high potency probiotic dietary supplements will not be compromised.”
Klaire Labs Lactoprime Plus (click here to view) contains 13 strains and 25 Billion CFUs. This product requires refrigeration.
HMF Multistrain Probiotics (click here to view) the whole HMF brand is therapeutic strength and clean. Each capsule contains 25 billion per capsule from 17 different strains. If ordered as a powder it is best stirred into a bit of yogurt so it doesn’t stick to the roof of your mouth or your teeth. (Reports of this product sometimes containing maltodextrin, makes it not recommended and not GAPS legal. Maltodextrin is a product manufactured from corn which causes many people digestive upset).
Natren (click here to view) is said by the manufacturer, “Natren Trenev Trio is the first to introduce a micro-enrobing, unique delivery system – a hard gel capsule in which three super strains of probiotic bacteria are suspended in sunflower oil and vitamin E to keep the bacteria separate, noncompetitive and protected from gastric digestive juices for optimum absorption. The bacteria strains must be bile-resistant. All Natren probiotics have laboratory-tested bile-resistant strains which will survive bile salts.”
Home fermented foods, click here to read more.
Sometimes the liver needs support to assist in detoxing, to properly clean out channels. PEKANA Basic Detox & Drainage Kit has been shown to assist in very stubborn cases. This homeopathic product has been said to flush yeast colonies from the system. This is not recommended for GAPS patients unless they have been on the program for two years and are still suffering from a struggling liver. Click here to learn more.
Body Biotics (click here to view) contains coveted Soil Based Organisms in addition to the traditional probiotic strains.
Be careful with added ingredients that can feed the pathogens….
Culturelle (click here to view) is easy to get and inexpensive, available at CVS. Although this product is praised by many in the autistic community it is on the questionable list as the manufacturer says, “Contains milk protein (Lactobacillus GG is grown on whey and will contain trace levels (less than 15 parts per million per capsule) of casein and whey, which are proteins found in milk. ” Additionally it contains inulin, from chicory root, which is a used as a prebiotic, to maintain shelf stability, which isn’t advised on GAPS. Dr. Natasha says prebiotics feed the good and bad strains indiscriminately, meaning if the digestive tract is dominated with pathogenic flora, a prebiotic will feed more bad flora than good flora.
One ingredient that is acceptable for GAPS, but not optimal is cellulose.
A GAPSdiet.com query was made with the response, “Cellulose in supplements is allowed on the GAPS diet – it is virtually impossible to find supplements (in capsules) without it. Some patients will open up the capsule and sprinkle the powder on food/drink/directly into the mouth.”
Cellulose is used as a binder or filler in capsules or tablets. The EFSA Journal described the process in detail after The European Commission received a request for safety analysis. They said, “Ethyl cellulose is the ethyl ether of cellulose. Ethyl cellulose is prepared from wood pulp or cotton with alkali and ethylation of the alkali treated cellulose with ethyl chloride.” They said no specific studies are known regarding this product. If possible, it is best avoided.
A study on 80 rats lasting over 8 months in 1963 showed no visible adverse effects with a diet of 1.2% ethyl cellulose. No other conclusions were made. They concluded, “The panel considers that during the manufacturing process, the steaming and drying steps would remove volitle residues.” Their assumptions were the ethyl cellulose passes right through the intestinal tract, “essentially unchanged. Adverse side effects are unlikely.”
When you find the right probiotic for you, the one that contains strains you do not have or are weak in, the die off will be extremely noticeable. One drop under the tongue can cause such severe die off that it produces things like a sinus pain, cold like symptoms, flu like symptoms or even sinus headache with waves of nasal crud as well as many other symptoms like diarrhea, joint pain, etc. This die-off can be the worst healing crisis you ever experience including severe swollen sinuses that create an unbearable headache. In addition, it can inflame a nerve going to teeth which shoot pain through your whole head and down the neck. This happened to me. When I sat up out of bed I could feel liquid sloshing in my head. Pathogenic bacteria were inflamed in my intestinal tract and caused a hernia, which Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride says is overgrowth of pathogenic gasses in the intestinal tract pushing out the intestines in a weak spot. The tooth pain prevented sleep. A UTI sprouted which Dr. Natasha says originates from pathogenic toxins trying to escape but not getting out fast enough with the overgrowth of toxins. Those toxins quickly eat through the mucosa lining of the bladder and the pathogens cause a urinary tract infection. All of these symptoms occurred simultaneously. I became a puddle of tearful misery that couldn’t sleep and couldn’t think straight, a 43-year-old moaning mess. Clove essential oil calmed the tooth inflammation, uva ursi removed the UTI and extra detox baths and hot herbal tea assisted in the rest. Rescue Remedy assists in a healing crisis like the one described, taking four drops under the tongue every 15 until the symptoms are gone. This does NOT mean everyone will have the same enormous die-off from this probiotic. This does suggest I was weak in these strains and needed to build them up and strengthen them.
