Stevia, Agave, Honey or Splenda, Which Will You Choose?

As a certified colon therapist it is imperative that I educate my clients on what they put in their mouth for it all ends up in the colon.  Certain sweeteners can be quite harmful whereas a few can actually be beneficial.  Sugar feeds bad bacteria and yeast forms including fungus most commonly known as candida.  Candida is a normal resident in the colon in small quantities but it has a tendency to grow out of control if given the right climate.  Antibiotics and steroidal drugs will contribute to a lessening of beneficial bacteria allowing candida to get the upper hand.  Many people will have sweet cravings while on antibiotics or right after a course of antibiotics because the candida wants to be fed and it loves sugar. The more sugar the person eats, the more the candida grows which in turn can cause a host of health problems. Interestingly, stevia which is also found in Truvia, can help deter candida.  Its source is from a plant, ( I have grown it in my garden).  It looks much like a tall mint plant.  It is calorie free as is basil or thyme or any plant we like to use in our food.  There is no down side actually, in fact it is also safe for diabetics since it doesn't raise glucose levels.  

Agave is an interesting middle ground sweetener.  I have a recipe that Wholesome Sweeteners has on their website using raw agave.  
http://www.wholesomesweeteners.com/recipeitem/SEARCH_BY_WORD/healthy_chocolate_shake/968.html
If a person is battling candidiasis, agave is not for them because it can feed the candida as sugar does.  The benefit of agave over sugar is that it has a low glycemic index which means that in moderation it can be used by diabetics.  

Raw honey can feed candida if it is already a problem and it does not have a low glycemic index BUT it is great for allergies if purchased from a beekeeper in the sufferer's area.  I know this firsthand because my husband is a beekeeper. My clients with allergies have purchased it and swear by its benefits.  As for the outside of the body, it is a great antiseptic and can be used on wounds for healing.  Buyer beware though of funny honey!  Yes, you read right.  Only about 5 states in the US prevent stores and even the small street vendor from selling funny honey.  If you ever wondered why honey doesn't taste like it did when you were a kid well its because it's not real honey.  There is usually some honey in it but it is mostly made up of corn syrup, chemicals and preservatives.  When you taste the real thing again it will bring you back to those childhood days.  Real raw honey is delightful to the palate and varies greatly depending on where the beehives are placed.  My husband placed his amongst our 2 plus acres of perennial gardens.  Our bees have a flower feast.  It is fascinating to taste the four harvests in a year.  The color varies from very light yellow to amber depending on the flowers that were in bloom when the bees gathered the pollen.  As you taste it you can detect peonies, daffodils, rhododendron, irises, lilies, delphinium and many other flavors from mild to bold.  To taste such honey is like tasting fine wine.  A neat fact about real honey is that it is the only food that never spoils!

Artificial sweeteners such as Splenda do not raise blood sugar but the operative word here is artificial.  Should we be putting artificial anything in our bodies?  I have stressed this to those of my clients addicted to diet soft drinks.  After eliminating them from their diet they noticed headaches go away and energy improve.  As close to nature is always a better rule to live by.

Seniors Beware, Your Diet is Important

I have enjoyed helping people from age 5 to 95.  Seniors have many unique challenges.  My prospective for their diet has proven very helpful in improving their quality of life.  Talk to any senior about their discomforts and the subject of their unfortunate bowel habits will come up.  The colon is a muscle and as with other muscles in the body, when we get older they are not as strong.  Added to this is the lessening of mobility.  So it is vital for their diet to have plenty of natural fiber.  This will also help lesson diverticulosis which is so common with seniors and can become fatal.  Diverticulosis occurs when the muscle wall thins out from lack of fiber and the resultant sluggish colon allows for old stool to accumulate.  This in turn produces gas.  This gas puts pressure on the thinned out muscle wall and causes pockets to form.  When food gets into these pockets and gets infected the result is diverticulitis which can be deadly. 

