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I was wondering how many accutaners where on antibiotics before accutane?
I did too, for about a year. Tetracycline is the one I recall. I've also wondered whether that made it worse.
I was also trying a low fat diet - it was the 80s and that was the cure all for almost two decades - and I think that would also make the effects from accutane worse.
Yes to the anti-biotics. Tetracycline and Lymecycline.
Honestly though, you might struggle to find someone who didn't take anti-biotics before Accutane. Most doctors would need to have prescribed them before they escalated to Accutane, since it should only be used as a last resort.
Saying that, I do think the gut probably plays a role in most of people's long-term side effects.
I was wondering how many accutaners where on antibiotics before accutane?
I used accutane for about 7 years before I ever touched antibiotics. Before than, the side effects of accutane were mild and not very seriuous. I got very ill a few months back and needed to take antibiotics for a while. This is what messed everything up. Now I have constipation and folliculitis on the scalp. Antibiotics really messed something up. I stopped accutane when I was on the antibiotics though.
hi guys, was diagnosed with Hypothyroid this week so starting on 25mcg rising to 100 micrograms of levothyroxine this week. Im praying this will help my mental state (brain fog), the doctor I saw thought low thryoid would be contributing to this and my hair loss. Im not convinced it is playing a big part in my post-accutane sexual dysfunction though. I started taking l-dopa last week as there has been some good discussion over at the all things male forum regarding how dopamine agonists could help us taners suffering from sexual dysfunction - i can say it did help my libido, but as it is a supplement I have stopped taking it as I will inevitably build up a tolerance to it.
If the thyroid meds do not help my overally situation, I will be looking to start a long water fast over the next couple of months
Ate cheese and nuts for the first time in years today. Plan to keep expanding my diet. New program seems to be working.
Switched from Yakult to a brand of liquid yoghurt with a lot less sugar, think that will help. Taking probiotics, various gastro targeting powders, liver pills, etc. I'm able to supplement now.
Had a first meeting for new job today, went well.
hi guys, was diagnosed with Hypothyroid this week so starting on 25mcg rising to 100 micrograms of levothyroxine this week. Im praying this will help my mental state (brain fog), the doctor I saw thought low thryoid would be contributing to this and my hair loss. Im not convinced it is playing a big part in my post-accutane sexual dysfunction though. I started taking l-dopa last week as there has been some good discussion over at the all things male forum regarding how dopamine agonists could help us taners suffering from sexual dysfunction - i can say it did help my libido, but as it is a supplement I have stopped taking it as I will inevitably build up a tolerance to it.
If the thyroid meds do not help my overally situation, I will be looking to start a long water fast over the next couple of months
I will send you a msg when I get back in to town in a few days. There are some things that will help you along the way. Though I was DX with Graves/Hyper, I have quite the knowledge on thyroid. By the way starting synthyroid you may shed a little more at first and then it should stop.
Yes, You are right Hypo or any Thyroid problem in Men can cause sexual dysfunction. Did they test your hormones Testerone?
As for who mentioned about taking antibotices before Accutane- Not I was put on Accutane first time at a derms office...Hope everyone is doing well
Upon using Accutane, I have since been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, panic attacks, and an Irregular Heartbeat.
I have been on Synthroid for almost 2 months, and I feel very good. I am less lethargic.
For panic attacks, I was taking Xanax but after cutting out certain triggers (caffeine, quit work), I don't have many attacks.
I was just prescribed a beta-blocker for my heart, and I start taking it tomorrow.
One thing that has helped with my symptoms is Milk Thistle. It is an herb that can help reduce the side effects of Chemotherapy. Because Accutane is a form of chemo, it's working really well for me on getting this crap out of my system. I highly recommend it, and I found it in the vitamin section of any store.
I have been on tetracycline, doxycycline and minocycline for abou5 3-4 years (on and off) and 4 different birth control pills to control hormonal acne. I never even knew what cystic acne was before I went on BP and stopped it due to thinning of eyebrows and noticing dandruff.
Now I have seborrheic dermatitis around my nose, follicultius on my face and scalp, apart from regular acne and it seems I have developed Wilson's syndrome which a milder form of hypothyroidism (although the validity of the disease is still being questioned) ie: numbers in in the "normal range" but unusual. I also heard iron effects thyroid and the BP and antibiotics deplete that too.
It seems I have a leaky gut as most people on this board probably do too.
