Probiotics for Crohn’s Disease

Medical practitioners now know that, the use of probiotics (good bacteria) will correct the imbalance of  bad micro-organisms with good micro-organisms in the digestive tract of those suffering with Crohn’s disease, Colitis and other digestive conditions. 

Probiotics are essentially microorganisms that add to the healthy fauna (bacteria) of the intestine. All digestive tracts are lined with bacteria that aid in the digestion of food. Their role is to keep the gut healthy and balanced by eliminating foods that are bad for the gut, such as rancid foods, and aiding in the digestion of other foods. These micro-organisms tend to be out of balance in those with Inflammatory bowel disease. As a result, the gut becomes an inhospitable place for the good bacteria to reside, and instead, the ‘bad’ bacteria take over. This can lead to a yeast overgrowth, a condition known as Candida. This can not only impact digestion, but also influences the body’s function in other areas.

Normally, we all depend on the good bacteria (probiotics), that live in our intestines to help digest our food. But there are host-friendly and host-non-friendly bacteria. The latter non-friendly bacteria, are associated with the development of crohn’s disease.  

The exact cause of Crohn’s disease is yet to be discovered; however, much evidence points to an imbalance in the bacteria in the gut. Inflammation can occur when certain bacteria are attacked by the immune system. An overgrowth of these bacteria coupled with insufficient amounts of beneficial bacteria might set up the cycle of chronic inflammation that characterizes Crohn’s disease. Antibiotics can help rid the body of these bacterial offenders, but their repeated or prolonged use can lead to other problems.

In double-blind research, diarrhea caused by Crohn’s disease has partially responded to supplementation with the beneficial bacterium Saccharomyces boulardii. Although the amount used in this trial, 250 mg taken three times per day, was helpful, as much as 500 mg taken four times per day has been administered in research successfully using Saccharomyces boulardii as a supplement with people suffering from other forms of diarrhea.

What are the causes the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut?

The overuse of antibiotics, steroids (cortisones), birth control pills, antacids, and anti-ulcer medications are considered a major cause of leaky gut syndrome. Broad- spectrum antibiotics can kill all the friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract. The bad bacteria then actually burrows holes in the lining of the digestive tract, which gives way to undigested food getting through and going straight into our bloodstream.

Researchers have discovered Probiotics bacteria can influence the activity of immune cells and the cells that line the intestines. Specifically, these friendly bacteria appear to block disease-causing bacteria from sticking to the lining of the intestines. There’s also evidence that the good bugs block chemical factors involved in inflammation.

Studies have shown that Probiotics bacteria assist in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis and preventing reoccurrence of Crohn’s disease. Manipulating the intestinal flora may prove to be more effective and better tolerated than the drugs that are conventionally give to treat these diseases. In one study, Lactobacillus acidophilus was found to improve the intestinal barrier and clinical status in children suffering from Crohn’s disease.

"It’s clear that the effects of Probiotics organisms could be helpful in treating the pathogenic mechanisms of Crohn’s disease," notes University of Alberta gastroenterologist Richard Neil Fedorak, MD, who recently published a review of current research findings on Probiotics.

For example, a randomized controlled trial with 90 volunteers found significantly higher remission rates in people with Crohn’s disease who were given the beneficial bacteria E. coli Nissle. The higher the dose, the longer their remission — good evidence that the friendly bacteria were effective.

While larger, controlled studies are needed to confirm these results, for now, taking a combination of pre- and Probiotics seems to be a safe option that might bring relief to many people with Crohn’s disease.

The one area that gives me optimism is that Crohn’s disease is very much an inflammatory process, and quite a number of these Probiotics organisms, including some that we have studied, definitely have an ability to modulate immunity, and in the case of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s, they can bring down the inflammation. Now, is that enough to give symptomatic relief? In some cases, it might be. In some cases, it might not. But the anti-inflammatory effects and the ability of organisms to respond to an environment and make it more balanced, in a sense, gives me optimism that one day there will be a role for Probiotics in this condition.

Which Probiotics are recommended for Crohn’s disease?

Experts can offer little help on which products to choose. Unfortunately, there’s no regulation of Probiotics, so it’s very hard to know what you’re actually getting when you buy one. "I tell people to use a product that’s refrigerated, which may give you a better chance at getting something with live culture," says dietitian Tracie Alejandro, RD, author of What to Eat With IBD.

I would highly recommend the superior Probiotics product Primal Defense.

This product was developed by Jordan Rubin author of the highly-acclaimed  book Patient Heal Thyself, who cured himself of Crohn’s Disease through a trial and error process that lasted quite a number of years.

During 1996, at the age of nineteen, Jordan Rubin of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida had arrived at death’s door, suffering from the most severe symptoms of Crohn’s disease

Jordan was able to regain his health by supplementing the small amount that he could eat with homeostatic soil organisms (HSOs) which reversed the degenerative process of his Crohn’s disease. The HSOs detoxified Jordan’s intestinal tract, increased his ability to absorb nutrients from food, and boosted his immune system, especially in its ability to phagocytize viruses and bacteria. Moreover, the HSOs turned really aggressive against pathological molds, yeasts, fungi, and parasites of all types which permeated his gut. They stimulate the formation of lactoferrin (the iron-binding protein found in neutrophils which exerts antimicrobial activity by withholding iron from any harmful microorganisms that the patient ingests).

Primal Defense is a whole food probiotic blend containing 14 strains of hardy plant based, non-dairy HSOs (Homeostatic Soil Organisms.) HSOs contain naturally occurring live enzymes, vitamins and minerals designed to optimize the digestive terrain, bowel and immune system function. These unique micro-organisms are shown to devour undigested matter, and eliminate yeast, parasites and bad bacteria from the intestines. Primal Defense contains the same nutrients used for thousands of years by some of the healthiest and longest living people in the world.

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