The type of probiotic you take matters. Healthy gut flora are critical for absorbing what nutrients you need and keeping out what you don't - and just plain feeling ok. I am currently in the penalty phase for not maintaining my gut flora. I tried to change from a trusted, reliable refrigerated probiotic brand to an unrefrigerated brand. I started feeling lethargic immediately. But a lot of things lyme related and non-lyme related can be blamed for this growing fatigue. It wasn't until 3 weeks later, GI symptoms became undenyable and I clearly understood the cause for my worsening condition.
Both western and herbal antibiotics can take a heavy toll on the GI. Once gut flora populations reach an unhealthy balance it can take months to bring the healthy balance back to your GI while maintaining your antibiotics doses. For normal people not on antibiotics, this make take only a few days or less. In addition to fatigue symptoms, an unhealthy gut might leave you with many non-gut symptoms: therapists might consider you depressed, cognitively you might feel
like you can't trust your brain anymore, your skin might take a turn for
the worse and all the while the typical GI symptoms are making life planning a challenge. My experience is to expect 2 months of symptoms to return the gut to a healthy balance and symptom free.
Prior to figuring out which probiotic brand and dose worked for me, I see-sawed with these symptoms for years. This made it impossible to understand which symptoms were strictly lyme and which were lyme, but resultant of poor gut health.
A few things which might help:
Stools in lightening or changing in color towards yellow and green can indicate unhealthy gut flora are emerging. Double or triple usual dose of probiotics to get ahead of this loosing trend.
Eggs are an excellent source of choline which might be important for maintaining gut lining. Never take eggs raw. The uncooked whites block absorbtion of some B vitamins. Cooking the whites prevents this. Based on my own hunch and trials, I find I am better with an egg or two each day while going through this. Do what works for you.
Yogart is a good source of probiotics and B vitamins and other nutrients you need. Here too, the brand matters. Try to find yogurts with the most number of cultures. Stoney Field is a good one, there are other good ones out there.
Both yogurt and probiotics. When taking high doses of antibiotics yogurt does not replace probiotics.
Probiotics - More can't hurt. Finding the right one for you might take a while. Refrigerated PB-8 has worked for me, there are others brands. I have used other non-refrigerated probiotics for a few days on trips without problems. As with yogurt, look for Lactobacillius acidophilus and the most different kinds of probiotics.
Chocolate is something to stay away from when trying to return to a healthy flora balance. Studies of IBS - irritable bowl syndrome have shown chocolate, along with other fatty foods, are common in the diet of those with IBS. It might make returning to health take longer. But don't worry the ban is temporary!
Gut Flora the Forgotten Organ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1500832/
Stool Color http://www.livestrong.com/article/212766-diet-normal-stool-color/
Stool Color http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-your-stool-telling-you?page=3
Eggs http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=92
Yogurt http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=124
PB-8 http://nutritionnow.com/PB8/prod_index.html
IBS http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/
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