I hear you! I'm 31, female, and was put on Accutane at age 16, for 9 months. For 15 years now, I have had...
1. 9 years of severe depression including 2 suicide attempts. (Very limited depression now, thank goodness!)
2. IBS, chronic, and still getting worse.
3. No hair loss, but my hair actually changed color and texture.
4. Extremely dry skin.
5. Bleeding gums.
6. Ongoing chronic sinusitis.
7. Splitting fingernails.
8. Huge swings in libido.
9. Irritable bladder (NOT a fun one)
10. Probably more I can't even think of
And the kicker...MY ACNE IS BACK WORSE THAN EVER!!! As soon as I hit 29 years old my acne, which had never really gone away anyway, came back worse then ever. I've tried everything on this site and everything else I can find anywhere from several dermatolosists, naturopaths, nutritionists, and allergists. I would NEVER recommend Accutane to anyone!
Now, about the long term problems. I work in health care and strongly strongly believe that detoxes are bad for you. All the gastrointestinal specialists I work with say that there is no such thing as build-up in your colon. Detoxes are extremely hard on your body, and Accutane already compromised your digestive system so why would you want to stress it out more?
Supplements are difficult to digest if you have IBS or any digestive issues, so I recommend trying to get your vitamins, minerals, etc in natural form as often as possible. I take calcium/magensium because I'm now lactose intolerant (thanks Accutane) and iron because I'm genetically low. I cut way back on gluten, dairy and sugars for my digestion, not for my acne, and it has helped a lot.
The best advice I can give on dealing with your skin side effects is to seek out a MEDICAL ESTHETICIAN. They are trained to work with people who have had plastic surgery, skin grafts, surgery, etc. They use medical grade stuff and are trained in how the internal body works with the skin. Sometimes they work in dermatologists offices, sometimes in spas (ya, I know, I was skeptical too). Check out their credentials and go see one. Mine has made a huge difference in reducing the acne that came storming back and in starting to heal and rehydrate my skin. For the first time in 15 years I have hope that one day (hopefully soon), I will have mostly healthy and mostly acne free skin.
As to the rest of the ways Accutane has ruined my body and life, I keep hoping for that too. Stress does play a huge role in our overall health, so one of the best things I have done was learn how to be ok with feeling crappy all the time and having a face that looked like half-cooked ground beef. I actually walked around my regular life without make-up for a month...that was a sickening experience at first, but eventually I got used to it and realised that people don't run away screaming, and the jerks who actual do comment on your acne, are just jerks regardless.
Best of luck...and down with Accutane.
Hmmm... I've just had a thought.
What if someone were to donate a bunch of accutane pills (In the name of science) and actually had them cracked open and tested in a laboratory for analysis. (Blind study... don't tell them what they are looking at.)
Perhaps we aren't being told the whole story with regards to what is contained inside.... (Happens more often than not) And perhaps that could shed some light on what's happening to people who suffer severe reactions to such compounds... and possibly open the doorway to a treatment.
Just a thought...
FYI guys, it appears I'm now cured, as in big C cured.
I'll detail all the supplements and regimine used tomorrow, feeling lazy tonight, just got back from first day on the new job, which I like.
Basically, a metric ton of bacterial ingestion and various GI support and liver support stuff. Pushed thru the initial pain period and came thru golden.
FYI guys, it appears I'm now cured, as in big C cured.
I'll detail all the supplements and regimine used tomorrow, feeling lazy tonight, just got back from first day on the new job, which I like.
Basically, a metric ton of bacterial ingestion and various GI support and liver support stuff. Pushed thru the initial pain period and came thru golden.
Thats great news. I'm very curious to what you used exactly! 
FYI guys, it appears I'm now cured, as in big C cured.
I'll detail all the supplements and regimine used tomorrow, feeling lazy tonight, just got back from first day on the new job, which I like.
Basically, a metric ton of bacterial ingestion and various GI support and liver support stuff. Pushed thru the initial pain period and came thru golden.
That's awesome!
My boss recently went to a fermentation class and met (or heard of) a guy who cured himself of AIDS. Bacteria is your immune system. I think accutane kills everything off and your body can't run correctly without it. I'm going to start fermenting my own foods and eating much more fermented food.
c'mon Joseph I can't wait no more!!!
Several points to make:
1. Reversal of strategy, from logic to intuition
2. Primary emphasis on bacterial intake
3. Secondary emphasis on intestinal support
4. Tertiary emphasis on liver support
5. Eating generally within paleo / IBS guidelines, or at least remaining aware of them in the breach. Following my regimine with reasonable strictness, but not extreme care.
