Natural Probiotic Suggestions

Hello. I know the Bastyr University recently did a study on probiotics and found that most of the store bought versions did not contain active cultures, and therefore did not do anything. I don't know all of the brands that were amoung the few that they found that did contain active cultures, but my Naturopath (who informed me of the study) suggests taking "HLC Probiotics" by Pharmax. I got them for my son too, which is just a little container with the powder (no capsules), so you can just mix it with drinks or applesauce or oatmeal. You might be able to find it in a local health food store or vitamin store, but I know you can also find it online. (Just a side note to always keep probiotics refrigerated to keep the cultures active.)

Adding yogurt is obviously a good thing to do for good probiotics, but all brands have different strands and potencies, so be sure to check the labels for higher levels of lactobacillus and/or bifidobacterium. I've heard two other foods high in these "good" bacteria are tempeh and miso, if your daughter will eat either of those.

I also suggest taking your daughter to see a family or pediatric naturopath for her condition. My family and I started seeing one about 4 years back and I cannot tell you how much happier and more confident we are with our health care since then. To me, Naturopath's are what I always wanted my doctor to be. They take time to really listen, and find REAL solutions for your body that help rebalance it naturally rather than medicating it. To many people, it sounds all tree-huggerish, but it's really not about that. I've had some very conservative friends switch over to Naturopath's recently to try and find better solutions for particular health issues, and they've all been impressed and happy since. Maybe you'll give it a try - at least for your daughter's condition? To note, some (though sadly not all) insurance carriers do cover Naturopath's, though not usually the supplements.

I don't know of any Naturopath's in your area, but I'm sure you can post something up here and ask other moms in your area, or you can try to look one up.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

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I'd give her lots of yogurt to eat. Be sure the label says "live and active cultures. Some say "made with active cultures" which doesn't ensure tht they are still alive. Even that doesn't ensure that it has probiotics. Look for a list of probiotics on the label. Ex: Lactobacillus rhamnosus etc.

There was an article on probiotics in yesterday"s Oregonian How We Live section.

If no one answers a specific pill to buy, talk with the health person at Good Seasons or the other "natural foods" store. I can't remember it's name. A naturopath probably could help you too.

I sympathize with you. I had chronic UTIs and yeast infections for about a year when I was in my 30's. Then they just stopped. I used panty liners to catch the drips. I don't know if that would help with 4 yo even if you cut them down.

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Your daughter is probably just as frustrated as you are, or will be soon. I really would recommend taking her to a Naturopathic Doctor.
If it does turn out to be a physical issue then that's a different route, but you don't go there first.
A good Naturopathic Doc will know what to do and will know how long it should take to see results, and when to refer.
You can't be sure by just giving her probiotics that you are actually treating everything, since the yeast infection is the most recent development. The fact that she has had urinary tract issues most of her life needs to be addressed by a professional that gives it the importance she deserves. Of course that's just my opinion :) I also highly highly recommend Dr Kelly Jennings at Urban Wellness, www.urbanwellnesspdx.com in SE PDX, if you want somewhere to start.

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Yogurt, asidophylis (sp?) milk have the healthy bacteria that she needs. There are also supplements in vitamin form. Good luck!

Good Belly Probiotic drink! It is absolutely amazing, and restores the body back to normal in a few days. All natural and millions of live cultures in each drink...they are small, and come in a couple different kid friendly flavors. Worked great for my kiddos. I know they are at Safeway, but not sure where else. They are by the yogurt.

One thing that can cause yeast infections is antibiotics and some other medications. Has she been given antibiotics for her urinary issues?? If so, it could have thrown her natural yeast balance off. ABout 10 years ago I had strep throat and the doctor double dosed me on penicillin and as a result I battled yeast infections for about a year. Finally the doctor suggested that I either eat a cup of yogurt a day or eat acidophilus tablets. They help promote a healthy bacterial balance in the intestinal tract. I didn't have another yeast infection after that.
Go check out either the nutritional section of your grocery store or the pharmacy section. They should have some flavored chewables easily eaten by youngsters.... good luck!!