This post is over triple the length of a normal post for Nourishing Plot. The reason is it is a huge topic, vital to so many healing their guts. There are a number of probiotics not listed and this is where you the reader comes in as you folks are some of the smartest I have ever seen. Please list your knowledge below so the rest of us can learn. Due to length, the worst top rated probiotics have been moved to a separate post.
*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, GAPS who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia through food she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. This is not a news article published by a paper trying to make money. This blog is put out by a mom who sees first hand the effects of nourishing food vs food-ish items. No company pays her for writing these blogs, she considers this a form of missionary work. It is her desire to scream it from the rooftops so that others don’t suffer from the damaging effect of today’s “food”.
“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.
Other sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/147763-negative-effects-of-dicalcium-phosphate/
http://www.prescript-assist.com/professional-probiotics/
127 Comments
In addition to GutPro, Organic 3 Inc. has recently introduced 3 new products: GutPro Infant, Primal Gut and Primal Soil.
Primal Gut is a 13 strain probiotic that takes into consideration d-lactic concerns and histamine concerns.
Primal Soil is a 2 strain soil based probiotic. While other soil based probiotics contain more strains of bacteria, Primal Soil only contains clinically proven strains of bacteria (to avoid any safety concerns with unproven strains).
To learn more, please visit:
http://www.corganic.com/digestive-support/probiotics
I am curious, have you ever come across information on killed vs. live probiotics? I had a salesperson recently try to convince me that the killed version is just as good…..I looked at her like she had three heads. Now, I have attempted to research the topic, but have been unable to find any good reference material for the argument that they should be live. Help?
What happens when probiotics are heated or sit on a shelf too long…they die. That’s why there are expiration dates and potency goes down with time. In order for bacteria to perform their metabolic processes, they need to be alive. It’s likely there’s no research because it’s self evident, but that’s what makes some salespersons so darn good!
Hi Theresa,
Dr. Natasha says in one of her interviews/conferences that also when probiotics die, for example in the stomach because of the stomach acid, they still are beneficial. That is also why she likes people to take a powder instead of pills. Some people also cannot digest these pills (or coating) which means it comes out as a whole. And didnot do the work. Of course when probiotics are alive they work the best. But dead probiotics are apparently also beneficial.
Primal Defense is the only probiotic formula that contains a unique whole food blend with Homeostatic® Soil Organisms (HSOs). The HSOs in Primal Defense are important probiotics you would get in abundance if your food came from soil untouched by pesticides, herbicides and other widely used chemicals.
http://www.gardenoflife.com/Products-for-Life/Digestive-Health/Primal-Defense.aspx
primal defense contains rice maltodextrin which feeds pathogenic bacteria in the gut. i do not recommend using this product to repair any gut damage. 🙁
Almost ALL maltodexdrin is from GMO corn. If it’s not organic certified, you have to assume it’s GMO.
Correct!
Even if it’s organic certified, it’s a starch which feeds the pathogens if there is an overload of pathogens in the gut.
OK THEN , WHICH IS THE BEST PROBIOTIC ? IS ESSENTIAL FLORA -7 THE BEST 1 ? PLZZ HELP ! (SORRY FOR CAPS , BAD EYES )
THNX
only your body can tell you which is the best. once you try one an you do not respond with die off symptoms it’s evidence you do not need those probiotic strains so you should try another. when you take one that has strains you are weak in you will experience die off, telling you those need building. no on can tell you which one to take. this includes home brewing probiotic foods. continually change up the vegetables in your home ferments to grow new strains for this reason.
Biokult also contains rice flour.
my box does not say rice flour. is this a new formulation Danielle?
Can you show us where?
Thanks for your post. I am going to try LactoPrime and see how it goes. I’ve been diagnosed with Candida overgrowth due to antibiotic overuse as a child and compounded by mold that was growing in our hvac ducts. After treatment I am currently symptom free, but I continue to have some histamine reactions mostly to kombucha. I can tolerate alcohol and other high histamine foods. At the beginning of my candida treatment I took Renew Life Ultimate Flora Women’s Complete. I was bloated and had severe reactions to EVERYTHING I ate until I stopped taking it.
I have been taking prescript assist, Saccharomyces boulardii, bacillus coagulans and other very basic probiotics without problems.
Would you suggest trying the Renew Life Probiotic again now that the candida has been killed off?
it doesn’t sound like a histamine issues it sounds like die-off. when you feed the bacteria that are weak strains in your tract it gives this response. the recommended protocol in this situation is taking less of the probioitic, even opening up the capsule and taking just a small portion, until your body can build up those strains. i think you should follow your gut and try again but go slowly and build. the living streams liquid is also highly effective on killing off candida. candida is a very tricky one: they’ve poured boiling water on it and it lives, they’ve frozen it and it lives, they’ve starved it for 20 years where it stops growing then fed it one speck of sugar and it grows again.
