Dr. Logan on H2S, Fiber and the Gut | Bringing the Heat: An ME/CFS Blog

Dr. Logan on H2S, Fiber and the Gut | Bringing the Heat: An ME/CFS Blog: "common remedy for bacterial overgrowth in the gastrointestinal system involves antibiotics. Yet antibiotics, paradoxically, are sometimes blamed for setting the stage for bacterial overgrowth in the first place. Many people are not surprisingly skeptical about taking antibiotics because of this. How do you go about ensuring that you’re not just making the problem worse?
Indeed, there have been studies showing that antibiotics have reduced small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and improves a variety of symptoms (including brain-related symptoms) in CFS and fibromyalgia. Yet, these are very small studies of small duration. What happens when the antibiotics are stopped and the patients are followed in the long term? We do not know. Given that antibiotics and overuse of acid-blocking medications set the stage for SIBO, I would be inclined to worry about using antibiotics as a means of clearing SIBO. I would be more inclined to use probiotics and enteric-coated peppermint oil.
There are quite a few different kinds of probiotics on the market that feature different kinds of bacteria. Are there certain kinds of bacteria that may be more helpful for the kinds of gastrointestinal issues that chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients face?
Yes, the benefits appear to be strain-specific. If it is for symptoms that resemble that of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) then I would suggest 2 strains of bacteria that have been shown to be helpful for gut-related symptoms – Align (Bifidobacteria infantis 35624) and LactoFlamX (Lactobacillus plantarum 299V). In our University of Toronto study, we used a probiotic made by the Japanese company Yakult. The strain, Lactobacillus casei Shirota had been found previously to improve mental outlook in healthy volunteers who had th"