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Trader Joe's kefir helped my gut enormously, perhaps with c. difficile

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
Last September when I saw Dr. Kaufman my stools were pretty much liquid, and had been for 3 or 4 months. I'd tried several different probiotics and an expensive herb combo from my chiropractor, which did cause a herx reaction, but didn't solve the problem.

Somehow about 2-1/2 months ago I started drinking TJ's plain kefir (no sugar or flavorings) and within a week I think things were more than normal than they had been in months. I kept drinking it and all seems well now.

Dr. Kaufman tested me for SIBO, giardia, parasites, h. pylori, and all were negative.

I am wondering if the problem was c. difficile - in July of 2014 I was given clindamycin for a parotid gland infection (without me realizing it had a black box warning due to deaths from c. dfificile, sometimes occurring months later!) I remember in May of 2015 my gut being screwed up (I don't remember how long it had been screwed up at that time) and then it just got worse. So there is quite a time lag from when I took the clindamycin, but it may have been a factor.

I do plan to never take another ABX without reading about it first. And the doctor did have a choice here, amoxicillin was also listed as an effective drug, but she said, let's do the clindamycin and I never looked it up until I started getting very tired after being on it for a couple of days. And FWIW, twice doctors tried to give me black box warning drugs for a simple UTI - I refused, was given the older safer drug which worked fine. What truly alarms me is that these doctors are giving out drugs with black box warnings without trying safer drugs first.

Surprisingly I didn't feel that sick with my liquid bowels (I hate writing this but no graceful way to do it!), but I knew I couldn't be properly absorbing food or nutrients. In the main, I avoid dairy, am allergic, but I seem to tolerate the kefir very well.

Here are the cultures TJ's kefir contains (I don't have the numbers):
L. casei, L. Lactis, L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, B. Bacterium longum, Leuconostoc cremoris, B. bacterium breve, Streptococcus diacetylactis, Saccaromyces florentinus, L. reuteri, B. lactis
 

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
@Mary that's very interesting cuz clarithromycin actually cleared helped my IBS quite a bit (I was also on a tetracycline but I think it was the clarithromycin).

I could not tolerate any probiotics until I tried Custom Probiotics, d-lactate-free.

xox
 

Lou

Senior Member
Messages
582
Location
southeast US
Your original post would probably get more discussion (and be helpful) if you linked it to either, or both, the resistant starch or clostridium butyricum thread(s). @Mary
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
Your original post would probably get more discussion (and be helpful) if you linked it to either, or both, the resistant starch or clostridium butyricum thread(s). @Mary

That might be a good idea but I just don't know if the kefir has anything to do with resistant starch or clostridium butyricum, or C. difficile for that matter, so I'd hate to make a connection that didn't exist. The only thing I know for sure is that my gut is way better since starting the kefir
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
Hi @Mary - how much TJ's kefir were you drinking per day? I just got some, and it says 4 servings per bottle. I checked all the kefirs and TJ's definitely has the best & most diverse strains... L Plantarum, L Rhamnosus and B Longum in particular all agree w me!

Hope you're well
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
:nerd:
Hi @Mary - how much TJ's kefir were you drinking per day? I just got some, and it says 4 servings per bottle. I checked all the kefirs and TJ's definitely has the best & most diverse strains... L Plantarum, L Rhamnosus and B Longum in particular all agree w me!

Hope you're well

Hi @ebethc - I currently drink it 3 or 4 times a week - 8 oz at a time so a bottle lasts me a week - also it seems to last forever, does not go bad - probably would eventually but it hasn't happened to me. I can't remember if I posted that my local supermarket (Stater Bros) carries kefir now that looks identical to the Trader Joe's stuff, I think it's the same thing, same bottle, different label on it and it seems to be just as good, which is good for me as I can't always get to Trader Joe's.

I think back when everything was liquid (I hate having to be so graphic! Absurd probably, but what can I say? :eek:) I probably drank a glass a day. I remember it only took a week for things to get sorted out and eventually cut back to what I have now.

I hope you're doing okay! :nerd: