Category Archives: Saccharomyces boulardii

Colostrum Plus, Oxy-Powder, Saccharomyces boulardii, Ulcerative colitis, Ulcerative colitis treatment

Tackling ulcerative colitis: the role of probiotics and supplements

For many of us, mercifully, an upset tummy – or unhappy digestive system – isn’t a regular occurrence and more an uncomfortable irritation that sets us back a little when it occurs. For others, however, it’s a far bigger deal; it can be an unpleasant, painful and frequent experience that leaves them feeling debilitated on a regular basis. In some cases, such people may be suffering from what’s known as ulcerative colitis (UC), which on occasions, along with the different but related Crohn’s disease, is referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)1.

Symptoms-wise, ulcerative colitis is far from fun. Recurring diarrhoea, possibly containing blood, mucus or pus, as well as abdominal pain and the urge to empty your bowels more than you’d wish are very common; sometimes people suffer heavy fatigue and appetite and weight loss too1. Why do these things happen? Well, Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition (its symptoms can be very frequent but equally not, as it goes into remission and comes back).

It’s caused by the colon (the gut or small intestine) and the rectum become inflamed. This sees small ulcers forming on the lining of the colon, which often bleed and produce pus1. The reasons why this happens are debated by experts, but it’s commonly held that the condition’s autoimmune-related – the thinking goes that the immune system confuses harmless bacteria in the gut for harmful organisms and, thus, attacks the colon’s tissue1.

Ulcerative Colitis Treatment

Owing to the relatively widespread nature of UC – there’s a reported 900,000 sufferers in the United States alone2 – treatment for the condition is nowadays available in all different kinds, shapes and sizes. Some of these forms of treatment are pretty obvious; others less so. Here are those worthy of note:

  •  Medication – as you’d expect, prescribed drugs are one of the most prevalent UC treatments and often they’re corticosteroids, but it depends on the condition’s severity and how the sufferer responds; in fact, after a year’s worth of medication treatment, around one third (30%) of patients experience remission3,
  •  Surgery – for non-responsive sufferers, surgery is common and may involve two- or three-stage procedures; indeed, recent research suggests that three-stage surgery may not actually be as safe as was originally believed
  •  Acupuncture – moxibustion (heating an acupuncture site) in addition to treatment via a traditional UC drug has apparently shown good results of late, while a study found that use of the Kuijiening plaster, again in addition to medication, appears to be better than taking the medication on its own
  •  Probiotics and other supplements – finally, naturally-derived supplementation is gaining more and more attention as a UC treatment8 and rightly so, as results of probiotics and other ulcerative colitis supplements look favorable9; the following, as well as many more, are all available viaThe Finchley Clinic and come highly advised among our customers for promoting improved bowel health and treating the symptoms of ulcerative colitis:

Saccharomyces boulardiiSaccharomyces Boulardii – a probiotic that may support good bowel health, comfort and function; also recognised as the number one probiotic for managing diarrhoea.

 

Oxy Powder 120 capsulesOxy-Powder – designed for optimum colon health via helping to cleanse and oxygenate the intestines.

 

Colostrum PlusColostrum Plus – a supplement that promotes digestive health, tackles inflammatory problems and supports the immune system.

 

References:

1. ‘Ulcerative colitis’. NHS Choices. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ulcerative-colitis/Pages/Introduction.aspx. Last reviewed: 17 Mar 2016.

2. Manfred E. ‘True Stories: Living with Ulcerative Colitis’. Health Line. http://www.healthline.com/health/ulcerative-colitis-take-control-true-stories. Last reviewed: 15 Feb 2017.

3. Mehta S. J., Silver A. R. and Lindsay J. O. ‘Review article: strategies for the management of chronic unremitting ulcerative colitis’. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 38 (2): 77-97. doi: 10.1111/apt.12345. July 2013.

4. Reinisch W., Sandborn W. J., Panaccione R., Huang B., Pollack P. F., Lazar A. and Thakkar R. B. ‘52-week efficacy of adalimumab in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who failed corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants’. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 19 (8): 1700-9. doi: 10.1097/MIB.0b013e318281f2b7. July 2013.

5. Hicks C. W., Hodin R. A. and Bordeianou L. ‘Possible overuse of 3-stage procedures for active ulcerative colitis’. JAMA Surg. 148 (7): 658-64. doi: 10.1001/2013.jamasurg.325. July 2013.

6. Zhang L. C., Zhang S., Zhong W., Long J. X., Li X. N. and Chen L. S. ‘Observation on clinical effect of ZHUANG medicine mediated thread moxibustion combined with medication for patients with ulcerative colitis’. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 38 (5): 399-402. Oct 2013.