The only advice that I know of came from a physician I saw years ago. She told me to take vitamin C (in addition the the multivitamin I was taking), so I did. I haven't had a yeast infection since!

Most probiotics are "friendly" by nature. What you need to do to make it more "kid-friendly" is reduce the dosage to suit her age. 1 capsule per day should be fine. You will need to open up the capsule and mix contents with water, juice or yogurt (no hot liquids, though!). Also, it would be good to reduce her intake of foods that create a yeast-supporting environment like: cheese, dairy, sugar, white flour products, etc.

One brand I like and find is good quality through personal experience is Jarrow Formulas' "Jarro-Dophilus + FOS: 6 Beneficial Strains", which you can buy at most health food stores including New Seasons and Whole Foods, in the refrigerated supplement section.

If you are interested in more information, feel free to contact me through my website (I am a health counselor): www.flowtohealth.net

-K.

C.,
I have two suggestions for you. The first is to give her yogurt. If you can get plain without sugar and put fresh fruit in it for a better taste that works great. I also use plain yogurt in place of mayonaise for tuna salad. With sweet pickle relish added for sweetness. Our boys love it. The second suggestion is to stop giving her foods that are made with yeast and/or molds. This would be breads, mushrooms, processed foods and some cheeses. Check the labels. I know it sounds awful to stop giving a child things they like, but in our family yeast in breads is a major trouble spot. Also, try checking with a Naturopath about this. They can do tests for candidiasis. You can also get information about this on the internet. Candidiasis encyclopedia topics under http://www.reference.com/search?q=Candidiasis

Best of luck to you. I have been there more than once.

Try kefir. You can buy it at the health food store or Fred Meyer, or you can get grains (try www.kefirlady.com) and make your own for the cost of the milk. I might have some extra grains available by the end of August (they grow; but I've got a back-up of people wanting grains that I don't have yet). Research kefir. It is one of the best sources of probiotics available, and it actually populates the gut, unlike yogurt, which provides transitory probiotics. Also it has good yeasts that attack bad yeasts in the body.

My other suggestion would be to go to a naturopathic doctor. I can recommend Katherine Zieman in Gresham (google her). She is in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think she might be able to help you, if you're close enough to make it worth while going. If not, look up someone local.

There are lots of probiotics on the market for children. We give our daughter a chewable as well as make sure she has live culture yogurt (which we make at home, so it isn't sugary) a couple of times a week. She's two and also has had urinary tract issues.

My main recommendation is to seek out a Naturopath for a consultation. It probably won't be covered by your insurance, but it might be totally worth it, if you are willing to try a few things. It seems like so many of these issues can be solved with little tweaks in diet and a supplement or two. It could be solved by something as simple as eliminating a couple of foods. Your situation sounds very frustrating, and I imagine its tough for you two on many levels. Good Luck!!!

I see that the two main things that I would have told you to use yogurt and acidophilus tablets have been pretty well discussed in the replies you have already received so I won't even go in to those now. There is one thing that no on mentioned. When my daughter was younger (she is 40 now) we had the same problem with yeast infections every time she turned around and her doctor was even considering exploratory surgery to find the problem. Then I talked to a neighbor of mine and she asked me about what kind of TOILET PAPER I was using. When I told her what kind (it had some pretty designs) she told me to go to using a plain white toilet paper that had no designs and/or colors in it and NO DYES or SCENTS. At that time I switched to MD White but now you can find several toilet paper brands that have no dyes in them and no scents. I believe now you could even find toilet paper that is unbleached and that would probably help to. When I did the simple act of changing my toilet paper all my daughters problems stopped. The doctors could not believe it but they admitted I was right. My daughter got to the point that she would take her own roll of toilet paper wherever she went just so she had what she needed when she needed it. She even took her own roll to her babysitters not knowing that I had already given the babysitter several rolls just for her. Since that time I have never had colored or scented toilet paper in my house; it isn't worth anyone having a problem.