I’ve been taking Garden of Life Raw probiotics and feeling better. Any feed back on the quality of those. I even use em to culture my raw milk to yogurt!
this may help: http://nourishingplot.com/2014/09/08/the-worst-top-rated-probiotics/
This link doesn’t work.
Fixed it. Thanks for the assist!
Since this is an old post, I do not know if you will see my question, but I will ask anyway. How did you decide what probiotics to give your child and understand which symptoms were related to or determine die off? The very extreme symptoms you experienced would frighten me if they occurred in my son as a result of probiotics. What if it wasn’t die off and he was allergic to the probiotics? I want desperately to heal, not harm him. I believe in probiotics, but I don’t know how to push to a point of die off in a chid. What did you do? Thank you in advance.
Dr. Natasha’s book GAPS explains this thoroughly. You’ll find it very helpful specifically in this matter. I’ve not heard of a link between allergies and probiotics, most especially if the probiotics have no fillers like the ones listed. A good way to insure no die off reaction if it scares you is to start very slow and build up from there looking for reactions, then backing off on the dosage until there is no reaction.
Fermented foods are a safer way to ingest probiotics. Also don’t be too eager to scrub those organic veggies. That dirt residue is loaded with probiotics.
Hello, In the case of Blastocystis Hominis and D.Fragilis – parasites – would you kill the parasite with strong antibiotics and then build with probiotics or is it possible to build with probiotics to control the parasite. I have D.Frag and my 7 year old has Blasto. Thanks
By law I am not allowed to give you any medical advice. I have had many people tell me they have experienced many prasites and worms simply leave their body by switching their food intake. Dr. Natasha, GAPS doctor, recommends the same, adding probiotics or probiotic foods to feed the good in your body that fights the bad.
Sorry, in addition to the above question – are any of these suitable for a 7 year old?
My son took these probiotics when he was 7. Hope this helps: http://nourishingplot.com/2014/11/28/the-proper-way-to-take-a-probiotic-and-the-mistakes-that-are-wasting-your-money/
Hi groovy gut guys/gals,
Through my own research and digging, no thanks to my medical Doctors, I’ve deduced that i Have leaky Gut syndrome. I’m a young guy at 29 and have been waking up with traveling joint pains in my feet which spread to different places like finger knuckles, shoulder joints etc. on different days.
I had the whole medical workup all the way to a rheumatologist and I tested negative for for rheumatoid arthritis and any inflammation in my body based on blood work analysis. After eliminating all junk foods, grains and dairy, I came to a baseline where I don’t have any pain now. However I still need to heal my gut before I can add my preferred foods back in as Dr. McBride says.. I notice I have a severe delayed pain reaction everytime I eat rice or pasta or wheat. maybe its the gluten. I dunno. I dont know any reliable naturapath here in chicago.
So anyways, umm, like I want to heal my gut completely by taking the most ultra awesome, super potent, variety strain probiotic out there to heal me up gooood; once and for all!
Still too many choices on this page. For my condition is Bio-kult the best? Only 10 billion per gram though? Just fyi, I’ve been taking Immunutriton’s organic fermented sauerkraut blends for like 2 months now and i’m past the initial die-off reaction as I go huge pimples all over my chest and body right after. I’m handling the fermented foods quite nicely now. But those culture veggies are too expensive. i used their brand because Dr. mercola used their starter culture on his cultured veggies and did lab testing to discover they contain over 10 TRILLION CFUs!!! –> http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/12/dr-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps.aspx
I’m not sure, its sensationalizing or whatnot but that’s why I bought immunutrtion’s cultured veggies. I dislike the sour taste but I’m doing this to get better. 🙂
So, yeah, what’s the ultimate hyper awesome probiotic, that can truly help fix me up?
Any body else here with leaky gut syndrome?
Please share your thoughts and thanks for bearing with me.
I have leaky gut, aka Intestinal Permeability, but no one can tell you which one to take. Only our body knows. Each person is fill with good and bad strains, when you feed the good it kills the bad. When the bad dies you get die off. The only way to know which strains you are weak in is to take different strains and look for die off. http://nourishingplot.com/2014/11/28/the-proper-way-to-take-a-probiotic-and-the-mistakes-that-are-wasting-your-money/
Thank you for your thoughts Becky.
I had an initial die-off reaction with rashes and huge blisters on my chest and shoulders and abdomen. I stopped the raw fermented Sauerkraut I was taking and gently started again slowly after taking a week break. Afterwards no die-off reaction ensued. Now I’m taking my last batch of Immunutrition’s Cultured veggies. I want to get onto the next level of healing my gut and nice, high therapeutic grade probiotic. I will give BIO-KULT a try since Dr. Natasha McBride took part in making it.