1. Previously I was doing a very rigorous, experimental, cautious approach. I'd been trained to retreat when confronted with pain because I'd learned that the pain/symptoms only increased without limit.
The catalyzing decision was to change approaches, to intuition, via the meditational technique of "manifestation." It is described elsewhere, so I won't discuss it here. Suffice it to say that all my behavior changes resulted from this new strategy.
I attempted to manifest a cure, and simply behaved as intuition dictated.
2. My main source of bacteria was liquid yoghurt. This was the first regimine change I implemented. I started with Yakult and then went to a generic version with lower sugar. I consume huge amounts per day, 1-2 cartons. It's the bulk of my caloric intake.
Initially the yoghurt experiment caused pain and fatigue, probably due to the insane amounts of sugar in Yakult. However it was nowhere near as severe as expected. And there were also positive indicators. So I continued.
To amplify the effect, per Dr. Snow, I bought cow colostrum powder and began eating it together with yoghurt. The combination is addictive, which is why I eat so much of it.
4 & 3: As the expected disaster failed to materialize, I started throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the problem. Stuff I had lying around that I'd tried and then rejected, stuff I'd bought but never tried, and a couple of new purchases.
I had lecithin and magnesium on hand but decided not to use them, the former because it was soy based and that latter because I saw no need.
Here's a list of what all I started taking:
guts:
Lactobin (Chinese brand lactose intolerance pill)
Glutagenics by Metagenics
Colostrum Powder (Chinese brand for pregnant ladies)
Primal Defense probiotics by Garden of Life
liver:
Liver Detoxifier and Regenerator, NOW brand
Liv.52 by Himalaya
Liver Longer (TUDCA)
Tyler Detoxification Factors Phase I and Phase II
sleep:
Liquid Calcium vitamin D, Chinese brand - take first thing in the morning with a meal, to set circadian by mimicking sunlight.
5. Diet - As soon as it was clear the yoghurt wouldn't kill me, I started expanding the diet. I'm mostly steering clear of veggies (insoluble fiber) and fruit (fructose), but eating lots of tubers - sweet potatoes and white. Also tried eggs, cheese, restaurant food, my girlfriend's cooking, garlic, soy sauce, nuts, raisins, fattier meat, sunflower seed oil for cooking, splash of wine, I dunno what else.
Basically I'm just exercising reasonable caution but cheating a lot. For example, eating half a block of chedder cheese by itself didn't make me sick exactly, but did give me the gift of room-clearing farts. I reckon my gut still has to adjust to new food classes, like any normal person's would. E.g., travel to India and you'd have to get used to curry and grease.
Regimine - Still getting sunlight through the windows. Taking the vit D powerfully regularizes circadian. Works much better than melatonin, which I do not recommend - it doesn't seem to provide restful sleep. Still wearing blindfold and earplugs. No longer need to sleep alone.
In general, I don't need to be very strict anymore about either diet or regimine. But for best results, I should at least try. Like, no eating at McDonald's; no staying out late drinking, etc.
OH I almost forgot, weird shit is happening. The tobacco stains on my teeth "fell off", only very faint remnants left. Leaving pearly whites beneath. Pretty sure my body is changing in fundamental ways. I need to stop doing dumb stuff like eating a half block of cheese, though. Kinda exciting, hard to stay moderate.
Also I'm not sure if it's healthy or reasonable to be drinking QUITE this much yoghurt. (He said, having just finished a 2kg carton.) But I find it difficult to stop.
Anyway my dumps are solid for the first time in recent memory. Aaaaand that concludes the TMI.
On 6/25/2012 at 4:34 PM, JosephBuchignani said:Several points to make:
1. Reversal of strategy, from logic to intuition
2. Primary emphasis on bacterial intake
3. Secondary emphasis on intestinal support
4. Tertiary emphasis on liver support
5. Eating generally within paleo / IBS guidelines, or at least remaining aware of them in the breach. Following my regimine with reasonable strictness, but not extreme care.
1. Previously I was doing a very rigorous, experimental, cautious approach. I'd been trained to retreat when confronted with pain because I'd learned that the pain/symptoms only increased without limit.
The catalyzing decision was to change approaches, to intuition, via the meditational technique of "manifestation." It is described elsewhere, so I won't discuss it here. Suffice it to say that all my behavior changes resulted from this new strategy.