Fiber can be enjoyable.  Fresh fruit, real (not canned) vegetables and whole grains are a must.  Besides being tasteless, canned vegetables have lost most of their vital nutrients including fiber.  No more white bread, white pasta or processed foods!  These are cheap foods but in the long run cost more dollars because of the expense of medications to counter-act the side affects caused by them.  These foods turn into a gooey sticky mess in the colon making them difficult to eliminate.  They also raise blood sugar whereas whole grains as a complex carbohydrate breakdown slower not usually causing a rise in blood sugar levels.  

We all love cheese.  Yet cheese is a slow processor in the colon and can cause constipation.  This is also true of red meat, i.e. beef, pork and lamb.  These should be eaten in moderation.

It is wise to incorporate Greek yogurt into the diet.  Besides being a good source of calcium and protein, yogurt has beneficial bacteria which is necessary for the colon to function properly.  In a healthy person the colon's wall has about 80% friendly bacteria versus 20% unfriendly.  This friendly bacteria is decreased with antibiotics and steroidal drugs, both commonly used by seniors.  Yet, if their diet is supplemented with beneficial bacteria their immune system will be better able to protect them from future infections.  This is how our bodies naturally defend itself from unwanted invaders such as viruses and infections. 

And let's not forget water, water, water!  Coffee is the mainstream in today's society yet it dehydrates the body including the colon causing harder, thus difficult to move stools.  Additionally, the caffeine in coffee is a stimulant just as ExLax is, thus causing the colon to become lazier and lazier as it becomes dependent on a stimulant to function.  So coffee should be consumed in moderation.  Juices, if the senior is not a diabetic, are also a good way to increase fluids. 

So eat to better health, not that you haven't heard that before.  The sooner these helpful hints are applied the faster the senior or anyone for that matter will feel relief. 

The New Prozac....Probiotics?

A new study done by researchers at UCLA revealed that the microbes in probiotics have shown mind-altering effects in helping individuals with anxiety and depression.  Here is an article about the study. 

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/are-probiotics-new-prozac

Is there anything that probiotics cannot do?  The list for probiotics’ benefits gets longer and longer.  Why should this surprise us when we are composed of trillions of these little guys?  

Dr. Michael Gershon coined the term, ‘the second brain’ in 1996 and published a book with the same name.  He says, “95 percent of the body's serotonin is housed in the gut, where it acts as a neurotransmitter and a signaling mechanism.” You can find more information about his research in the new field of neurogastroenterology at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/health/23gut.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  

People often take prescription selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) for depression.  The drug’s purpose is to increase levels of serotonin in the body.  Since 95% of the serotonin in our bodies is found in the gut, it’s not a stretch to understand why improving the health of the gut with beneficial bacteria will also help our mood and anxiety.  In a healthy gut 80% of the lining is made of beneficial bacteria. The value of taking daily probiotics is underscored for not only intestinal health and immune health but also for happiness health.  Now that’s something we can cheer about!

Please visit my site about Quintestinal Probiotics. One of it’s five strains of active microbes includes ProDURA™ Bacillus Coagulans.  ProDURA™ is a spore forming bacterium with a protective coating that stays dormant until it meets the perfect conditions of heat, pH, and moisture found in the large intestine. Unlike many cultures, it can survive extreme processing, shipping, storage as well as the natural challenges of the digestive tract.

http://www.alohacolonics.com/quintestinal-probiotics.html

A Child Renewed

The gift of being able to change a person’s life through one’s abilities is truly the most rewarding.  I feel very privileged to have the career that I do.  One of the most remarkable individuals that I have been able to help is Mostyn.  He was 7 years old when he first came to me.  Mostyn had been seeing a Pediatric Urologist as well as a Pediatrician.  He suffered from bladder spasms causing him to have great difficulty holding his urine.  Tests showed that he wasn’t able to empty his bladder completely.  School was a challenge for Mostyn for fear of embarrassment.  He also suffered from chronic constipation.  Any stools he had were the size of a pea.  X-rays showed that he was impacted throughout the colon pushing under the ribs.  The constipation caused Mostyn chronic cramping.  He was on Miralax for the constipation with no benefit as well as two prescriptions for the bladder urgency with little improvement as well.  Add to all of this he had no energy.  After school he was very tired and would just plop on the couch.  By 6:30 he was asleep yet he would wake up still tired.  His parents were greatly frustrated.   

