IBS And Yogurt - Does Yogurt Help?

So you've got IBS and yogurt has been recommended to you. Is it good for you?

Well, yes and no. And here's why...

...yogurt contains "good" bacteria cultures. Your Irritable Bowel Syndrome may have been caused by antibiotics, poor diet, etc. that killed the naturally occurring good bacteria in your digestive tract. So, simply put, eating yogurt puts these important bacteria back where they belong. But, here's why yogurt may also be not good for you...

Milk does not do a body good...

Yogurt also contains milk. Milk is hard to digest, and that causes a big variety of digestive issues. Milk also causes phlegm in most people. That phlegm can gunk up your system, leading to big problems, including digestive ones.

And, if you're lactose intolerant... whoa boy! Milk can be a real nightmare, causing diarrhea, cramps, bloating and gas. Get the picture?

So what do I do?

I feel the best approach is to follow the time-proven principles from Oriental medicine discussed on this site (see Cures For IBS ) and used with my own patients. Additionally, if you feel a need to add the "good" bacteria back into your system due to antibiotic use, poor diet, etc...

...rather than yogurt, consider using "probiotics" that you can buy at the natural food store.

The word probiotic means "for life"... as compared to antibiotic ("against life"). When you consider that you have lots of important "life" inside of you (I.e. bacteria and micro-organisms), taking antibiotics when you don't have a life-threatening infection doesn't sound like such a good idea, does it?

Probiotics are products that put the good bacteria back in your gut. They are regularly fed to livestock to improve digestion and overall health. Due to the impact of "big pharma", doctors don't apply the same logic to humans as veterinarians apply to other animals... but yes, humans may benefit from probiotics, too.

You may notice some side effects that come from your body getting rid of toxins (that's a good thing). These can include headache, diarrhea, bloating or constipation. Since some of these are similar to IBS symptoms, bear in mind that they may last for some time, but are usually temporary.

The Bottom Line On IBS And Yogurt...

... if you've got IBS and yogurt, with all its benefits, sounds like a good idea, try probiotics instead. You can buy probiotics at nearly every health food, vitamin and drug store.

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