Probiotics and GERD

I though this story may be of interest to some of you, and it may relate to afib since GERD seems to be a trigger for some.

Although not a big problem for me, I felt I should take some probiotics to help with my regularity. I started with Phillip's Colon Health and saw no change. After a routine physical, I asked my Dr. about this issue and he said that Align was the best probiotic.

After taking Align for a week or so, I began having bouts with GERD, but I did not connect it to the Align. After trying some over the counter meds to control the gastric reflux with little improvement, I saw a Gastroenterologist for a endoscopy, which found nothing. He prescribed Aciphex which worked. When I stopped the Aciphex, the GERD returned.

I won't go into the sequence or the process of deduction regarding how I figured it all out, but there is NO doubt that the Align was the cause of the GERD. Had I initially paid more attention to the warning information that came with the Align, I could have saved myself a lot of time, discomfort and expense.

No more probiotics or acid reducers for me and no more GERD.

Ken - A consideration may be the brand of the probiotic you experimented with and the extra (unnecessary) ingredients included in the formulation. See below two typical high-quality probiotics compared to Align.

I’ve used both with no gastric distress. In fact, in all my many years of using probiotics, I’ve never experienced a gastric problem. As we say, we are all different but often fillers and other extraneous chemicals add to stomach distress. The most important issue would be the quality of the probiotic or viability... if most are inactive even before consumption, then there will be no benefit and a total waste of money. There are a lot of brands out there that fall short of being effective.

Probiotics are an important part of intestinal health and overall health since over 70% of the immune system lies in the GI tissue.

Jackie


Align
Probiotic strain: Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), 1 x 109 colony-forming units (1 billion) (4 mg), microcrystalline cellulose (for even dispersal of cultures), hypromellose (vegetarian capsule shell), sugar, magnesium stearate (for even dispersal of cultures), milk protein,† titanium dioxide, sodium citrate dihydrate, propyl gallate (antioxidant stabilizer), FD&C blue #1, riboflavin (colorant)
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Jarrow-Dophilus EPS
Probiotic Bacteria Blend (8 Strains) 5billion organisms
L.rhamnosus R0011

Pediococcus Acidilactici R1001

B. Longum BB536 (Morinaga Strain)

B.breve R0070 (7.7%)

L.acidophilus R0052*

L.casei R0215

L.Plantarum R1012

Lactococcus Lactis Ssp. R01058

† Daily Value not established.

* Recently reclassified as L. Helveticus R0052

Other Ingredients:
Potato Starch, Magnesium Stearate (Vegetable Source), And Ascorbic Acid.
Contains:
Soy (Less Than 0.1%) And Milk (Casein, Less Than 0.01%).
No Wheat, No Gluten, No Egg, No Fish/shellfish, No Peanuts/tree Nuts.
Vegetarian Capsule Consists Of Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose And An Aqueous-Based Enteric Coating.
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TheraBiotic Complete
Serving Size 1 Capsule

Amount Per Capsule % Daily Valuue

Probiotic Blend (25+ billion CFUs) 160 mg *

Lactobacillus rhamnosus
6.0+ billion CFUs *

Bifidobacterium bifidum
5.0+ billion CFUs *

Lactobacillus acidophilus
3.0+ billion CFUs *

Lactobacillus casei
2.5+ billion CFUs *

Lactobacillus plantarum
2.0+ billion CFUs *

Lactobacillus salivarius
2.0+ billion CFUs *

Bifidobacterium longum
1.0+ billion CFUs *

Streptococcus thermophilus
1.0+ billion CFUs *

Lactobacillus bulgaricus
1.0+ billion CFUs *

Lactobacillus paracasei
0.5+ billion CFUs *

Bifidobacterium lactis
0.5+ billion CFUs *

Bifidobacterium breve
0.5+ billion CFUs *
* Daily value not established


Other Ingredients: Inulin base derived from chicory root, InTactic® proprietary polysaccharide complex, vegetarian capsule (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, water), and L-leucine.

This high-potency, hypoallergenic blend of 12 certified probiotic species offers the most complete spectrum of microorganisms in the Klaire line. Ther-Biotic® Complete is a unique combination of colonizing and transient strains providing broad coverage to support a healthy balance of microflora across the entire gastrointestinal tract. Scientifically formulated with a full spectrum of synergistic and complementary species, Ther-Biotic® Complete is designed for individuals who require significantly higher amounts of several different types of probiotic species to help support intestinal health.