I don't know what to say about your daughters dribbles but I can tell you that my son had them well in to his teenage years and wet the bed at night until that time. The doctor said that he was just a very sound sleeper (which he was) and since his bladder did not relax until he was in a sound sleep he ended up with a wet bed for many years. He didn't have many problems durring the day time when he was awake because he could usually get to a bathroom in time then unless he just dilly dallied to much when he was playing and ignored the urges to go to the bathroom immediately.

I hope that you are able to get this problem solved soon for both yours and your daughters sakes. By the way there are some mini panti liners out there for us women that you may be able to use in her underwear without having to cut them down and that could save her some embarrassment.

Yogurt in my opinion is the best and easiest way to get them in to kids, Trader Joes, activia, most of them have live active culture in them.

Natural things to treat yeast infection are yogurt and cranberry juice.

If you are close to a Super Supplements store they have wonderful help and resources. Also get some plain yogurt that has live acidophilus and bifulus in it. You can add pureed fruit if you want, but sugar is a no, no for yeast infections. Give it to her every meal. Never-never let her "wait" to go the the bathroom. When she has to go, go. Tell her day care teacher and when she gets in school about this problem. Eventually she will learn to take care of it herself.

I second jogurt. Find a kind that has NOTHING added (just milk and maybe powdered milk) - no starches, sugar or other c...

Also if you are not already doing this keep all soap away from her privates. No bubble bath. Wash with water only and always wipe front to back.

4.5 it is not too uncommon to have accidents and UTI's at that age are pretty common too, however if she has a history with this, get her evaluated by a pediatric urologist to make sure there are no underlying issues like congenital or hereditary defects that have gone unnoticed.

Good Luck!

I wanted to address the constant dribbles - my son had this, and it took him YEARS to be diagnosed with an over-active bladder. Apparently his bladder was very sensitive and it would spasm and release the urine - beyond his control. When it was finally diagnosed he was helped by bladder relaxers. Then he was able to get off the medication with acupuncture. So my advice is to be very patient with her... it may indeed be beyond her control. I certainly regret any harshness I felt toward my son during those years of "accidents."
I do think probiotics are a very good idea. My favorite one is "Culturelle."

While I definitely recommend Yogurt and such for yeast infections..I do wonder with such a history if you've had her tested for type 1 diabetes. (Juvenile Onset). While its one more worry I am sure, at the same time it would rule that out..and its a simple finger prick...don't bother with the sugary drink test..its not that accurate. Have them do the finger stick..also have them test her urine for keotones (stuff that comes out with high blood sugars).

Other than that..I suggest having her soak in a warm bath and add about a cup of apple cider vinegar to it. Let her soak for awhile longer..(do it while you are helping her scrub to avoid the eyes. Rinse well..no soap in that are). Use cotton panties. With my daughter having sensitive skin (and most of the rest of us too) we use Arm and Hammer Free (no scents or dyes) and that is all we use, except the occasional bleach.

Avoid most dairy except yogurt for a little while. (You can add fruit and granola and all kinds of stuff to just plain or vanilla yogurt). Keep the sugar in check though..yeast feeds on it. Plenty of liquids. Also, try to make a game of it a little (I know its no game) but when she goes, try to get her to stop her stream. This will help strengthen the muscles a bit and help her hold longer. She needs to empty her bladder completely..and that will help too..more will build up and more will come out feasibly. Good luck :)

I apologize if this is a repeat - I didn't read all the previous posts. I use Jarrow-Dophilus + FOS and I sprinkle a teaspoon over my girls' applesauce, cottage cheese, smoothies, or yogurt. We also buy Helios brand (I've been warned against other brands) Kefir from Central Market. My girls like the strawberry flavor the best.

