Probiotics

Hello Everyone 

I have found the key to save me for the next chemo cycle (in June)

Probiotics! They seemed to fix everything this last time around, the heartburn, the gas, and  the nausea.

I got onto them kind of late though.

Probiotics are what they put in that activa yogurt as well as many foods that you buy nowadays.

Basically what they are are acidophilus on steroids....Just kidding.

Your gastrointestinal track apparently contains as many bacteria as you have cells in your entire body. They maintain the normal milieu of the gastrointestinal track.  Anything that disrupts this milieu, affects the gastrointestinal tracts ability to function normally, leading to problems such as constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pains, gas, and heartburn. 

Antibiotics tend to kill off the normal bacteria (also known as the normal flora), any of the stomach meds for heartburn change the PH of the gastrointestinal tract, which also kills off  the normal flora. (there are antibiotics in many of the meat sources nowadays)

Of course Chemo also affects the Gastrointestinal tract in a huge way, the cells of the lining are killed by the chemo and that certainly affects the normal flora.

Acidophilus is one of the bacteria that is part of the normal flora and has been available for a long time as a pill, or naturally occurring in yogurt. Recently they have been able to produce in a pill form or in some yogurts, several of the bacteria that make up normal flora.

What these do is replenish the gastrointestinal tract with the bacteria they need to function normally. I have decided to take these probiotics for the remainder of my treatment, both through chemo and radiation to see if they minimize the symptoms and speed up the recovery.

I have had good success in treating patients in the past with probiotics when they had chronic symptoms after surgery on the stomach or bowels.

They are not prescription, they are over the counter at the pharmacy.

It is not mainstream medicine, but I have read some studies where they are trying it with chemo patients. Also as many readers pointed out, on the news the other day they reported on a recent study where they gave patients ginger for 5 days prior to and after chemo and the nausea was significantly decreased. I have tried the ginger after chemo and I use it a lot anyways, but this time I will try it the 5 days prior to chemo as well.

By the way, last Friday I ran 2.5 miles and survived.

Love and peace

Janet Bates

jankenb @ gmail.com

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