We recently received this reader question and it was so good that I just had to share it with you in case anyone had a similar question. It is reading:
Hi Guys. I had an ileostomy that will be reversed in a couple of months so I don’t have a functioning colon at the moment. But now I want to start with sodium probiotics. I’ve read that Megadophilus (Step 1) is good for the small intestine, Bifido Factor (Step 2) is good for the colon, and Digesta-LAC (Step 3) is good for the entire digestive system. Should I skip step 2 now?
I’ve now increased my dose from step 1 to about half a teaspoon. Should I go straight to step 3? Since Step 3 is in capsule form, should I then take 1 capsule or break it open and take a pinch and build up the dose? Any help is appreciated.
Now we have a probiotic cheat sheet for you to refer to – but you know I had to reach out to the Natren team directly to get their expertise on the matter! You were kind enough to come back with this detailed answer:
Thank you for reaching out to us with some suggestions. I would continue to use the Megadophilus ½ teaspoon once a day to support the small intestine. You can add the Bulgaricus (step 3) along with the Megadophilus. One capsule is the equivalent of half a teaspoon of loose powder, so you can use the entire capsule if you want.
Hold out Step 2 Bifido Factor until the ileostomy is reversed. At this time I might suggest starting with the bifidus infantis. It’s a mild strain that we use for babies or for people who are recovering from surgery and who may be sensitive.
Also, as I mentioned in some of my previous blog posts about probiotics, if you are starting out with the infant bacterial species B. infantis for the first time, I recommend that you gradually work your way up to the adult species such as L. acidophilus, B. before Bifidus and L. bulgaricus. Some people find soda to be TOO strong so they have to gradually work their way up to tolerance.
Here are the target points for each strain of bacteria:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus: NAS super strain, designed to optimize beneficial activity in the small intestine
- Bifidobacterium bifidum: Malyoth super strain to support colon function
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus: LB-51 super strain used to monitor transient flora, which makes up 40 percent of the dry matter fecal matter. Active in the small and large intestines.
We don’t have a lot of information about ileostomies other than this blog post, so this was a great question – and the answer is a great resource for anyone else who has had an ileostomy and wondering which probiotics are best for their gut. Thank you Natren team!
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in naturopathic treatments for digestive diseases. She healed herself from the widespread Crohn’s disease and has been drug and surgery free for over 20 years. Appeared on numerous podcast, television and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, Jini gives people hope and visions on how to cure colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in all natural methods. Her books on natural digestive disease cures have been sold in over 80 countries around the world.