Is your gut still leaky Becky? What’s your gut healing routine and how long has it been?
One single pint of mature kraut contains 1.25 TRILLION LIVE MICROBES, 100-1000 more than most probiotics, as well as the prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, and anti-oxidants which work synergistically to enhance the probiotics.. While I understand the benefit of diversity, this can be accomplished by eating all the differnt fermented foods, no probiotic pill can come CLOSE to live-culture foods, the critical important foundational informational basis of whichwhich this article fails to illustrate clearly, more bottles of pills lacking the connection to foods and health <3
Yes you are correct, however this post was not about foods, it was about supplementing with capsules for assistance. Nutrition should always come from food first. Nourishing Plot has written many posts on the benefits of fermented foods, including the studies that compare capsules to fermented sauerkraut. Thanks for the input.
But do they survive the digestive process? Are those 1.25 trillian microbes destroyed in your stomach?
We really like Nexabiotics; I know they work. Surprised it’s not on the list.
Hi and thank you for such an awesome resource !
Can you please specify the therapeutic level for these products ?
For example what level do I need to build to for Living Streams ?
Thx!
There are different therapeutic levels for different ages and bodies. Since Living Streams doesn’t put a quantity of strains there is no way of judging the therapeutic dose of this product.
I asked and you provided! Thanks again for this well written wealth of information. You never cease to amaze me with your passion, intelligence, and most importantly selfless acts to help better mankind! Always a fan 🙂
LOL. It’s you, Dr. Gallien, who is the impressive one! I wouldn’t trust my family’s teeth to any other holistic dentist – you’re the bomb diggetyest! So glad we found your wonderful office!
Thank you for this article! I’m just wondering if there is a probiotic that you would recommend that is geared toward healing histamine intolerance? Thanks so much!!
This situation is not an easy one where one probiotic will assist. I would recommend working with a qualified practitioner in this situation. I had histamine issues and in my research found more misinformation on this topic than any other. Dr. Natasha’s protocol is absolutely the method to resolution, this is what I used. However, the protocol for this case is very specific to the person, shown evident to what happens when and how often. I have not had any histamine issues for 2 years now. If you need assistance feel free to contact for an appointment. My office is in Rossville, GA but I can do phone or SKYPE consults for those who are out of the area. 706-944-3061
I’m pretty sure Gut Pro has formed their product specifically with that in mind, as well as an improved lactic acid balance.
Becky – I took Living Streams 2 years ago and it helped me tremendously. It has been in my refrigerator for 2 years and I decided to take it again. Not sure if it was still good, but like you this is a VERY STRONG probiotic. I had a massive mold exposure 10 years ago and thus my issues. What are your thoughts about Living Streams? Thanks so much.
We have had great success with Living Streams. If you are deficient in those strains it will help rebuild.
I am also trying to determine which probiotic to use. I purchased Syntol AMD by Arthur Andrew. It looks good. In some ways better with a formula to eliminate toxic reactions. But it only has 8 probiotics. Prescript Assist looks good with 29 strains, but very expensive. Gut Pro looks good and seems more economical. 8 strains, but mostly different strains than Syntol AMD. Which strains are better? I don’t know. I am wanting to do something to eleviate symptoms in both my daughter and my son. My husband also has issues. But with 3 of them on some supplement like this can get pretty pricey. But I need to do something. Thx
Be careful with probiotics in capsule or pill form as they can easily contain fillers or additives that feed the pathogens you are trying to kill. Inulin is listed in your Syntol AMD, which is sourced from chickory root and feeds pathogens. Home brewed probiotic foods are very viable resources in addition to the probiotics listed here.
I read one of the comments above and I have this question. How do I tell if there is mold in the HVAC?. I live in an apartment and we have window air conditioner and floor radiator for the winter. Please tell me how do I test for this.
Also I just purchase LS Derma Gold and Living Steams Multi-Blend and after seeing the above picture of someone with bumps on their arm I am afraid to use these products and now feel that I should just take my vitamins/minerals and try to eat and exercise (walking) until I lose this weight. I am now retired age 67 years old I am around 200 lbs at the height of 5 feet 7 inches tall. I just want to get better metabolism and digest my foods see this weight in my upper thighs stomach chest go away.
Please reply. Thank you.
What is your thought on taking resistant starch? Are you against it at all time?
It depends on the person and the damage to their microbiome.
This is so helpful, thank you!
We have been working tirelessly to heal my son’s gut to correct his skin issues. He is just 7 months and has dealt with eczema and itching since he was 3 months old. We have tried probiotics (not the right brand, we’re learning), and a variety of other natural things.
Can Prescript Assist or Bio Kult be used on infants? How would you go about dosing? We need this poor gut healed before spring/summer and his skin is exposed to the air. He thankfully does not itch when he’s covered in clothes.
Becky,
I love your simple and concise explanation of this! We experienced something similar. We went through loads of probiotics like GutPro, Klaire Labs, BioKult, others that had been prescribed by my son’s biomed doctor, and NOTHING. I assumed this was normal and they were working, but after almost two years on these probiotics, my son went from poor beneficial flora (only bifido strains) to NO beneficial flora at all.
When we started GAPS, about six months in I introduced Prescript Assist. The die off we all had from it was ridiculous! It really helped me to understand this whole idea behind probiotics better and what our body needs. Thanks for sharing this, and I hope that it helps many more families searching for gut healing.
So are u a believer in prescript assist, did it work for u??
What about Dr. Ohirrah pre and probiotics? I didn’t see those on you list. Are they good in your opinion?
I looked at the ingredients for the first one that pulled up, in the green box and no, there are many ingredients there that feel the pathogens that cause intestinal permeability: tapioca, carrageenan and caramel color. In fact carrageenan is what researchers give to mice to inflame their system in order to test anti-inflammatory drugs.
I’m presently taking Bio Kult. Is this a suitable one if i have high histamine? Also,can you take different brands at the same time? I would like to add some SBO’s like body biotics and am curious to know if i can take those with the Bio kult?
Yes you can and should take multiple strains at once, this can be done through various probiotics. Histamine is a different story. Sealing the healing the microbiome needs to happen first. Everything from there on out is die off unless other specifics present.
FYI your Living Streams link seems to be broken.
Help please!! I have researched myself silly! My 3.9 year old son..is high functioning spectrum. He is gf df and I switched his probiotics to gutpro from garden of life kids. We have been on the gutpro for a month and I feel like his hyperactive ways are increased and his behavior impulses have increased. Could this be the die off affect .
Yes, absolutely.
Hi, great posting. I’ve had h pylori and 3 courses of tripple therapy antibiotiics. My tests say it’s cleared up a year since my last course. I’m still in a lot of gut pain. Combined with reflux and sore throats. My teeth are in a bad state from all the acid. I’ve been on proton pump inhibitors and gaviston for a 6 months, as prescribed by my doc. They don’t seem to help much. I’ve tried giving up lactose and have been gluten free for over 4 years. I took Bio Kult probiotics and made my own sauakraut over the last year , but nothing seems to help. After reading Chris Kressers blog about Perscript Assist I’m giving that a go. I’m day 5 into taking one tablet a day 1 hour before a main meal and have experienced my worst cramping feelings to date. My question is, what exactly are the symptoms of die off. I feel like stopping the tablets but my brain tells me to keep going. Thanks
did u keep taking them? im in a similar situation and orderd perscrip assist but im scared to take them
I just finished the Cleanse Plus by Be Well by Dr Frank Lipman. I have been, and am supposed to continue using the Probiotic powder that comes with the cleanse. Will you please tell me your thoughts on this probiotic?
I am unable to find the ingredients on this product. If you list them I can reply.
I’ve been taking Puritan’s Pride chewable Probiotic Acidophilus with Lactis for a couple of years. When I first started taking them, I took one 3 times a day. Now I’m up to 2 8 or 10 times a day… and I don’t see any benefit. I just read your article, and it seems like I’m totally wasting my money. So I’ve stopped the automatic delivery of these (I do keep them refrigerated), and I’m trying to determine to what brand I should switch. I’m leaning toward the Living Streams, but I thought I’d ask first… just in the event you had a better choice. I am a 58-year old woman living in Florida. Any suggestions? (BTW, I had VERY successful gastric bypass surgery 8 years ago, if that makes any difference.) Thanks!!
No one can answer this question for you only your body can answer this. I am a fan of all these listed here. Choosing any of them is a good option. Food based home brewed ferments is optimal.
Can you tell me anything about Plexus One’s ProBio5? Has anyone had experience with this particular probiotic?
The ingredients in Plexus One’s ProBio5 are: bacillus coagulans, lactobacillus acidophilus, bifodobacterium longum, lactobacillus plantarum, saccahromyces boulardii
Proprietary enzyme blend: proteases, chitosanase, cellulase, serrapeptase
Other ingredients: vitamin b6, grape seed extract, it amin c, gelatin, water,brown rice powder.
The probiotic in this product could be beneficial if your gut damage is not deep however if you have a depth of damage that needs repair many ingredients in this product feed the pathogens which cause the problem including brown rice powder, grape seed extract and potentially the B6. Many people in this situation will feed better then feed worse months or a few years down the road and be in a more grave position than when they started.
Im 21 wit severe acid reflex… I believe i have bad baceria overgrowth, because while ona PPI my doc gave me an antibiotic for an ear infection and since then ive had crazy amounts of cramps/gas, which inever had prior… Im trying to eliminate trigger foods, I have a slight wheat intolerance, but im an athlete so i need carbs.. The only carbs i really know that isn’t glutent is brown rice.. Can brown rice be feeding my bad bacteria??
