My SO has been suffering from acid reflux + poor sleep quality for years. He has tried many things along the way: Melatonin/ meditation/ acupuncture point massage/ zero caffeinated drinks and etc. You name it and none seems to improve his wellbeing in general.
He is also taking GAVISCON, managed to control the reflux symptoms, but need to take after every meal and LONG TERM.

After much research, we figured that he should try taking probiotics to improve his gut health and hopefully overall health.

We went to the 'pharmacy street' in one of the busy neighborhoods. Little did we know, there are so many types/ brands and price range, and every pharmacy seems to carry quite a different product range.

We did some homework before going, but we were still dazzled by the range and hardselling salesperson lol.
Some of the things to consider when buying the probiotics:
- cfu (ideally the higher the better)
- storage conditions (buying online may not be ideal because u dunno whether it was exposed under the hot sun before reaching to you)
- bacteria strains (if got special conditions, might want to look for those with specific strains)
- prebiotics (ideally better to have to encourage growth of the good bacteria)

Most of the salesperson are just trying to sell it to you, "this one good", "many ppl bought this", and I doubt a pharmacist would be in a better position to consult, because
- there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to gut microbiome
- they don't have your lab report
- they won't know what good bacteria is lacking in your gut

What is more these things are not cheap, and it takes time to consume until u experience the effect. I feel that the general public are inadequately informed, but the market for probiotics are RAMPANT!

Looking for more discussion amidst the probiotics trends.
QUESTIONS:
- What probiotics are u taking?
- what reasons making u start taking?
- experience any health improvement so far?

have your SO tried exercising?

I heard sleeping on you left can help to minimise acid reflux.

Edit: Google got me these.

How do I get rid of reflux acid?
10 home remedies for heartburn
Eat a ripe banana. ...
Chew sugar-free gum. ...
Keep a food journal and avoid trigger foods. ...
Resist the urge to overeat or eat quickly. ...
Avoid late meals, snacking before bed and eating before exercising. ...
Wear loose-fitting clothing. ...
Adjust your sleep position.

This post has been edited by dreign: May 7 2022, 11:46 PM

He exercises at least once a week.

As above. He has tried most of the methods available online but no significant improvement. Hence we resort to probiotics, cos supposed gut health will affect your sleep also.

I saw on a show talking about microbacteria(good and bad type) in our gut are different from a person to another. (you mention gut this come in to my mind, dont know why)
if you can understand cantonese(its a HK show) I can pass you the link. They talk mostly colon cancer(this might be your case) and gut.

Addon: Or maybe can try :

Less oily/spicy/asam food
avoid red meat
less process food
do not eat too full
less caffeine and alcohol
try this a week or 2 and see got improvement.

This post has been edited by dreign: May 8 2022, 03:14 PM

Yes, even twins will not have the same set of gut bacteria.

Come back to my original question in this post:

Since everyone has a unique set of gut bacteria, it is not as easy as like testing your blood glucose, cholesterol range.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TYPE OF PROBIOTICS SUITS YOU?

Not doctor, but common person. youtube search doctor berg + your many symptom keywords

the things he suggested is safe like diet mainly I have cold sweaty palm and feet if i get a lil hot/cold indoor
he helped me more than any dumb shit i paid for IN REAL LIFE.

best quality source probiotic is from wholefood not supplement. have you tried kimchi? google it

once per week exercise isnt that high. try more frequently but low intensity like walk and stretch. tho exercise not going to help acid reflux much.

mainly diet change most impactful and moderate water

supplement in malaysia isnt controlled, wholefood always the best quality and safest and cheaper consider it price for a meal

I saw this video too! The CNA series are good and timely.
Probiotic food mentioned:
1) Idly
2) Pu-er tea
3) Natto (a nay for my SO too!)
4) Miso

$200+ for the gut test
Can we get this test in Msia?

I agree that best source of probiotics comes from wholefood.
but desperate time calls for desperate measures, hence we resort to probiotic supplement.

Apple cider vinegar each morning diluted with water. Drink through a straw. Within a week reflux will have eased or gone.

This one?

They have a research study with Monash Malaysia.

https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=5284451&hl=

Sounds to me he is fat. Lose weight and have routine sleeping time and he will be fine. Get his H.pylori bacteria checked also. I heard there is a special pillow for reflux treatment. Avoid supper too

Haha he is very thin and in fact underweight. When he didn't sleep well, he loses weight some more. And his sleep problem is a chronic one, since young a light sleeper and may have been worsen due to his job nature.
We are also thinking about the possibility of H. Pylori, do you know where can we do such check?

This post has been edited by Alocasia: Jul 18 2022, 05:28 PM

Think any like BP lab can do the test but must be fasted and cannot take any gastric medicine 1 week at least or antibiotic for 1 month. Better ask him do a scope. Safer

Since he is very thin and got such symptoms, better do scope.

Ok thanks.
Can scope tell whether there's H. Pylori infection?

Yes this is good brand.

Probiotic can be expensive. Some brands easily RM100 plus and barely last a month. Problem is they sit on shelf of store and home and lose their potency so by the time you buy them they are not much use.

How about trying kefir? Is similar to yogurt. Can buy it cheaply in supermarkets now, just a plain one no flavour. Have a couple of spoons of that per day

Can. Scope is the most accurate