Good morning! I'm reading around and looking around about the effects of gut bacteria on everything from weight loss to depression to autism to asthma to allergies, inflammation and immunity. I'm wondering what your experiences have been with this. Do probiotics help? Do particular types of probiotics work better than others? Has anyone tried to consciously change their gut bacteria and has that made a difference?

I've read that we need more of a type of bacteria called bacteroidetes over other types of bacteria, which is not included in the probiotic that I'm taking. I know there's alot of hype online as well as a lot of research, and frankly I don't have the time to sort the wheat from the chaff. So I'm wondering what, if any, your real life experiences have been.

I've also read that you can starve off the "bad" bacteria in your gut by not eating sugar. (Sugar per se? Or anything that turns to sugar in your bloodstream?)

Anyhow, I'm wondering about this subject because I deal with unknown allergies (testing hasn't turned up much), asthma, digestive problems, and reactions where I have been prescribed an epipen but testing hasn't turned up anything I "should" be reacting to.

Any information you can tell me or point me to would be helpful! Or perhaps point to me to something that says I don't even need to consider gut bacteria as something to work on.

I just blogged a bit about this yesterday. Though not to a lot of detail.

I know that my gut bacteria at least affects the frequency of my bowel movements, but other than that, I don't know. Supposedly having too much sugar eating bacteria do "too" good of a job of breaking plant fibers down so that we digest even MORE sugar calories than was previously thought - or more than someone who has a more balanced bacterial gut.

I don't know much about this except to say that this is a new frontier and I expect there will be a lot more research on this in the near future.

I developed GERD last year and ever since then I've been quite concerned with my gut bacteria, a little obsessively probably. It turned out that I had an H Pylori infection which is a bacteria in the gut that is often present from childhood. It's an extremely resilient bacteria and I had to undergo 2 rigorous rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it. Since then I've been trying to recover my gut health. I take a probiotic on and off and I don't know if it's the right one or not but I feel it does help in my digestive health. I have been advised by many to take a live probiotic from the refrigerated section of the organic market but I have not yet done that, I'll get to it once my current probiotic runs out. It is quite expensive.

I have also heard that current research has led to new findings in peanut allergies and they claim that the cure will be to introduce a certain kind of bacteria to the gut. This will be very exciting for people who have severe allergy to peanuts!

On a day to day basis I also try to eat fermented foods like yogurt or kimchi. I too have heard that staying away from sugar and wheat can do wonders to gut health. I don't know if this helps but I definitely believe that gut bacteria is going to be an important thing in the near future.

Alaskanlaughter I know you said you have been tested and it showed no allergy. Have you been tested for angioedema (IgE receptor antibody)? I can and do get a whole host of allergy symptoms. It's like every single allergy (respiratory, food, contact, etc) combined into one. As you probably know by now, from the check in, this is what I have. Totally miserable thing to have but, at least I know what it is now.

I, too, have slowly become interested in this. I actually grew cabbage in my garden to make my own sauerkraut (ready in a week). I'm also planning on making my own sourdough starter this week as soon as I read the article. I've just started following a blogger called Don't Waste the Crumbs that is so on point with my transition from okay, somewhat healthy eating habits to excellent real food diet. I'm stuck indoors today, so Google is going to be my friend.

I know there's people out there taking human poop pills which sounds disgusting but supposedly beneficial for various things. As far as issues like depression and autism I think it's much more complicated.

I have recently joined the "gut health" bandwagon and I can tell you - I feel much better!

I started with probiotics I bought and was eating yogurt every day, and I saw minimal improvement in my health. I have eczema, adult (hormonal acne) and a slew of allergies, which all result in rashes and hives. Super sensitive skin, arg! Also, I had a lot of digestion issues - severe cramping, bloating, and general "stomach upset" and I was eating antacids every day, even on days I ate very well. I also have a wonky immune system and I get sick all the time, I catch all bugs - strep throat, colds, bronchitis, etc. - you can count on me getting sick 3+ times per year.

My mother-in-law is a health fanatic, she is probably the healthiest person I know, and she swears by probiotics/prebiotics and "gut health." She brought me some of her water kefir grains and I make my own water kefir at home - I've seen a definite improvement in my digestion (no more antacids) and my skin seems a tiny bit better. I haven't been sick at all and honestly, my weight loss has been steady. I still eat organic yogurt, and my multivitamin has probiotics, too - but I'm trying to ferment vegetables (still getting used to the taste) and I love my water kefir. We've also switched to sourdough bread - I was going to make my own starter, but I don't think we can consume that much bread (only two of us) - so we buy it from a local bakery and it is delicious.

It's best to make your own at home, as the pills/supplements aren't regulated and you just never know how much you're actually getting. I have tried kombucha a few times and I do not like the taste. There are also dairy kefir grains, but I'm trying to cut down my dairy consumption, and I really love making different flavored water kefir.

FYI - start slowly if you're new to probiotics. I drank a big glass of my water kefir on the first day and I was running to the bathroom for 3 days, lol. I had an unexpected "cleanse" - so I started really small after that - a tablespoon per day, then up to 2, 3, etc. - I now drink about 6-8 oz. per day. It does make me a little more flatulent - but when I drink it on an empty stomach (so the probiotics have nothing to interact with in my gut) - it helps a lot.

Time will tell, but I hope this will help my immunity, allergies and general health in the long run.