As I said im an athlete and need to eat a lot of carbs before sports for adequate energy.. I cant get enough energy from just eating veggies… Do u have a list of carbs I could consume that will not feed my bad bacteria?
Hi, I have irritable bowel syndrome that fluctuates between IBD-D and IBS-C, my gastrointestinal doctor recommended using align. What is your opinion on thi
I see a Kremlinologist and he advise no probiotics when you are trying to detox only when in a rebuilding do you use and he says every body is different and not every probiotic is going to be good for everyone. When he muscle tests he can tell if one is needed and which one.
I am not familiar with a Kremlinologist. I was under the understanding this was a person who studied the former USSR, and the Kremlin. If you mean kinesiologist, and you feel you are getting better then continuing would be wise. Kinetics takes a good deal of study and clinical practice. There are very few that are truly masters of this craft and many who claim to have an understanding and proper read. My training is in rebuilding the micrombiome to rebuild the body so that it can repair itself. This includes probiotics and probiotic foods. We live in a toxic society and the body is always in a state of detox. This is why we defalcate, urinate and sweat daily. If we waited until we were out of detox it would never happen.
Hi I am a 36 year old male. I have severe food and rhinitis allergies. When I eat certain foods my face itch. When I have nasal allergies, I have runny nose, watery eyes and I get conjectivitis. Which one of these probiotics would be theraputic for my conditions. I also seen probiotics at my local Costco, tru nature and align brand. But I don’t know if this is the right type. Thank You
When the gut is leaky with Intestinal Permeability allergies result. Sealing the gut with properly made meat stock along with probiotics which do not feed the bad pathogens is a good attack for repairing the situation. I used to have allergies like this, it was so awful.
Many many years ago, I used Udo’s Super Bifido Plus until he sold them to Flora and they added FOS. I switched to Brenda Watson’s line. I didn’t see you mention Renew Life probiotics. I’d love your thoughts on them. Also, I’ve seen GOS promoted currently as a gut lining healer and as a food that only feeds the beneficial organisms. It seems to be replacing FOS and MOS after the discoveries that they fed both beneficial and pathogenic. If you’ve come across any good science on GOS, I’d also love your opinion on that as well.
My 4.5 year old started body biotics (adult capsules) 5 days ago, He started with a rash 3 days after starting. It is around his whole mouth and cheeks pretty badly, it’s also all over his tose to a lesser degree. It is red and itchy. Would you assume die off? My first instinct, is that he’s allergic, but I know it could be die off. He is also taking Diflucan, but he has been taking this off and on for over a month w/o any problems.
It is difficult to answer this question with this specific probiotic due to the prebiotics which feed the good guys and bad guys equally. If you have a pathogenic overgrowth it will feed it.
I’d like to hear what you think of the ProBio5 made by Plexus…?
As I have stated earlier in the comments I am not a fan of Plexus products as they contain ingredients which feed the pathogens in tract eventually making the disbiosis worse. If you are healthy there is nothing wrong with taking them. If you are repairing the microbiome, on GAPS, this is not an approved product.
I am curious and slightly concerned about something. My husband and I have made Kombucha on and off throughout our marriage and recently got started with Kefir. my 15 month old daughter loves the smoothies I’m making from the kefir and I was happy about this because I had to take antibiotics after her birth and have been suspicious that she had gut problems because this was while I was breastfeeding. Well, one time after the first few days of trying kefir, she had a big black poop. It looked like pond muck. I was kind of concerned, but she was acting totally normal so I moved on with life. I didn’t do kefir for about a week after that and no more black poops. I made another batch and she drank a lot of it, sure enough two black poops followed. I have read alarming things online about black poops, but it seems very related to the kefir in my opinion. So I was wondering if you think this could be some kind of die off? Thoughts appreciated!
Thank goodness I saw this, I just bought a bottle of Garden of Life but didn’t open it because of this article. Thank you. I’m Sorry if this has been posted before but I looked thru all the posts and didn’t see anything about the probiotics by Dr. Axe (Author of Eat Dirt). Has anybody tried these? And are they a good product to use? Any info would be great!
I would not take them due to the hypromellose, gellan gum, vegetable stearate, silica and FOS.
Thank you very much for the info, just trying to figure out the best option that’s not too expensive.
I just started the “Yeast Buster Kit” by Innovite. It comes with the probiotic, DDS acidophilus (with FOS)…non-medicinal ingredients include rice starch, magnesium stearate, vegetable cellulose and FDS (fructooligosaccharides). Do you know about this kit? Any comment on it and the probiotic it comes with?
I could not take this product due to the cellulose, FDS, rice starch and magnesium stearate. The reason the probiotics in this list are rated so high is because they do not contain the ingredients which feed the pathogens that are instigating dysbiois in the first place.