I battled UTI's, bladder, and yeast infections from my teens until I learned about the nutrition side and cut way back on processed breads, pastas, and sugar. Now I haven't had a problem for a long time, but I still keep up with my Cranberry liqui-gel once a week, and take it once a day if I feel something coming on or know I've OD'd on sugar and processed foods.

I would concentrate on using this opportunity to teach her how what we put into our bodies directly relates to how we feel. My girls are very aware - without being paranoid - of what is good for them and what we can only eat once in a while.

I saw you had some suggestions from others to find a naturopathic doctor. We love our ND, and rest assured, they take all the same courses as an MD, only they don't learn all the pharmaceutical medications. They learn how to treat the cause rather than the symptom with things that aid the body in taking care of the problem itself, rather than harming it more with the ingredients in a drug.

Blessings!

Hi, I agree with the ideas about the naturopath and acupuncture as well as looking for probiotics, but I would also at least consider that it could be a physiological abnormality. My sister had an extra kidney and urethra that wasn't diagnosed until she had kidney stones at 13. Her extra urethra bypassed her bladder and drained straight out of her so she literally had not control over all her accidents and lived for years with my parents being frustrated with her. At a very young age (about 6 or 7) she started doing her own laundry and we all sort of forgot about her accidents...so this is not to scare you (my sister had a short surgery and is completely better now), but just to say there are all sorts of weird reasons that this might be happening...

We use probiotic straws because of food allergies (the allergies exclude yogurt and all other supplements I've found). They're made by BioGaia and they have a drop of probiotic suspended in a tiny bit of canola oil. You put them in the kid's favorite drink.

I can't find them locally, but if you call Target's pharmacy they will order them for you so you don't have to pay shipping.

Our naturopath prescribed bifidus and my friend's suggested primadophilus. Both are good for the littler systems. These were prescribed to infants and my daughter's reflux virtually went away after starting it. So, it does work to make the stomach flora much healthier. Go with a powder form and mix it in with yogurt, cereal, smoothie, or other soft, cold food.

Our naturopath is on the west side of Portland and very good. Her name is Lori Beth Stargrove in Beaverton, near the library. If you wish more information, I can pass that on.

Good luck to your little one. I too had problems years ago. I couldn't tell you what they did, too many years have past. But, I do remember being sore and itchy and applying a cream daily.

D.

Ask for a referal to a urologist if you haven't already. At one time I was just like your little girl and they found that my urethra was really short. I grew out of it eventually but I had a lot of accidents, and bladder infections. Also the yeast infection can irritate the urithra and give her bladder infection like symptoms. As a college student I kept having bladder infection after bladder infection until I got my yeast infection diagnosed and cleared up. I haven't had one in 8 years.

Also I know this sounds against common sense but make sure she is well hydrated and drinking lots of water. Concentrated urine is more irritating to the bladder and makes you feel like you need to go more often.

Live culture yogurt is a good way to get the right kind of probiotics for bladder health. I like Nancy's brand.

I have a few suggestions. I've had amazing results doing acupuncture (it was not the placebo affect because I wasn't really expecting it to work!) I know it can help with most things so I'd look for a good acupuncturist in your area to help treat both your dd's cronic UTI's and her yeast infection. you will probably have to take her in several times so ask around for someone who is trained to work with children.
If that's not an option (or in addition to that) here are a couple natural solutions for the UTI's: go to a health food store and buy a homeopathic remedy called Cantharis (ether 6c or 30c). My 4 1/2 yo daughter struggles with UTI's too and I give her this medicine and it helps her significantly The other thing that has been proven to help is taking D-Mannose. It's a form of sugar that attracts E-coli and exits it out of the system. 90% of UTI's are caused by E-coli so the chances are very good that it would clear the problem. Because it's a form of sugar, it's sweet and easy to mix with juice or apple sauce or something. It works really well! here's a link to where I buy it: http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-D-Mannose-with-CranForte-60-V...