A friend of Mostyn’s grandfather was a client of mine and suggested seeing me.  Although the trip was nearly 2 hours his mother was quick to bring him to me in hopes of getting some relief.  The first colonic was successful in eliminating quite a large amount of hard stools and loads of gas.  Relief from suffering was already in the making!  Six days later I saw Mostyn for his second colonic.  His mother reported that he had not complained of any abdominal pain that week and that she had decided to take him off of the Miralax. She was giving him my privately owned probiotic, Quintestinal, twice a day to restore the friendly bacteria in his intestines.  The colonic was again productive and when he returned a third time, a week later, his mother reported that he was having daily bowel movements as well as more energy and a good appetite.  His father was so amazed by the energy of his son that he came for the next colonic to check out what was making such a difference.  He had been under the assumption that his third son’s nature was that of a couch potato.  Now Mostyn was getting up from bed before the rest of the family with boundless energy.  Soon after this appointment, Mostyn’s bladder urgency was gone.  

Before having colonics Mostyn had been scheduled for a follow up x-ray and ultrasound by his two doctors.  That time had come.  Would there be any difference?  Yes, greatly!  Both doctors were amazed.  Mostyn’s colon was clear of any impaction.  Gas pockets were gone.  One doctor wouldn’t accept the value of the colonics when Mostyn’s mother told her what they had done.  This was despite the obvious improvement seen on x-ray.  So sad!  On the other hand, the other doctor was thrilled and took Mostyn off of all the prescriptions noting that Mostyn was not having the urination urgency as before and he looked so much better.  She asked multiple questions about colonics and wondered if they would assist her mother who was suffering from IBS.  She was indeed impressed!

Mostyn had always been a delight for me when he came for a colonic.  I loved his courage and enthusiasm.  I watched his personality become more alive as his health improved but I was unaware of his dreams until a year later.  Mostyn wanted desperately to swim and so he had joined the swim team at school but to no avail.  Every time he got into the pool he would succumb to abdominal cramping or felt the urge to urinate so he would have to stop.  This all changed once he had colonics.  He tried again and to the amazement of his school he was the fastest swimmer they had ever had!  He loves to swim!  So do I, so I can relate, but not to his abilities.  Within a year he was contacted by a traveling independent swim team to swim for them.  His speed had been noticed.  He has continued to excel in swimming to the point that at 10 years old he competes only against high schoolers and almost always comes in first.  This includes 18 year olds that are at least 30% taller than him!  He has great endurance too.  He recently did a swim marathon against high schoolers and was the last ‘man’ standing after swimming for nearly two hours!  His future goal, you guessed it, he wants to beat Michael Phelps’ records.  He says he wakes up everyday with that dream.  You go Mostyn!  I am so proud of you!

Yes, it truly is a privilege to be able to change someone’s life and make such a difference.  I am very grateful to have this opportunity to help people.  In addition, I often develop a bond with my clients that is very endearing.  Many people would say that my choice of living is very peculiar but no, it is quite the opposite.  How many individuals can say they feel such satisfaction with their career as I do?  There is definitely more happiness in giving than receiving. 

Just Ask Madison!

I would like to share an experience that I found both funny and very encouraging.

