A reader writes:
I recently had a bottle of pills that became virtually inactive (i can tell from my bowel movements) after a few weeks, probably because they weren’t refrigerated . . . I probably wouldn’t have been able to get a lot of bacteria into my diet without pills, especially since I travel frequently for work. Â In addition, since I take thyroid pills every day, adding another pill is easy. Â I think pills are also clearly crucial to research efforts.
Good points. On recent trips (in America) I’ve found kombucha, yogurt, and kefir in the new locations, but it’s been time-consuming. Pills would have been easier.
My current favorite probiotics are Kyo-Dophilus by Wakunaga. They claim no need for refrigeration.
Not sure if you’ve tried making your own kefir, yet? You can get cultures for it online…I’ve made my own from cultures…very easy to make, and I’ve also used commercial brands available at supermarkets and health-food stores.
I also like using a probiotic containing HSOs (homeostatic soil organisms lacking in our diet) from Garden of Life products, called Primal Defense. I use a variety of fermented pre/probiotic foods including kefir, kombucha, yogurt… and add to that, Primal Defense (mainly because of the HSO ingredient). Not advertising…I don’t know if any other company’s probiotic formulae include HSOs in their complexes.