Also, for the yeast infection, buy some Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) and mix it with water and spray it on the area. It kills yeast. you can also take it internally by mixing it with OJ (that and grapefruit juice is the only thing that masks the very bitter taste). But mix it very well! it's useful for killing all kinds of anwanted bacteria in the body (our family takes it regularly and the kids don't mind it at all as long as I mix it well). You can also find it very cheap at Vitacost: http://www.vitacost.com/NutriBiotic-GSE-Liquid-Concentrat... the bottle will last you a long time and is useful for many other purposes as well like spraying on produce to wash away unwanted pesticides, etc.
Anyway, good luck!

S.
www.hazelaid.com
All natural, organic, handmade hazelwood necklaces for the relief of eczema, acid reflux, & teething pain for babies and their families.

Poor thing. This is a nasty problem to have.

If I were you first, I would find a good Naturopath. They can find out if a food allergy is causing the yeast problems AND the urinary tract infections. Food allergies can also cause the problems with accidents you mentioned as well.

She may be mildly allergic to either bread or dairy - I'd check those first. My daughter is Celiac (I don't believe yours has the same problem) and had some of the similar problems you described. When I keep her completely wheat free she's much better.

Also, cut out the sugar, and find a powerful probiotic. The ones I recommend (EOS by NOW and Dr. Ohira's Probiotics) are a little hard for children to get down - but she needs a powerful probiotic.

I also discovered, that when you feed a child fermented things (such as salad made with natural vinegar) sauerkraut - this ups the good bacteria as well!

We use Reuteri Primadophilus. It is a powder, refrigerated and found at PCC or Seattle Super SUpplements. It has a sweet taste, so my boys take a does right from the spoon. Good luck.

So sorry you are going through this! My daughter is 3 and she had 4 UTIs in 3 months. (Not all of them grew enough cultures to be a UTI, but we has ALL the symptoms anyway) We recently had to do a VCUG (voiding cystourethrogram) which tests to see if there is any reverse flow of urine into the ureters and kidneys,' which can indicate that your child has vesicoureteral reflux. It turned out that my daughter does have reflux which is why she continually got the UTIs. My daughter did great during the procedure, which we had done at Doernbecher, but I have heard from other people who didn't go to a children's hospital that they wished they would have. If you have ANY other questions please ask! Hope this helps.

I used to have that problem! I quit most sugar and bread, white foods,... Now I eat mostly grains and veggies. Fruit is an occasional treat.
Also try Nancy's yogurt. Nancy's has the most live and active cultures in it. I would just watch out for the sugar content.
Good luck!

maybe others have said this already...but cut out all sugars. I suffer from yeast infections too, and I am also allergic to cane sugar. So there is a huge connection there. Also, you can give acidophalous, there's all kinds of kids vitamins for that. Also, making your own kombucha is wonderful for the enzymes in your child's tummy..it also has a lot of probiotics in it. Good luck!

Hey,

I didn't have time to read all of the responses, but UDOS is a great brand that has a child formula. I would totally recommend them.

D. RYlander

great stuff here--and the TP--I fixed that so long ago I forgot, but the bleaches in a lot of TP burned me I was so sensitive!

also try de-acidifying (you can probably google it) ... maybe all the extreme way, but I mean just the simple way: no citrus (fresh or juice), including pineapple ... stick to pear, apple, and cranberry (especially cranberry) ... relatively 'basic' (as in alkaline) juices ... my naturopath said 'without sugar,' but give me a break, cranberry without sugar??? so we used a low-sugar or watered-down. "used," I said, pff--we STILL stick to basic juices. No more diaper rashes and "owie pees"!

All that said, I had urinary incontinence for a while because of a nerve damage. The dribbles part can probably be helped with Kegel exercises, and if you are desperate (I would be in your shoes), see if you can search up a physical therapist who works with young girls to help them with pelvic floor control.