When I first met Madison she was 10 years old.  She is a very intelligent and caring child, truly a delight to know.  She came to my office because she suffered from constant abdominal pain, constipation, (the last time she had a bowel movement was a week prior), as well as she was always tired.  Being always tired at 10 years old is definitely not fair!  I explained the importance of eating good healthy fiber from food to her and her mother, i.e. fruits, vegetables and whole grains as well as drinking water regularly. After the second colonic her bowels were eliminating daily but it was evident that we were not quite finished since she still had plenty of gas, a sign of old putrefied waste.  A few more colonics and she were feeling excellent, both with her abdomen and her energy.  It was wonderful to watch her already sparkling personality really come alive!  Typically, after we reach this point I recommend for a future follow-up colonic since it is not uncommon for the colon to try to go back to old bad habits and in this way the colonic will help encourage healthy peristalsis to continue.  She was scheduled for a 2-month follow-up.  During this two month time period her mother, Tracy, decided to see me.  She had suffered for years with IBS, (irritable bowel syndrome).  We had made some good progress with Tracy during this time and she had considerable relief.  

For quite awhile Madison had planned a weeklong trip across country with her girls scout troop.  Her mother was one of the chaperones.  One can only imagine the kinds of food that would be eaten on such a trip.  As coincidence would have it though, Madison’s two-month follow-up colonic with me was just two days after they returned.  As Madison and her mother walked in my office I heard quite a bit of commotion.  Tracy was begging her daughter for her appointment.  Madison’s firm reply was, “No way mom, I’m keeping my appointment, you make your own.”  And so Madison had her colonic. 

Many people would think that having a colonic would be horrible, obnoxious, embarrassing, and probably many other things.  Well I think this story dispels all of that.  Just ask Madison!  

Colon Therapy...Our Day Will Come!

In the nearly 24 years I have been a colon therapist I have watched my profession treated positively and negatively off and on. I am always glad to respond to clients and potential clients regarding negative feedback they have heard.  The negative ideas are easy to explain away because they have no basis.  If a person wanted to learn about jet engines would they go to a english teacher to learn?  Of course not!  So to learn about what colon therapists do, one needs to go to a colon therapist to learn.  A phone call can dispel any misconceptions and allay any fears.  It is encouraging that many physicians are not as opposed as they once were towards colon therapy.  Hopefully they will continue to learn the facts behind what we accomplish.  It is also encouraging that four hospitals in the US are now implementing colon therapy prior to performing colonoscopies.  Here is a YouTube video showing one of these hospitals. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeWjxHspRKs&feature=player_embedded

Yet we have a long way to go.  Colon therapy is not given the recognition it deserves.  Some claim that there is no documental proof.  I have often said I wish they would knock at my door and ask about what colon therapy has done for the people I have helped.  Many of my clients have told me of their own accord that they want to share their story of renewed health to back up the benefits of colon therapy.  Well, I am happy to announce that that day may soon come.  Recently I was contacted by a film producer, Julie Tyle, about a film she is producing for the very reason I have outlined in this blog.  Hurray Julie!!  She has been compiling accounts of clients as well as interviewing physicians from all over the country for the last 18 months.  These include GI specialists at Mayo Clinic and elsewhere.  She has also interviewed doctors from other fields including a holistic dentist that has proof of the validity of colon therapy as well as renowned scientists.  And yes....she interviewed me and two of my clients, one an 11 year old boy and his mother.  I will tell his story in a future blog to come soon.  I can’t thank Julie Tyler enough for the tireless hours she has put into this much needed endeavor. The film will take many more months to put together cohesively.  We will wait patiently for that day when the public can get the whole story as it deserves!  You can learn more about the film at:   http://colonicsthemovie.com/?page_id=164.  For more details click on Newsletters on the top of the page. Please check it out!

Thank you as always for reading.

Gailla Deiters

PROBIOTICS UNCOVERED!

