“Probiotics fill your body with (good) bacteria, antibiotics kill all bacteria. That’s right, ALL bacteria. So even if all you want to target are the bacteria involved in an infection, the good ones are swept off stage as well.
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This is why you often see people (and especially children) on antibiotics course after course after course. To break that cycle you need to start replenishing your gut with good bacteria.
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Well, does your child have any recurring colds or infections? What about allergies and eczema or other persistent skin issues? Those are indications of a weakened immune system and as mentioned the first line of defense is the gut.
Breastfeeding is excellent for a good gut flora for your child, especially if you are on probiotics yourself. However if your baby was born with a cesarean it is likely that you will need to supplement them with probiotics. Babies born with a cesarean miss out on vital good bacteria that are picked up through vaginal birth.
Likewise children that have not been breastfed (very long) or have had any course of antibiotics would do really well on a course of probiotics.
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However, unfortunately it is not just as simple as taking probiotics. Friendly bacteria are not going to hang around if the environment is not good and this will often be the case where diet is poor and includes much sugar, or when you have had several courses of antibiotics. To make probiotics flourish it is therefore important to use a pre-biotic.
An example of such a pre-biotic is Molkosan by Vogel. Molkosan is a lactic acid and lactic acid has three brilliant functions:
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Kill bad bacteria
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Feed good bacteria
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Help good bacteria reproduce
It is noteworthy that good bacteria themselves produce lactic acid!
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For those that are lactose intolerant, do not be put off by the words lactic acid. Molkosan is lactose, sugar and gluten free.
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Which probiotics and how?
There are two brands of probiotics I like and use in my family and clinic. However, there are many brands out there and my advice would be to get one for adults that contains at least 10 billion viable organisms (20 is even better) for a few months and then having a maintenance probiotic containing 5 billion. For your new born look for a specialist probiotic containing 10 billion as well if they had a rough start or are not breast fed, and for one with 4 billion otherwise. Your toddler can have a probiotic with 2 billion viable organisms. If you are breastfeeding you can put the probiotic powder on your nipple while nursing. To make it easier for children to take probiotics there are plenty of brands that have exciting flavors.
My recommendations:
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Optibac Extra Strength – for mom (and dad!)
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Optibac For Babies and Children – for relatively healthy babies, toddlers and children. For babies I recommend the Biocare products.
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Optibac For Those on Antibiotics – if you haven’t had many courses of antibiotics this is a good one to take during and/or afterwards. For others I recommend the Extra Strength for a longer period of time or the higher dosages of probiotics by Biocare.
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Biocare Baby Bioflora – for babies from birth onwards
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Biocare AnteNatal – for women during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester.
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Biocare Acidophilus – for mom (and dad!)
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Biocare BioAcidophilus – a 7 day course after having had antibiotics.
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Biocare Children’s Banana or Strawberry Acidophilus – for children from 6 months old
Why I like Biocare: their probiotics have been researched and tested in clinical trials with pregnant women and babies. Their studies also have been published in peer reviewed papers.
Why I like Optibac: their probiotcs are shelf stable, meaning they do no need to be kept in the fridge to guarantee the amount of viable organisms in their product. They too have done clinical trials on some of their products.”
By Ingefleur Spreij
Full article link below:
Capucine Chapelier-Dehesdin 