I have serve psoriasis and multiple food allergy.I have started GAPS diet plus Autoimmue diet together.Now,I just eat some green vegetable and pork only.Only Eat a apple per week. Also, i do not live in USA or UK .It is difficult for me to buy probiotic with refrigeration. Do you recommend custom probiotic 6 strains or 11 strains to me because of temperature problem?Or,do you have better suggestion for probiotics as the international delivery charge is expensive? Many thx!!!!!!!!
I’m a big fan of home brewed probiotic foods.
How long can we expect die-off to last when we find the right probiotic?
I’ve been researching about GutPro Custom Probiotic(Capsules) and read on the supplement facts Other Ingredients: Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose. I’m very skeptical about this ingredient. Studies show that the human body cannot properly digest the compounds of the Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose(HPMC) in the vegetable caps and it builds up in your organs and can possibly cause life threatening problems. My question is, is it possible to open the capsules and pour the Probiotics into yogurt? Do the capsules themselves contain Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose or is it in the powder with the Probiotics?
Yes, absolutely!
Hello, I’m new with all of this and have a question. I have been suffering with depression for about 15 years. I am on anti-depressants but they just don’t seem to be working for me anymore. I have read about the possibility of probiotics helping ease depression and anxiety. Do you have any knowledge about this?
ive seen probiotics claiming they can help wit depression, but I feel like depression is more neurological.. If you have gut problems however, fixing them might make u feel way better, because of no more bad symptoms. Id be careful on those anti depressants… Jus like how ectasy floods u wit serotonin and dopamine levels, u feel great, but studies show ur “happy levels” are never the same even years later…Every drug positive has a negative. I believe anti depressants are hard to come off of if ur on them to long, because ur body starts naturally creating less because of the outside source of serotine etc.
I had resistant to treatment depression for 13 years I quitted antidepressants and I have better mood than before with restore gut of restore for life
Just wondering what your thoughts are on Dr. Axe Live Probiotics?
I am not a fan of the “other ingredients”
What do you think of the Plexus Probio5?
Again, I am not a fan of Plexus as it uses rice flour in the ingredients as a filler. Rice flour is a starch and feeds pathogens. The goal is not to feed the bad, it’s to feed the good. A product like this is fine if you are a healthy person and don’t have an overgrowth of pathogens.
Hello, I am trying very hard to find a good probiotic for GAPS. I am considering Bio-Kult. Dr. Natasha states in her book that she does not recommend probiotics with an enteric coating because the stomach needs bacteria just as much as the rest of the digestive system. I noticed that Bio-Kult is encapsulated to protect it from the stomach acid. Does this mean that it will pass through the stomach without providing it with good bacteria? When I emailed the company, they responded by saying that it was likely that some of the strains would benefit the stomach itself. Do you think that would be the case even if it’s encapsulated?
I was also wondering if these ingredients are reason to be concerned: soya and milk,Vegetable Capsule (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, color: titanium dioxide).
Also, to reach the recommended theraputic dose, would I have to take about 10 capsules per day? (After building up slowly, of course.) That would cost quite a bit of money.
Sorry to ask so many questions, I just really want to get this right. I really appreciate your time and look forward to hearing back from you.
There is a large difference between a enteric coating on a tablet and a gelatin capsule. You can open open up capsule and sprinkle it on your tongue to repopulate the mouth, it’ll creep down to the stomach or swallow a capsule and it will go to the stomach, repopulating. If your stomach acid is low it’ll respond differently than if it is strong. The probiotic is grown on top of those foods then scraped off, only the most sensitive would have an issue. If you have concerns you may want to try fermented foods instead of buying a commercial probiotic.
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to my questions. It is very helpful to me as a make a final decision. I think I will try Bio-Kult to see if it helps me.
You are most welcome!
Hello again. I am hoping it would be okay to ask another question. Since doing further research, I thought about trying Primal Gut Powder. However, it does not have any soil based strains. I just read a blog post about the necessity of soil based strains.
According to this person, the lactic acid based probiotics cannot work effectively until the soil based probiotics clean things out. Is this true? And does this mean I should not used a probiotic that does not contain soil based strains? Just when I thought I had it all figured out….
If this were the case traditional cultures who eat fermented foods would not be healthy (Koreans – kimchi, Germans – sauerkraut, etc.) however, they are.
Thanks so much again for answering me! I just want to say how much I appreciate this site. I really admire your knowledge and expertise.
My question is if you’d experience a die-off reaction when switching from one probiotic to another with different strains? Could you be fooling yourself if you keep looking for die-off reactions when you’re really just killing off a bunch of good bacteria of different strains?
Drowning out the bad with the good is the goal. I’m not following how you would be killing off good bacteria. Hope this helps: https://www.nourishingplot.com/2014/11/28/the-proper-way-to-take-a-probiotic-and-the-mistakes-that-are-wasting-your-money/
Any thoughts on Sunbiotic Organic Probiotic Chewable Tablets?
