How to Avoid Travelers Diarrhea with Probiotics

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We like to travel to Mexico when we can (we go to Tulum - it's really beautiful there - inexpensive, great beaches, Mayan ruins, etc.) However, when traveling to Mexico and other countries, the CDC cautions you to NOT drink the water.

People may get travelers diarrhea because of 2 main reasons:

1. the drinking water has not been properly "treated", or purified.


2. our bodies are not used to the bacteria present in their water.

Remember when traveling to countries with suspect water supplies:

• don't drink the water


• brush your teeth with bottled water (keep a water bottle next to the sink to remind you)


• keep your mouth closed in the shower


• don't have drinks with ICE in them


• stay away from salads (lettuce and veggies are usually washed in tap water)

However, accidents can and will happen (either by yourself or by a restaurant that you attend). Example: how can you resist the salsa in Mexico!

Here is the number one way my husband and I avoid traveler's diarrhea:

Take a probiotic - the number one thing that we do now is to take a probiotic. Probiotics are healthy friendly bacteria that thrive in our guts and help keep our intestines happy and healthy - a benefit when traveling. Probiotics can even boost your immune system and can also help with digestion.

TIP: start taking the probiotic 2-7 days before you travel, and then continue taking it up to twice a day every day during your vacation.

I have researched a few of the probiotic products available out there and WOW, there are so many strains of "good" bacteria in them - I had to look each one up to see what their benefits were.

Here is the product that we have tried and tested in Mexico:

(Note: lactobacillus is normally abbreviated to "l." on product labels and bifidobacteria is abbreviated to "b.". Ex: "lactobacillus rhamnosus" would appear as "l. rhamnosus" and "bifidobacteria longum" would appear as "b. longum"

Jarro-Dolphilus EPS ¹: it's room temperature stable (no refrigeration required) and each pill comes in its own blister pack. This is the only brand we have tried so far and we have used this with success in Mexico! (and we ate the salsa!)

probiotic

It contains the following friendly bacterial strains with a few of their benefits listed below :

• bifidobacteria longum BB536 - normally inhabits the human bowel system - suppresses bad bacteria that causes intestinal putrefactive and boosts the immune system ²


• lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 - stimulates intestinal immunity, helps fight intestinal aliments, shortens episodes of diarrhea ³


• lactobacillus acidolphilus R0052 - helps digest dairy products, competes against many different strains of bad bacteria including e.coli, staph and salmonella , it also prevents and treats diarrhea ⁴


• lactobacillus paracasei - calms digestive upsets.⁵


• lactobacillus plantarum - creates a healthy barrier in your colon to stop bad bacteria from adhering to it ⁶


• bifidobacteria breve - inhibits e.coli bacteria⁷


• Lactococcus and Pediococcus - helps fight bad bacteria in fermented foods ¹

Here are 3 other probiotic-type products that sounded really good:

FLORASTOR - It seems this is the premier brand of Saccharomyces boulardii, which is a yeast. Lots of people have used this product when traveling to avoid diarrhea. I have read that some people have used this on trips through the Amazon and had no stomach problems what-so-ever.

• Saccharomyces boulardii ⁸ - this strain of "yeast" keeps the intestinal walls healthy. Additional benefits: it also works particularly well if you ever end up with a bad intestinal bacterial infection called "clostridium difficile" (which can occur after taking a regimen of antibiotics). Caution: some people happen to be allergic to this particular probiotic strain - usually if they are allergic to yeast (they get hives or get itchy all over) at which point they must stop taking the formula. This formula may also cause constipation.

Jarrow Formulas Saccharomyces Boulardii +MOS ⁹. This formula is also room temperature stable.

It contains the following bacteria:

• Saccharomyces boulardii - this strain of "yeast" keeps the intestinal walls healthy. (See same info noted above in #2 - FLORASTOR.) This formula may also cause constipation.⁸


• MOS is MannanOligoSaccharide derived from s.cerevisiae - this inhibits bacteria from adhering to the intestinal lining. ⁹

Garden of Life Primal Defense or Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra. These formulas contain quite a few friendly bacteria and the "Ultra" formula contains a saccharomyces boulardii yeast⁸(so you can choose whether to get the yeast or not). They are room temperature stable and formulated to promote "healthy bowel functions" (even though the ULTRA contains the saccharomyces boulardii yeast).

• They contains barley grass and oat grass and a whole slew of bacteria: bifidobacterium longum², lactobacillus rhamnosus ³, lactobacillus acidophilus ⁴, lactobacillus paracasei ⁵, lactobacillus plantarum ⁶, bifidobacterium breve ⁷, bacillus subtilis ¹⁰, bifidobacterium bifidum ¹¹, bifidobacterium lactis ¹², lactobacillus brevis ¹³, lactobacillus casei ¹⁴, and lactobacillus salivarius ¹⁵. These bacteria reduce the risk of diarrhea (see references below for each bacteria's particular benefits).

References:

¹ Jarro Dophilus EPS at www.jarrow.com

² Bifidobacterium-Longum at www.probiotic.org- - normally inhabits the human bowel system - suppresses intestinal putrefactive (bad) bacteria and boosts the immune system.

³ Lactobacillus-rhamnosus at www.probiotic.org - helps fight intestinal aliments, shortens episodes of diarrhea, and builds intestinal immunity.

⁴ Benefits of Beneficial Bacteria at BodyEcology.com - competes against many different strains of bad bacteria including e.coli, staph and salmonella , it also prevents and treats diarrhea.

⁵ Lactobacillus Paracasei at Ehow.com - calms digestive upsets.

⁶Lactobacillus Plantarum Benefits at BodyEcology.com - creates a healthy barrier in your colon to stop bad bacteria from adhering to it.

⁷ Bifidobacterium Breve at www.probiotic.org- inhibits e.coli bacteria.

⁸Saccharomyces Boulardii Dosing and Safety at Wellness.com

⁹Jarrow Formulas Saccharomyces Boulardii + MOS at Jarrow.com

¹⁰ Bacillus Subtilis -(a homostatic soil organism) at UpwardQuest.com - boosts the immune system by activating 3 antibodies that fight invading bacteria and viruses (in the 1940's is was used to prevent dysentry)

¹¹What are the benefits of Bifidobacterium Bifidum? at LiveStrong.com - normally lives in the colon - synthesizes b vitamins and vitamin K, promotes - helps boost immunity - helps treat diarrhea.

¹² Bifidobacterium Lactis Benefits at LiveStrong.com - reduces risk of diarrhea and can relieve constipation.

¹³Lactobacillus Brevis at Probiotic.org - anti-inflammatory benefits to the digestive system.

¹⁴ The Benefits of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus at LiveStrong.com - reduces the frequency and duration of diarrhea.

¹⁵ Bacteria at Herbal-Products.biz and Lactobacillus Salvarius at Probiotic.org- helps fight off putreficated bacteria.