Probiotics, (meaning: for life) are common in health food stores, drug stores, grocery stores and even Wal-Mart in recent years.  But this was not always the case.  Two decades ago only health food stores carried them and an occasional grocery store in liquid form in the dairy section.  The average person had no idea what they were.  I remember many years ago explaining to my clients the value of taking probiotics while many of them displayed a confused face as to what in the world I was talking about.  You can imagine the faces I would get as I continued to explain that they were living microorganisms, good bacteria and that they should ingest these living things!  Nowadays most of my clients are familiar with probiotics.  This is no surprise in view of the extensive advertising that is common in magazines, newspapers, the Internet and on television.  With all of this advertising how is a consumer to know which one to choose?  This is especially an issue for probiotics since they need to be alive to be of benefit to the individual.  As a colon therapist it is most important that I direct my client to probiotics that are known for their stability and potency.  For the colon to function properly it needs a proper balance of approximately 80% beneficial (friendly) bacteria to 20% bad (unfriendly) bacteria.  The beneficial bacteria is a major component of our immune system since they fight against viruses, fungus, bad bacteria, parasites and carcinogens constantly and by doing so they accomplish 70% of our immune system fight in the healthy individual.  Sadly, antibiotics, steroidal drugs, a poor diet, constipation and even stress can destroy some of this much needed beneficial bacteria.  During the course of a colonic, some of this bad bacteria is removed from the body.  It is imperative that friendly bacteria, probiotics, are reintroduced into the body orally with the aim of adjusting the ratio of friendly to unfriendly bacteria closer to the 80%- 20% ratio of a healthy person.  

So there is the dilemma.  When I first started as a colon therapist I was naïve to the claims made by supplement companies and so I tended to believe that what was written on the bottle as to its contents was truly in the bottle.  My ignorance was blown to bits with a discovery that became deeper and deeper.  It turned everything I believed upside down.  And so I will now tell the story that has changed my viewpoint about a lot of things.

It started about 16 years ago with a client named Tom who showed me a flyer he had received from his health food store about probiotics that claimed to be far superior to other probiotics on the market.  It claimed that instead of centrifuging, (spinning at high speed) the bacteria from its growing medium, they used a method employing ultraviolet light so that the short chain fatty acids were not destroyed in the process.  It also claimed a unique oil matrix system to protect the viable bacteria from stomach acid for better delivery to the intestines.  Although I was happy with the probiotics I carried in my office I felt that I shouldn’t be closed-minded and so I did research on the matter.  I contacted the company that produced the probiotics and mentioned that I was a colon therapist.  They quickly sent me a book about probiotics.  I learned later that this same book was being given free at health food stores.  As I read the book I came across a disturbing paragraph.  The writer said that after extensive research on several probiotics on the market they found that all of the products except for one failed in their claims of potency.  I was especially shocked when the book mentioned the company I used and said that it didn’t refrigerate their product after manufacturing.  The book even said that the company didn’t have refrigeration units on site.  This information shocked me.  I knew that to keep probiotics viable they have to be refrigerated.  They can withstand a few days without refrigeration if the bottle is tightly closed and kept out of direct sunlight or heat.  After a few days out of refrigeration they start to lose their potency.  I had to call the company and ask about this.  I had to know the truth!  What came next changed my life and became my most career-altering moment as a colon therapist.

The company decided to arrange a three party call at some time in the near future with the famous scientist, Dr. Khem Shahani, the developer and manufacturer of their probiotics.  This was very exciting for me.  Dr. Shahani had written over 200 articles that were peer-reviewed and published about beneficial bacteria.  He also served as an expert panelist for the World Health Organization for 14 years.  Additionally he had received numerous awards worldwide for his work.  He is accredited for the discovery of the DDS-1 strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus. (Not to be confused with DDS).  Interestingly, the book that started me on this search even refers to Dr. Shahani as an expert in the scientific community.  In fact, about a third of the way through the book the writer states, “ The name Dr. Khem Shahani has by now cropped up a sufficient number of times for you to realize his enormous research contribution to our knowledge of the friendly bacteria.”  Yet this very same book denounced the probiotic I carried which was produced under his supervision.