Anything chewable is going to have chemical or sugar sweeteners which feed yeast. The goal is to drown them out, not feed them.
Hi, we’ve had my son on GAPS diet since January. He is now on full GAPS. As far as fermented foods he eats sauerkraut daily, yogurt, kefir (off and on). Its been a real adjustment for him and us, but we’ve definitely seen big progress with him and I’m thankful for my friend who told me about GAPS (she also shared your blog). My question is that recently we’ve gone from taking one bio-kult a day, to taking two and its been crazy. My son always breaks out in a rash when we’ve tried increasing bio-kult and I back off because it is constant. This past time (about a week ago), we went from 1-2 again, and he had a slight breakout on the side of his face the second day but hasn’t had any since. However, his behavior is very hard to deal with. I’m just curious why it seems to have more of an affect on him than sauerkraut? From what I understand kraut is one of the best probiotics there are. I do give him about the same amount of kraut everyday, but certainly haven’t measured precisely so he may get a tablespoon more one day than another without rash or behavior changes.
There really is not best probiotic overall- the best one is the one you have weak strains with and gives you die off. Sounds like you’re in the right place but don’t need so much Biokult just yet as he’s weak in those strains, needs to build those strains just doesn’t need so much. Good find!
Great Blog! Question how does one find out what strains one is low in and need to add? There are 1000’s of strains!
By following the symptoms.
took a 50 billion Cfu ultimate flora two days ago mid afternoon. Woke up that night having to vomit. Felt nauseous all day yesterday and today I feel generally fatigued with headache. I thought it may have something to do with the probiotic but I had taken before without these symptoms. I haven’t taken it again but I still feel nauseous and lack of appetite. Bifido and lacto mainly. Any thoughts ?
I just purchase Bio-Kult and my neighbor sells Plexus products and said “her” Plexus Probio has antifungals. I thought Bio-Kult also has antifungals- both the garlic and grapefruit seed extract have natural antifungal properties is that correct. I feel Bio-Kult is so much better than the Probio when I compared the two.
BioKult is GAPS approved, Plexus is not due to the high starch rice flour.
Hi Becky, thank you for this great post. I’m using BioKult with good results, but I have to take 20 capsules at a time! This is getting untenable. Do you have a recommendation for a probiotic that is similar to BioKult in its strains, but stronger with a higher bacteria count? BioKult has 2 Billion in one capsule, so with twenty capsules I’m taking about 40 Billion. I will be grateful for any recommendation. Thanks!
Probiotic foods are more alive and higher in count.
Hi Becky,
I’ve read a lot about probiotics and it seems that probiotics do not actually colonize the gut – that they have an effect on your microbiome only while you are taking them. Is that your understanding as well? Just wondering how one can repopulate with beneficial bacteria that persists even after stopping probiotics. Depressing to think I’d have to take probiotics for life. I just want the gut I had prior to taking so many rounds of antibiotics.
Correct, no probiotics remain in the gut, the way no food remains in the gut – it is all transient, passes through. Commercial probiotics are not the goal, they are a starting point, building to food based probiotics, which are eaten with every meal: milk kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, Kombucha, etc.
hello,
I was diagnosed with blastocystis and d.fraglis, I have a 20 month old toddler. I have been working on healing my own gut through probiotics as I am still nursing and want to do the same for him. I had him on Klaire Labs and saw improvement in eczema with no noticeable. I switched him to GutPro Infant and accidentally started with two high of a dose, he vomited and had diarrhea plus lost his appetite for solids for three days. I just started it again at a lower dose, he threw up again the same day, had very sour smelling pale poop and lost his appetite for days again. I’m obviously scared to give him GutPro again but want to give him the best start at a healthy gut. Are these extreme die off symptoms? Should I try one more time at a lower dose or Should I switch probioitics?
This may help: https://www.nourishingplot.com/2015/03/04/stopping-die-off-dead-in-its-tracks/
And this: https://www.nourishingplot.com/2014/11/28/the-proper-way-to-take-a-probiotic-and-the-mistakes-that-are-wasting-your-money/
When I use probiotics they make me constipated. WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Constipation and diarrhea are common die off signs. This may help regarding die off: https://www.nourishingplot.com/2015/03/04/stopping-die-off-dead-in-its-tracks/
I am taking dr ohirra probiotic. Is it helpful?
This product (prescript-assist) was recently tested by a certified U.S. lab and found to contain high levels of lead and aluminum. It is not fit for human consumption.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-08-16-safer-products-of-montana-probiotics-supplement-10-ppm-lead-leonardite-lawsuit-threat-deceptive.html
It now says organic rice hull on label… no maltodextrin in ingredients. Has it improved?
They change them at their own choice. It’s sad that a good product is altered. Organic rice hull feeds the good and bad indiscriminately. If you have an overgrowth of bad, it’s not beneficial to balance.