Why Acidophilus? How Does it Help Treat My IBS?
Acidophilus has long been used as a very important part of natural IBS treatment for a few reasons. Acidophilus is thought to help control and help correct bacterial imbalances in the digestive tract and colon, which is said to be one of the major contributing factors to the IBS condition. So, what exactly IS acidophilus, and why should you incorporate into your overall treatment for IBS?
Acidophilus is a type of “healthy” bacteria that is found in natural yogurt, which provides a supportive bacterial environment for intestinal tracts which have been damaged due to long term antibiotic usage or illness.
Taking acidophilus supplements or getting a lot of acidophilus in your diet (eating a lot of yogurt with live cultures), has shown to help improve candida (candidiasis, or yeast imbalance) and yeast infections that occur in a woman’s vagina. It also has been useful in helping to remedy and control the symptoms of IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
How Exactly does the Acidophilus Bacteria Help in the Treatment and Curing of IBS?
Well, Acidophilus helps treat IBS is many ways, but the most important are that it:
1.) Acidophilus helps treat diarrhea associated with IBS by helping to correct the bacterial imbalances caused by long term antibiotic use. Long term antibiotic use has been shown to build up unhealthy flora and bacteria in the colon and digestive tract, causing diarrhea, bloating and irregularity.
The reason for this is that most antibiotics have a serious side effect in that they destroy a lot of the health “friendly” bacteria in our digestive tract that prevent nasty digestive problems such as excess gas, bloating and diarrhea. Acidophilus benefits our entire digestive system since it brings back an optimal natural balance of the bacteria that inhabit the human digestive system.
2.) Acidophilus helps to reduce the flatulence associated with IBS by restoring a healthy balance of bacteria in the digestive tract, it helps keep the gas-producing bacteria in the large intestine from multiplying, and therefore decreases the incidence, severity and frequency of gastrointestinal pain and flatulence. This is a major benefit for IBS sufferers in the treatment of their IBS, since much of the discomfort IBS induces is caused by gas buildup and pressure.
Another Acidophilus IBS Benefit:
Another added benefit of Acidophilus is that people who are lactose intolerant can take this supplement, since it does not have an adverse effect on them, and they may be missing out on the beneficial effects of lactobacillus and acidophilus due to their condition since yogurt and foods with active yogurt cultures is out of the question.
Did you know there are over 400 different types of bacteria living in your digestive tract, some that you benefit from greatly, and some that produce gas, bloating, constipation and even diarrhea? That just goes to show the importance of these bacteria, and how easy it might be to have an imbalance of healthy, friendly bacteria and the destructive type which often causes most of the problems associated with IBS.
As you can see, acidophilus as a treatment for IBS should be an integral part of your comprehensive treatment for IBS. Make sure this is incorporated as part of your regimen, and I am certain you will feel the benefits of its positive effects sooner than you think.
Visit 3 Part Herbal Remedy for IBS with Acidophilus for more information on one of the most powerful, multifunctional and multisymptom targeted IBS remedies on the market today. Danna Schneider is the webmaster of Herbal Medicines and Natural Supplements.
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I just purchased acidophilus, and am hoping it will help me. At this point, I have suffered from acute IBS and ulcerative clitis for so many years that I am frustrated beyond belief. I do not believe in pharmaceuticals and have tried everything possible in the way of natural cures, but nothing has helped me thus far. I used to take Mastic Gum twice a day, then switched to DGL, then to Holy Basil capsules, then to Fennel…the list goes on and on…thinking I would kill off the h-pylori or whatever is wrong with my digestive system, but then I developed an adverse reaction to everything I tried! I have tried every possible herbal tea, including Holy Basil, Licorice Root, Tulsi, Chamomile, Fennel, Blueberry Leaf, Blackberry Leaf, and Rooibus, but I can’t tolerate tea at all due to the tannins…I end up doubling over in pain. I gave up coffee last year, but I really don’t see any difference at all in my condition, so I may as well drink the coffee. I gave up gluten for a month, but that caused me a great deal of weight loss becuase I have to follow a low fiber diet due to my digestive issues, and anything gluten-free contains rice, and I am highly allergic to rice! Interestingly, I used to “live” on rice, but one spoonful now, and my stomach blows up like a balloon! So, yes I still eat gluten, but I am also semi lactose-intolerant, so I must limit my dairy intake. In addition, I am a vegan, but I can’t digest vegetables or nuts or seeds or eggs – basically, because they just ferment after I eat them, and they are far too difficult for me to digest. What do I eat you may ask? Basically, bread – but normally, sourdough bread because the fiber is easier for me to digest since it is already partially fermented. I have problems after eating just one banana,so I can’t get any nutrition there, and every supplement drink on the market contains carregeenan, which of course I can’t digest due to my colitis. The only supplement that even EXISTS without that toxic ingredient filler is Pediasmart, however, it contains milk, so I can’t have that either. I’ve also tried colloidal silver and Sonne’s 7 (essentially clay), but both of them backfired and escalated my condition after several weeks. Now,I take activated charcoal daily to ‘kill” the toxins in my system (incidentally, I was “normal” until I took a trip to Venezuala, and I haven’t been the same since…that was about 20 years ago, and also around the time I was also prescribed Cipro 500mg. for my skin by a dermatologist – at the time, it kept my skin clear, so he just kept renewing it for me over and over!..little did I know the damage it was doing to my intestinal lining.) I can’t tolerate whole wheat, can’t tolerate pasta because it expands in water, so it’s too hard fo rme to digest. I tried avocadoes and pumpkin, but the high fiber content made me sick fo rdays. I have no idea what to eat anymore or how in the world to stay healthy. I don’t look sick, but people have no idea how much I suffer with my stomach condition – and surprisingly, it is always worse in te mornings – sometimes, I am ill for four to five hours after I wake up. Yes, I have lost wieght from all this – I used to be a size 9, and am now a size 3, although obviously not by choice. In any event, I am trying the acidpholis right now, and let’s seehow it agrees with me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am always so hungry…what can I eat?? I miss being able to normally eat food and am tired of reading every ingredient on every label, it’s a terrible way to have to live. I have done years of research to try to help or manage my condition, all the natural way, but I am still at a loss for what to do. I just had oral surgery, and much to my horror, I was prescribed Cipro 500 afterwards…(haven’t taken it in 20 years)I took it for 4 days and am still violently sick from it a week later – it was supposed to have been a full 10-day cycle, but I knew and saw how it was affecting me, so I stopped it entirely…plus, I detest parmaceuticals, they are all awful in my opinion. Please give me advice for my health…what should I do to alleviate my condition and live a normal life? Thank you.
Hi Karla, just noticed you don’t have a reply on here. Have you tried juicing? It worked for me even though at first I was hesitant because fruit and vege irritated me. Keep the faith. Hope you are ok, Matt