I attempted to manifest a cure, and simply behaved as intuition dictated.
2. My main source of bacteria was liquid yoghurt. This was the first regimine change I implemented. I started with Yakult and then went to a generic version with lower sugar. I consume huge amounts per day, 1-2 cartons. It's the bulk of my caloric intake.
Initially the yoghurt experiment caused pain and fatigue, probably due to the insane amounts of sugar in Yakult. However it was nowhere near as severe as expected. And there were also positive indicators. So I continued.
To amplify the effect, per Dr. Snow, I bought cow colostrum powder and began eating it together with yoghurt. The combination is addictive, which is why I eat so much of it.
4 & 3: As the expected disaster failed to materialize, I started throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the problem. Stuff I had lying around that I'd tried and then rejected, stuff I'd bought but never tried, and a couple of new purchases.
I had lecithin and magnesium on hand but decided not to use them, the former because it was soy based and that latter because I saw no need.
Here's a list of what all I started taking:
guts:
Lactobin (Chinese brand lactose intolerance pill)
Glutagenics by Metagenics
Colostrum Powder (Chinese brand for pregnant ladies)
Primal Defense probiotics by Garden of Life
liver:
Liver Detoxifier and Regenerator, NOW brand
Liv.52 by Himalaya
Liver Longer (TUDCA)
Tyler Detoxification Factors Phase I and Phase II
sleep:
Liquid Calcium vitamin D, Chinese brand - take first thing in the morning with a meal, to set circadian by mimicking sunlight.
5. Diet - As soon as it was clear the yoghurt wouldn't kill me, I started expanding the diet. I'm mostly steering clear of veggies (insoluble fiber) and fruit (fructose), but eating lots of tubers - sweet potatoes and white. Also tried eggs, cheese, restaurant food, my girlfriend's cooking, garlic, soy sauce, nuts, raisins, fattier meat, sunflower seed oil for cooking, splash of wine, I dunno what else.
Basically I'm just exercising reasonable caution but cheating a lot. For example, eating half a block of chedder cheese by itself didn't make me sick exactly, but did give me the gift of room-clearing farts. I reckon my gut still has to adjust to new food classes, like any normal person's would. E.g., travel to India and you'd have to get used to curry and grease.
Regimine - Still getting sunlight through the windows. Taking the vit D powerfully regularizes circadian. Works much better than melatonin, which I do not recommend - it doesn't seem to provide restful sleep. Still wearing blindfold and earplugs. No longer need to sleep alone.
In general, I don't need to be very strict anymore about either diet or regimine. But for best results, I should at least try. Like, no eating at McDonald's; no staying out late drinking, etc.
OH I almost forgot, weird shit is happening. The tobacco stains on my teeth "fell off", only very faint remnants left. Leaving pearly whites beneath. Pretty sure my body is changing in fundamental ways. I need to stop doing dumb stuff like eating a half block of cheese, though. Kinda exciting, hard to stay moderate.
Also I'm not sure if it's healthy or reasonable to be drinking QUITE this much yoghurt. (He said, having just finished a 2kg carton.) But I find it difficult to stop.
Anyway my dumps are solid for the first time in recent memory. Aaaaand that concludes the TMI.
I am already taking liv.52 by himalya and lots of good probiotics. I think the most important think which helped you is Primal Defense probiotics by Garden of Life
these are very powerfull soil based probiotics which can kill almost any kind of bacteria in your gut everyone who has taken these probiotics had found almost complete recovery from their problems. Read this link [Edited link out]
There are no negative reviews about this product but you still cant say the product is right or wrong check this reviews
[Edited link out]
[Edited link out]
If you are taking this product try small dose and see the changes
I hear you! I'm 31, female, and was put on Accutane at age 16, for 9 months. For 15 years now, I have had...
1. 9 years of severe depression including 2 suicide attempts. (Very limited depression now, thank goodness!)
2. IBS, chronic, and still getting worse.
3. No hair loss, but my hair actually changed color and texture.
4. Extremely dry skin.
5. Bleeding gums.
6. Ongoing chronic sinusitis.
7. Splitting fingernails.
8. Huge swings in libido.
9. Irritable bladder (NOT a fun one)
10. Probably more I can't even think of
And the kicker...MY ACNE IS BACK WORSE THAN EVER!!! As soon as I hit 29 years old my acne, which had never really gone away anyway, came back worse then ever. I've tried everything on this site and everything else I can find anywhere from several dermatolosists, naturopaths, nutritionists, and allergists. I would NEVER recommend Accutane to anyone!
