Afraid of taking more probiotics

[paranoid-viking]

Some weeks ago I bought probiotic pills at a health shop to help with my digestive problems and apparantly chronic constipation or whatever it is. You know my fears in here; ferociously afraid of having an pancreas ilness. Well; probioitics has helped with the stools; but now I just came across information that probiotics may in fact be dangerous and worse; that it can CAUSE pancreatitis:scared11:
The organ damage I fear more than anything! That was definitely not why I bought this. Now I dont dare touching a single one more of these pills. Should I avoid this stuff or should I ingore this as sensasionalist humbug? I mean; they would not sell such stuff in a helath shop and without prescriptions from a doc if it was THAT dangerous? Or would they. Confused.

Note: i read it in the sensationalist British online newspaper Mail Online; which I guess should not be taken as a reliable source or...?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sensationalist? Don't worry, when you've been on NMP for a while you'll get to hear how much people in the UK dislike the Daily Mail. Basically, it's a right wing scaremonger paper. Each week you will be treated to giant mutant rats coming from continent (and they are stealing the jobs of good, honest British born rats :winks: do you get the picture about them now?) or how something is coming from South America to eat us all alive.

Basically, have a laugh at the newspaper and then turn it into something a bit more credible...like a big toilet roll. :yesyes:

Do you realise that without probiotic bacteria, you wouldn't be alive? It's the largest concentration of genes in the human body. They are not just in your gut, they start in your mouth and finish at the anus (and for women they leave the anus and re-enter the vagina to do their work there, after washing their hands of course :biggrin:). They interact with your brain, your moods. Certain strains have even been successfully tested in clinical trials for anxiety relief!

Here's something interesting for you. Have you ever eaten yoghurt? Do you realise that many probiotic foods, like yoghurt, have higher concentrations of probiotic bacteria than the supplements you can buy? Those people who learn about probiotics tend to grow their own as home brewing makes them far far stronger than any product on the market.

So, what would happen if you ate a tub of yoghurt? If it's truly that dangerous, why aren't WHO banning yoghurt...let alone Kefir which is many times more potent, kimchi, sauerkraut, etc.

Probiotic bacteria makes cheese too. Have you ever heard of Quark? That one is a probiotic cheese. I eat it daily. The German's have been eating it for a very long time.

[Scaredlady]

I really wouldn't be reliant on "information" from a British tabloid, nevertheless this sounds like your anxiety has simply latched on to what you acknowledge yourself is from a "sensationalised" source, right wing sycophants.

I'm taking a magnesium supplement and have been for a couple of weeks but no doubt at some point I will read elsewhere about the dangers of it.

Life is full of potential perils, walking across a road could be lethal but you won't avoid doing that would you? There's a never ending list of things deemed dangerous one minute but beneficial the next.

There is a large amount of conflicting advice floating all over the place and we as individuals just have to decide what we believe is right for our own needs.

I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with your health worries, so I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive; I can relate to being afraid and worried though.

If you want to continue with the tablets, please do so but if you don't, then stop. I'm pretty sure though that the probiotics will not cause you any harm.

[paranoid-viking]

Thanks, Terry? Yes, I notice how much drivel is presented in The Mail.:)

[Fishmanpa]

Complete and utter BS. My wife takes it for reflux and it helped her immensely.

Positive thoughts