For more information about Dr. Shahani please go to the link below.

http://www.nebraskacultures.com/htmls/dr_shahani.html 

In this upcoming conversation I would be allowed to ask Dr. Shahani ANY questions that I wanted!  I had ten days to figure out the questions.  I wanted every one to count.  I wrote them all down in anticipation.  The obvious initial questions would be about the probiotics I was using and the claims made by the book I had read.  He was the actual producer of the probiotics I used as well as the producer of many other privately labeled probiotics for other companies, each having their own unique blend.

Our first conversation lasted 45 minutes long with the company I was doing business with on the phone line as well.  Dr. Shahani was a well-mannered gentleman.  He would kindly answer my questions one by one.  When I mentioned the book, he said that he had received a copy from the writer since she had been one of his students, but he had not had the time to read it since he was working on finishing one of his own books.  When I read the paragraph that was so disturbing to me from the book, he was clearly taken aback.  He told me that when the writer was his student she often essayed the very product that I carried in his lab before she graduated as a scientist.  Dr. Shahani was disturbed that she would write in this publication information that she knew personally was not so.  To add to this, she owned the very company that produced the probiotics that she said in her book was the only one that tested accurately, yet she never discloses this in her book.  How deceitful!

Dr. Shahani decided to have independent scientists from several companies essay her probiotics.  The results were very poor.  In fact, one scientist from Switzerland said that it tested like a potato chip.  This I learned on a subsequent discussion over the phone.  I also learned that the statement made on the brochure I had received claiming that centrifuging the bacteria from its growing medium caused the short chain fatty acids to be destroyed, was not supported by any scientific data.  Additionally, when the writer was confronted at a scientific convention about the data to support her claims about using ultraviolet light instead of centrifuging, she would not produce any data to her peers for a peer-reviewed study.

Over the course of several years I had many interesting conversations with Dr. Shahani.  I would always have a pen and paper ready to write down any new gems I would learn.  Dr. Shahani had given me his home and office numbers on that first call so that I could freely call him with questions.  I spoke to his courteous wife on several occasions and we would exchange family information with each other.  He traveled extensively all over the world giving lectures at scientific conventions and would occasionally call me from an airport somewhere in the world just to chat a bit when he had some extra time.  He told me from the start that he enjoyed my thirst for knowledge.  I felt especially privileged when he came for a visit to meet me since he had flown into an airport an hour away.  I learned so much in those years.

Approximately one year after our initial conversation, Dr. Shahani called me with some unsettling information.  I was to keep it confidential, so I have not disclosed any of the companies I mentioned above.  He told me that the company that distributed his probiotics to me, the one that had put me in contact with him in the beginning, had not paid a large sum of money that they owed to him and for the last 6 months had been filling their bottles with probiotics from a company in Canada instead of using his proven DDS-1 strain.  Despite this, their label read the same, that it was Dr. Shahani’s product.  This explained a quandary I had been having.  One of my clients used my probiotics for her 16-year-old son for his acne.  The acne had disappeared for a year but in recent months his acne had returned despite faithfully taking the probiotics as before.  Additionally, I was not having the same success with my clients, especially those with pronounced colon problems, as I had before, but I had not understood why.  Now I learned that the probiotics I was using in my office for the last 6 months was not at all the same product I was using for many years prior and what was labeled on the bottle was not at all in the bottle!  Not long after I learned this information, the company from Canada that produced the probiotics went bankrupt and the initial company that distributed them to me was bought out and went under a different name.  Such greed and dishonesty!  But now who could I trust, what would I do since I was so dependant on my clients having quality probiotics?  Everyway I turned there was no integrity but greed instead.

Dr. Shahani knew my concern and so he surprised me with the privilege to carry my own privately labeled probiotics, which I named Quintestinal.  I would be by far the smallest company that he did business with.  We worked together in developing a unique product, one that would greatly benefit my typical client.  He put together the appropriate quantities of each of the five strains of microorganisms for the formulation.  Since then I have no worries about the probiotics I carry in my office for the health of my clients.  Additionally many doctors, chiropractors and osteopaths, naturopaths and other therapists sell my probiotics in their offices.  I feel so honored that Dr. Shahani has provided this option for me and since his death, his son, Michael, has carried on his wishes.