Now, about the long term problems. I work in health care and strongly strongly believe that detoxes are bad for you. All the gastrointestinal specialists I work with say that there is no such thing as build-up in your colon. Detoxes are extremely hard on your body, and Accutane already compromised your digestive system so why would you want to stress it out more?
Supplements are difficult to digest if you have IBS or any digestive issues, so I recommend trying to get your vitamins, minerals, etc in natural form as often as possible. I take calcium/magensium because I'm now lactose intolerant (thanks Accutane) and iron because I'm genetically low. I cut way back on gluten, dairy and sugars for my digestion, not for my acne, and it has helped a lot.
The best advice I can give on dealing with your skin side effects is to seek out a MEDICAL ESTHETICIAN. They are trained to work with people who have had plastic surgery, skin grafts, surgery, etc. They use medical grade stuff and are trained in how the internal body works with the skin. Sometimes they work in dermatologists offices, sometimes in spas (ya, I know, I was skeptical too). Check out their credentials and go see one. Mine has made a huge difference in reducing the acne that came storming back and in starting to heal and rehydrate my skin. For the first time in 15 years I have hope that one day (hopefully soon), I will have mostly healthy and mostly acne free skin.
As to the rest of the ways Accutane has ruined my body and life, I keep hoping for that too. Stress does play a huge role in our overall health, so one of the best things I have done was learn how to be ok with feeling crappy all the time and having a face that looked like half-cooked ground beef. I actually walked around my regular life without make-up for a month...that was a sickening experience at first, but eventually I got used to it and realised that people don't run away screaming, and the jerks who actual do comment on your acne, are just jerks regardless.
Best of luck...and down with Accutane.
Hey,
I'm curious to know:
Did you do anything to deal with your depression or did it just subside?
Several points to make:
1. Reversal of strategy, from logic to intuition
2. Primary emphasis on bacterial intake
3. Secondary emphasis on intestinal support
4. Tertiary emphasis on liver support
5. Eating generally within paleo / IBS guidelines, or at least remaining aware of them in the breach. Following my regimine with reasonable strictness, but not extreme care.
1. Previously I was doing a very rigorous, experimental, cautious approach. I'd been trained to retreat when confronted with pain because I'd learned that the pain/symptoms only increased without limit.
The catalyzing decision was to change approaches, to intuition, via the meditational technique of "manifestation." It is described elsewhere, so I won't discuss it here. Suffice it to say that all my behavior changes resulted from this new strategy.
I attempted to manifest a cure, and simply behaved as intuition dictated.
2. My main source of bacteria was liquid yoghurt. This was the first regimine change I implemented. I started with Yakult and then went to a generic version with lower sugar. I consume huge amounts per day, 1-2 cartons. It's the bulk of my caloric intake.
Initially the yoghurt experiment caused pain and fatigue, probably due to the insane amounts of sugar in Yakult. However it was nowhere near as severe as expected. And there were also positive indicators. So I continued.
To amplify the effect, per Dr. Snow, I bought cow colostrum powder and began eating it together with yoghurt. The combination is addictive, which is why I eat so much of it.
4 & 3: As the expected disaster failed to materialize, I started throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the problem. Stuff I had lying around that I'd tried and then rejected, stuff I'd bought but never tried, and a couple of new purchases.
I had lecithin and magnesium on hand but decided not to use them, the former because it was soy based and that latter because I saw no need.
Here's a list of what all I started taking:
guts:
Lactobin (Chinese brand lactose intolerance pill)
Glutagenics by Metagenics
Colostrum Powder (Chinese brand for pregnant ladies)
Primal Defense probiotics by Garden of Life
liver:
Liver Detoxifier and Regenerator, NOW brand
Liv.52 by Himalaya
Liver Longer (TUDCA)
Tyler Detoxification Factors Phase I and Phase II
sleep:
Liquid Calcium vitamin D, Chinese brand - take first thing in the morning with a meal, to set circadian by mimicking sunlight.
5. Diet - As soon as it was clear the yoghurt wouldn't kill me, I started expanding the diet. I'm mostly steering clear of veggies (insoluble fiber) and fruit (fructose), but eating lots of tubers - sweet potatoes and white. Also tried eggs, cheese, restaurant food, my girlfriend's cooking, garlic, soy sauce, nuts, raisins, fattier meat, sunflower seed oil for cooking, splash of wine, I dunno what else.