FYI - you asked specifically about allergies - I've been allergy tested numerous times and I tested off the charts for almost everything. I have tried shots three times and I could never get to the maximum dosage. I was so sensitive they could only give me one shot (normally it is a shot in each arm) and when I got to about 75% strength, it would balloon up and they wouldn't continue, as they didn't feel it was "safe" for me. I have a ton of seasonal allergies (all seasons) - pollen, dust mites, molds, dander and to bugs like hornets (and some really odd ones, like cockroaches!) - so far, I don't think probiotics are helping with my sinus congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, etc. - or with my general skin itchiness (I always itch). But, it seems to be helping with acne - I still get flair-ups, but they are shorter and they seem to heal faster.

I had the skin tests done and I'm allergic to cats, lobster and cockroaches (of all things!) as well as a variety of random pollens...I doubt I've ever come in contact with a cockroach since I live in Alaska....Diana I haven't been tested for the antibody. How do you do that?

I've also had many rounds of antibiotics for re-occurring ear infections and yearly bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia so I'm wondering if improving my gut health will help me overall after all these rounds of antibiotics (some of which were strong enough to kill meningitis!!)

Alaskanlaughter An allergist did the testing. I originally thought it was a food allergy and was tested for every single thing at least twice. Both allergists tested for the antibody. The first doctor didn't tell me what I had but only said to take an antihistamine. I continued to search for a food allergy on my own by eliminating whole food groups/families. I did a lot of research so I could eliminate them. I continued to have issues and decided to go to a new allergist. I insisted on more food testing. He agreed since I insisted. He also tested for the antibody. He said flat out that there was no food allergy and since I had already tested positive twice for the antibody that there was no sense in going through anymore testing. He said it was on my previous record about the angioedema, although the previous allergist didn't explain it to me. I literally have every single reaction that you can have. I have not had anaphylactic shock, yet, with this, although I can. I have had a. shock with my penicillin allergy, though. The daily antihistamines control the reactions as much as they can. I still have daily symptoms. Some days are worse than others. I am never symptom free even with the antihistamines.

ETA: Many years ago, as a child I had allergy testing. Back then I was allergic to various trees, grass, pollen, dust, etc. I had allergy shots for all of that and that helped what I had going on at that time.

Also, I am not aware of anyone in my family who has this angioedema thing. I had never heard of it prior to the allergist telling me about it in 2012. Also, the medical community seems baffled about it. They don't really want to talk about it and I think it's because they don't know much about it. They just tell you to take an antihistamine. If you can't get that to work, come back and we will prescribe steroids. That's all I have gotten from them. The allergist said that the angioedema is resolved in a certain percentage of people within 10 years. I think I have had it for about 7 years now. My Internist disagrees and said that she has never heard that before. Her knowledge is that once you have it, it never goes away.

I agree with Palestrina. I think gut health is the medicine of the future. I do believe gut bacteria affects everything from allergies to depression and prebiotics/probiotics are the key. Naturally fermented foods, like the homemade sauerkraut PrairieQueen is making (as opposed to foods fermented in vinegar), are great probiotics. And just yesterday I read about a refrigerated probiotic VSL#3 which is supposed to be fantastic. You can order it from Amazon or other online places or ask your pharmacy to order it and they will keep it refrigerated for you until you can pick it up. As for prebiotics, here's an article on some of the best prebiotic foods: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natura...estive-health/. All I know is I stopped taking a probiotic for a while, because I eat a lot of yogurt and I thought that would suffice, and my digestive system went all out of whack, so I'm back on a probiotic supplement today and I am considering ordering the VSL#3.

I have UC (Ulcertative colitis) so I have had stomach issues all my life. I work with holistic docs to manage it and have had great luck.

I am usually in my best health when I am off processed sugars, bread, wheat, alcohol. I make a smoothie out of a medical food (you can get on amazon) called Ultrainflammax which is loaded with tumeric (a natural anti-inflammatory) and vitamins. I also mix in coconut kefir that I make, although kefir water would work fine too.

After my last flare up, my doctor suggested a new breakthrough called fecal transplants, but honestly I haven't looked into it. (probably because the name...)

I am a huge believer in gut health! I began reading those holistic medicine websites and following the general advice on them in regards to candida. People can say that it's a lot of bunk, but I say you can't argue with success.

It's not bunk, bacteria in the gut is cutting edge stuff.

Oh boy, I accidentally double dosed on my probiotic today, think I'll be ok??

I too am on the "gut" bandwagon. It is a big part of the Gabriel method I'm doing now. For decades I've taken Probiotics when on antibiotics, but boy was I a babe in woods. There is so much more to it. I just finished reading
" The Wonder of Probiotics" by John R Taylor,N.D & Deborah Mitchell. A lot of good info-but impossible to follow recommendations on how many to take, because they just don't sell probiotics in those amounts. I've been taking Hyperbiotics Pro-15 (5 billion CFU's) for 9 months and all my gas, ect. totally cleared up, so did my skin yeast problems. But then I don't have sugar or wheat (not more than 6 grams a day).
After reading the book I wanted to up my intake to help with severe, over a decade problems (yes I saw a doctor-no help) problems with Constipation ever since I did the Atkins Diet. I started using Now probiotic-10
25 billion a week ago and Inulin fiber Prebiotic bySundown Naturals and no more constipation. Like a miracle for me. I also try to eat a lot of the foods he recommends having prebiotics-probiotics in them.
Also when I started GM I started taking Garden of Life's (women 50 & wiser) Enzymes. They work in conjunction with pro-prebiotics to digest your food.
It's very important to refrigerate your probiotics and to take them with water on an empty stomach . I do first thing in morning. I take an enzyme with each meal- regardless of label. And no, you can't overdose. like I said-25 billion a day is what I'm taking now.

I am a big believer in "gut health". A lot of bad symptoms and diseases come from that area of the body. It is all connected. I have been struggling for many years. Some probiotics are good and some are not. You just have to find the right thing that works for you. Here is to a healthy gut!!