I learned so much from Dr. Shahani, a true wealth of knowledge that would benefit my work for years to come.  He explained the many different strains of bacteria and how each benefits the body in its own unique way.  He taught me that the word, acidophilus, means acid loving and so a high potency product could survive stomach acid and remain intact as it enters the small and large intestines.  Many companies direct their consumers to take their probiotics on an empty stomach with the concept that less acid in the stomach allows for better survival into the intestines.  Dr. Shahani explained that just thinking about food creates more acid in the stomach and that in actuality all living things need food, warmth and water to survive.  Since probiotics are living microorganisms they do best when taken with food to make them stronger.  Although some may not survive the stomach acid, if a person took high potency probiotics, the strongest strains in the product would survive and do very well in the body and would have strength to proliferate.  In those years the average probiotics product on the market had strengths in the millions, now many claim strengths in the high billions.  Dr. Shahani’s probiotics have always measured in the billions.  His was also one of the few that contained multiple strains of bacteria.  At that time most companies claimed that having several bacteria in the product would cause them to compete against one another.  Dr. Shahani explained that the bacteria are different from one another just as people are different from one another yet in most situations people have learned to live peacefully together.  The same is true with the multiple bacteria.  We have thousands of friendly bacteria in our bodies, and although at times there may be a little war, for the most part they live harmoniously with one another just as people do.  Interestingly, today it is rare to find a singular bacteria probiotics on the market.  Some even have extraordinary lists of different bacteria.  With such a list one has to wonder as to how much of each could really be in the bottle to be of any benefit.

Dr. Shahani also explained that the live activity of the microorganisms would burn themselves out over time and so to keep the probiotics alive, refrigeration was necessary to put them in ‘suspended animation.’  He always had an interesting way of explaining things.  With the many products on the market came claims of ridiculously high potency and many claimed no need to refrigerate their probiotics.  Dr. Shahani told me in one of our latter conversations that all of the laboratory studies he had done along with his colleagues showed that probiotics do lose their potency over time and become dead and therefore useless.  So why are non-refrigerated products becoming more and more popular?  We return to what I learned in the early years with Dr. Shahani, greed.  The consumer typically trusts that what a company says is in the bottle is truly in the bottle.  I learned that is not always the case.  Refrigeration costs money, not just the units but also the electricity to run them.  Think of the refrigeration needed by a company for its probiotics before they are shipped to the different suppliers.  That spells big bucks.  Now think of the refrigeration needed by professionals and health food stores, etc.  Again, more bucks.  This is why you will never see refrigerated probiotics at Wal-Mart.  When I am shipped my probiotics from Nebraska Cultures they are sent over night.  This too is very costly.  I as the provider pay the freight.  I am charged only what Nebraska Cultures is charged, no extra fee for their handling.  One of my larger shipments was in the summer and was sent Fed-Ex Priority Over Night, the quickest shipping process.  That shipment cost me $945!  Yep, you read right, and that doesn’t include my refrigeration units or the electricity to run them.  So I have reason to have confidence in the quality of the probiotics, Quintestinal, the one my clients take.  The results I get with them prove this as well.  

A well-known supplement company, Kyolic, recently had a full-page ad in a magazine called Natural Solutions.  Let me quote what it says as to why they don’t use refrigeration for their probiotics,  “If you’re getting your probiotics (like acidophilus) from the refrigerated section, you might want to reconsider.  Moisture’s the main enemy of probiotics, not heat.  When probiotics are refrigerated, condensation develops, killing these beneficial bacteria.  Keeping what’s inside the bottle dry helps keep the probiotics alive.”  Yes, moisture will destroy beneficial bacteria but this company believes consumers are idiots.  When was the last time you opened a bottle or jar in the fridge and found droplets of water in it?  If the lid is on properly it doesn’t happen.  This statement is ridiculous!  I carry my probiotics Quintestinal in powder form as well as capsules.  In all of the years I have carried it I have NEVER opened a bottle and found any condensation in it.  In fact I could take a bottle of powder Quintestinal and pour it out like fine sand without a single lump if I wanted to.  The real issue is that this company doesn’t want the expense of refrigeration for their product and by this statement they will also lure their suppliers to carry it without the need for them to have to pay for refrigeration.  Clever, huh?  This is another example of a company making claims that have truth to them but putting a twist on it to fool the public into purchasing their product. 

A client told me yesterday that she received an ad by e-mail from a well-known multi-level marketing company, Shaklee, about the probiotics that they carry.  It claims that its non-refrigerated probiotics is the ONLY one that has live bacteria in it.  Here is another ridiculous claim.  Seriously, have they tested ALL of the probiotics available?  There are many good probiotics products out there.  The consumer needs to be aware of such outrageous claims.

In the July 2005 Consumer Reports magazine, a non-biased magazine that allows no advertising, there was an article about probiotics.  This is one of the conclusions they made after their extensive testing process.  “At testing time, 4 of the 14 pill products had no more than half of their claimed number of probiotics, on average. For example, Origin Acidophilus, sold at Target, claimed to have more than 100 million CFUs per serving when produced, but our sample had 20 million. Three of the four liquid supplements listed bacterial count but fell far short of those numbers when we tested.”

So what does a consumer do?  I have found that the most expensive products are the most advertised and usually don’t have the bacteria count they claim according to independent laboratories.  Guess who pays for all of that advertising?  So my advice is to go to your trusted professional or local health food store.  Look in the refrigerated probiotics section and most often you are safe with a mid-range price product.  Make sure it measures the bacteria in CFU’s, not mgs.  It is also best if it identifies the strain of L. acidophilus, usually the most prominent bacteria in probiotics, because it is responsible for producing many more other forms of bacteria once it implants in your intestines.

What about yogurt probiotics such as Activia?  Good quality yogurts such as Mountain High and Stony Field Farms as well as numerous Greek yogurts like Faga, my personal favorite, have valuable cultures of beneficial bacteria.  The advertising campaign of Dannon’s Activia has been very successful but it has also caused a lawsuit that began in 2008.  In part this is what it was about, “The lawsuit against Dannon says that even their own studies failed to prove that Activia has health benefits superior to other brands of yogurt. Yet, Dannon has stated these yogurts were proven “clinically” and “scientifically” to have health benefits. In the lawsuit, it is mentioned that Dannon charges about 30% more for the Activia and DanActive yogurt lines than other yogurts.”  So there you have it, more false misrepresentation.  Additionally, Activia has refined sugar in it. This feeds unfriendly bacteria and any candida (a yeast form) in the intestines.  This would be counter-productive to its purpose of raising the beneficial bacteria in the intestines to attain a higher ratio of good verses bad bacteria.

Taking a daily probiotics supplement has benefits that extend far beyond helping our digestive tract.  I remember a physician's report on CNN a few years ago at the beginning of flu season.  Instead of recommending the typical vitamin C, garlic or Echinacea he stated that probiotics are a person's best defense. The physician  continued by saying what I have been telling my clients for decades, that 70% of our immune system function comes from the friendly bacteria lining our gut wall.  Taking probiotics will increase this fight making one better protected for the flu season.  Kudos to CNN!

UPDATE OCT. 15, 2018:
As years have passed since the writing of this blog science has made many  advancements.  This is very true of probiotics as well.  With our decades of experience we have had the ability to ascertain which products work and which do not.  To guarantee that our clients get the best possible probiotic available we have carried our own private label for 25 years.  With advances in science we have also made advances in the probiotics we offer.  As the consumer you can be assured that Quintessential guarantees genetically identified strains with clinical research that back benefits to our health.  Also guaranteed is the potency per dose through the date of expiration based on proper storage.  Quintessential has been certified by NSF and given the GMP seal.