Basically I'm just exercising reasonable caution but cheating a lot. For example, eating half a block of chedder cheese by itself didn't make me sick exactly, but did give me the gift of room-clearing farts. I reckon my gut still has to adjust to new food classes, like any normal person's would. E.g., travel to India and you'd have to get used to curry and grease.
Regimine - Still getting sunlight through the windows. Taking the vit D powerfully regularizes circadian. Works much better than melatonin, which I do not recommend - it doesn't seem to provide restful sleep. Still wearing blindfold and earplugs. No longer need to sleep alone.
In general, I don't need to be very strict anymore about either diet or regimine. But for best results, I should at least try. Like, no eating at McDonald's; no staying out late drinking, etc.
OH I almost forgot, weird shit is happening. The tobacco stains on my teeth "fell off", only very faint remnants left. Leaving pearly whites beneath. Pretty sure my body is changing in fundamental ways. I need to stop doing dumb stuff like eating a half block of cheese, though. Kinda exciting, hard to stay moderate.
Also I'm not sure if it's healthy or reasonable to be drinking QUITE this much yoghurt. (He said, having just finished a 2kg carton.) But I find it difficult to stop.
Anyway my dumps are solid for the first time in recent memory. Aaaaand that concludes the TMI.
Thanks for posting.
I bet it's good to eat more than rice for every meal 
I take Liv. 52 and the NOW liver detoxifier/regenerator and those alone have done nothing.
Because of the common link to digestive issues, I've always thought there needed to be something done about that.
After Christmas last year, I spent £100 on VSL #3 Probiotics (900 billion live bacteria per day) and saw no results.
You may recall mentioning Glutagenics. A girl on a forum had written about Accutane and had allergies/sensitivities to everything but cherries (random).
She said VSL#3, Glutagenics and a good diet helped her recover, though she was still buying these each month and that's obviously not cheap.
Can you please remind me/us what you're problems were, and why you believe yourself to be healed?
This seems a bit out of the blue.
I know you had brain-fog, depression, digestive problems ... I can't remember what else(?)
When did you start this, and would you say all of the supplements are important?
I picked up some Yakult's today from Tesco.
7 tiny bottles for £2 (and they were on offer).
I know you don't live in the UK, but do you buy these in bulk or take a lot of little bottles of the stuff?
They taste good anyway.
I could easily have 10 a day, though money may not permit that.
I take colostrum, in capsule form, by NOW.
In fact, most of my supplements are made by NOW.
Seeing how I've never seen so much as a whisper of improvement, I don't really trust the company for quality.
I'm sure most of the supplements you list are on iHerb.
How much do you estimate all this costs?
And do you think you're cured or temporarily experiencing relief?
Are you really saying you're having 2 KG of yoghurt a day?
Did you end up paying Dr. Snow for advice?
Cheers
Indy
Karan:
I have long been searching for a fermented food that I could eat in bulk. The 2kg of yoghurt I ate today is representative of my normal daily intake.
Eating fermented foods containing live bacteria is extremely good for you. My improvement trend began when I was still drinking Yakult only, which I do not recommend due to the sugar content.
I believe massive live culture (non pill) bacterial intake is the primary factor in my recovery.
More specifically, given the similarities between my facial features and Amud Neanderthals', I intuitively shifted my diet towards a cave herder template. Lacking the gene necessary to digest raw milk, Neanderthals fermented their milk into yoghurt and cheese in the cool backs of their caves. I imagine the Mongolians may do something similar today. Despite being lactose intolerant, I am able to tolerate an incredibly high ratio of yoghurt in my diet.
I had assumed storebought yoghurt would not work due to already demonstrated sensitivities to lactose, sugar, artificial and processed foods, fat, etc. I decided to give it a trial after it worked to reduce a family member's (milder) IBS symptoms.
Previous failed fermented food attempts include self-fermented kombucha, apple cider vinegar, and kimchi. Either I am simply better adapted to yoghurt, or I failed to push through the pain period. I suspect a combination of both.
In sum, I do not credit the pills. Rather, the yoghurt allowed me to digest the pills, which then provided further assistance.
I expect that a pill and powder only regimine would not work for me without following Dr. Snow's protocol, which involves extremely judicious selection of products and requires refrigerated probiotics.