7. Huang L., Cai Z., Zhu Y. and Wan H. ‘Treatment of ulcerative colitis with spleen and kidney yang deficiency by kuijiening plaster: a randomized controlled study’. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 33 (7): 577-81. July 2013.

8. Kruis W. ‘Probiotics’. Dig Dis. 31 (3-4): 385-7. doi: 10.1159/000354706. 14 Nov 2013.

9. De Greef E., Vandenplas Y., Hauser B., Devreker T. and Veereman-Wauters G. ‘Probiotics and IBD’. Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 76 (1): 15-9. Mar 2013.

Bio-Kult Pro-Cyan, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Latero-Flora, Saccharomyces boulardii

Bad triggers and good habits: dietary tips for living with IBS

Do you find you get constipation, bloating, diarrhoea or abdominal pain – or even all four – more often than you assume is normal? If so, there’s a chance you may have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In fact, given it’s something of an umbrella-like gastrointestinal complaint, the likelihood is a good number of people suffer from it without even realising.

Indeed, statistics suggest IBS occurs more often in women than men and, as far as we know, it affects 10-15% of the population of the United States alone1. However, sufferers shouldn’t despair because in an effort to control – or even to try and prevent – flare-ups of symptoms (or ‘triggers’) there are things they can do to help ensure the condition doesn’t dominate their lives. Many of these take the form of lifestyle adjustments and a good number of them concern what we put in our bodies; in other words, diet.

In practice, as you might expect, no single experience of IBS is the same for every sufferer, but a number of the dietary triggers can be, so it’s important to be aware of them.

Dietary triggers

Two of the most painful – and common – IBS symptoms are constipation and diarrhoea. Specifically to prevent constipation, be mindful to limit or avoid eating/ drinking trigger-foods such as:

  • processed foods – including snacks like crisps and pastries like cookies
  • breads and cereals derived from refined (non-whole) grains
  • dairy foods – especially cheeses
  • alcohol, carbonated drinks and coffee

Meanwhile, to prevent IBS-related diarrhoea specifically, be mindful not to overdo how much you eat each meal and try to limit or avoid consuming trigger-foods such as:

  • gassy foods like beans, Brussels sprouts, celery, raisins and wheat germ
  • food rich in insoluble fibre, for instance fruit and vegetable skin
  • alcohol, caffeinated drinks, chocolate and foods containing fructose or sorbitol
  • fried and fatty food
  • dairy products – especially if you’re lactose intolerant
  • wheat (if you don’t react well to gluten)

Good dietary habits

Conversely, there are several things you can try and make part of your regular diet that can prevent flare-ups and even soothe an IBS-afflicted gut and intestinal system:

  • probiotic-rich fermented foods – one of the ways you might find relief from IBS is to create strong probiotic colonies in your gut, especially if you’re having to cut dairy out of your diet; turning to fermented food with high levels of probiotics is one way, while another is to seek out probiotic supplements
  • organic green beans – a good source of soluble fibre
  • organic raw honey – a fine natural sweetener to replace refined sugar in your diet
  • coconut milk – for those with lactose intolerance especially, replacing cow’s milk with coconut milk can yield significantly positive results; other organic alternatives you might look to could be hemp milk, rice milk or sunflower milk
  • egg whites – unlike yolks, whites are relatively easy to digest and not high in fat
  • green tea – why not give it a go in place of heavily caffeinated and carbonated drinks?
  • lemon juice – offers great nutritional value to the liver and has digestive cleansing properties, plus offers a nice flavour when added to water
  • organic brown rice – far more nutritious and thus better for the gut than white rice; it also contains soluble fibre thus it works to encourage normal bowel function

IBS supplements

As mentioned above, to get your necessary fill of good bacteria toting-probiotics, an excellent source is via supplementation. The following – and more – are all available through The Finchley Clinic and are highly recommended by our customers:

bio-kult-120-capsules

Bio-Kult (120, 60 and 30 capsules) – helps to balance the gastrointestinal system against pathogenic, harmful organisms by introducing 14 beneficial probiotic bacteria into the gut; may aid sufferers of candida, gut dysbiosis and post-antibiotic diarrhoea as well as IBS

latero-flora-60-capsules

Latero-Flora (60 capsules) – contains a unique strain of Bacillus laterosporus, a naturally occurring bacteria whose introduction to the gut may maintain a healthy colon, especially in the face of IBS

optibac-probiotics-for-bowel-calm

Saccharomyces boulardii (formerly OptiBac Probiotics For bowel calm) (80, 16 and 8 capusles) – an acclaimed probiotic that naturally helps support bowel health, control and function during diarrhoea episodes; we advise IBS sufferers to take 1 capsule daily

Reference

1. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. ‘Definition and Facts for Irritable Bowel Syndrome’. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases.