Immensely Educated by the Digestion Sessions from Underground Wellness

I cannot say enough good things about the FREE Digestion Sessions going on right now via the internet thanks to Sean Croxton! The interviews of highly knowledgeable functional medicine doctors and naturopaths are *A M A Z I N G*!

The interviews discuss things like:

--Causes and natural remedies for constipation, GERD, acid reflux

--How anxiety and depression may be rooted in the health of your digestive system

--How to get rid of Candida yeast overgrowth for good

--How stress affects your digestive system

--How to treat and heal IBS and IBD for good

Every interview has offered me *so much more* beyond what I thought it would be about! WOW!

My Recommendations for Probiotics and Betaine HCl

A reader recently asked me for my recommendations for probiotics.  Probiotics are beneficial bacteria and yeasts.  Good bacteria in our bodies keep in balance all the bad bacteria.

First, I would like to say that probiotics are absolutely critical to a healthy digestive system.  We must have a balance of good bacteria in our gut, or we will be prone to a host of health problems.  If the bacteria in our digestive tract is out of balance, our entire body health will also be out of balance.  Probiotics cured me from a horrible antibiotic induced colitis back in 2004.  I plan on sharing more about that experience on this blog in the future. 

Second, I want to make the point that probiotics were not the solution to my low stomach acid problem (hypochlorhydria).  To resolve the acid reflux that I was having due to the low stomach acid, I had to begin taking a Betaine HCl supplement with all my meals.

Here are my top recommendations for probiotics and Betaine HCl:

For superb quality probiotics, my top recommendation is the Garden of Life Primal Defense product.  I’ve used their products for many years, with great success.  Their Primal Defense product cured me of that antibiotic induced colitis back in 2004.  I experienced two terrible bouts of colitis, lasting 10 days each, within six weeks of each other.  With each instance, I lost 10 pounds. On the first bout of colitis, I went to the doctor and tried their suggested route of taking more antibiotics (in spite of the fact that an antibiotic had been the reason for my problem) and eating yogurt.  Six weeks later, when the colitis returned as bad as the first time, I resolved to try a different way.  Obviously, what the doctor had prescribed had not worked, and I despised the side effects of the antibiotic I had been previously given.  I searched my condition (antibiotic induced colitis and Clostridium difficile bacteria) on the internet along with possible solutions and discovered the Garden of Life Primal Defense product as a probable solution.  Immediately, I ordered it, and the day it arrived and I began taking it, the colitis began to go away.  I’ve never had another bout of colitis again.  I still use Primal Defense today.  The Garden of Life supplements can be purchased at a local natural or health food store or ordered online for a very reasonable cost at the Vitacost online site.   

For a superb Betaine HCl supplement, I recommend the Bluebonnet Nutrition brand which is of the highest quality and is actually made from beets.  This brand provides a higher dose of Betaine and also includes Pepsin, which is another digestive aid.  I was using the TwinLabs brand for years until I noticed TwinLabs was no longer producing the HCl from actual beets and instead making a synthetic version.  The Bluebonnet brand was recently out of stock from the manufacturer, and while I waited to get more, I went back to using the TwinLabs brand.  I noticed that the TwinLabs Betaine tended to make my stomach hurt and cramp.  Therefore, I plan on staying away from it altogether in the future.   The Bluebonnet brand is more expensive, but I believe it is worth it!  I have to take too many of these pills every day and cannot afford a “cheap” synthetic version.  It is critical I have a quality product.  I get the best deals for the Bluebonnet Nutrition Betaine HCl by purchasing from House of Nutrition online site .    

I also recommend the Garden of Life Q-Zyme enzyme supplement and have found it to be extremely helpful with digestion and acid reflux.

I consider Garden of Life Primal Defense, Bluebonnet Betaine HCl, and Garden of Life Q-Zyme to be extremely important daily supplements for a healthy digestive system.  I believe this due to my personal experiences.

December 2007 - Stomach Pains

Finally, I begin a historical backtracking account on what drove me to creating this blog.

On Christmas Day 2007, after having our Christmas meal, I proceeded to get a terrible stomach ache. It was the kind of painful ache that I sometimes get when I eat some things I am “allergic” to. However, I had not eaten any of those things that day. I endured the pain for hours and was sure that it would pass and all would be well the next day. I was wrong.

My stomach aches continued every single day for the rest of the week. After the breakfast meal, I would be fine. But after eating lunch, the pain would slowly begin. And after eating dinner, I was in full blown agony doubled over and laying on the bed wanting to pass out into oblivion.

Prior to that week of stomach cramping, I had been struggling a great deal with acid reflux/heartburn. In fact, I had probably been having a serious problem with it for the previous year and a half or maybe longer (it’s so easy to lose track of time). I had been trying to help the acid problem with some homeopathic pills; but it wasn’t helping much. However, I did not want to get on any acid reducing medicines because of my fear of not being able to absorb calcium and getting osteoporosis.

But this problem would be ignored no longer…