As I promised in my last post, I thought I would take the time to give a complete review of Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance Dietary Supplement/Probiotics. This doesn’t have an effect on my Cholinergic Urticaria, but it works wonders for my stomach and digestion.
First, just let me briefly say that I am NOT getting paid to write this review (I wish), nor do I work for this company in any way. I don’t even own stock (although it is worth buying stock in). This is an honest review and experience.
My Brief Story of Symptoms and Issues of IBS
My symptoms could probably be best described as having IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Basically, I was forced to eat the most raw and boring foods that you can imagine to avoid stomach pain. If I ate anything with too much artificial chemicals, any milk at all, and even wheat products, I would be a mess.
It would usually start about 3-5 hours after I ate the foods (although sometimes it would be the next day). I would suddenly start getting these terrible stomach cramps. They would be so bad, that I would get chills, sometimes feel as if I would throw up, and be bent over with pain. I would also have very bad diarrhea at this point.
It would be worst when I used the bathroom. My bowel movements were normal on days when I ate normal foods (a very strict diet). But if I ate any bad foods, gas, bloating, cramping, and diarrhea would soon follow. Also, I would usually have a bowel movement daily (sorry for being so personal, but I thought I would throw that in for anyone who has these symptoms too).
This has bothered me on and off for years, and recently I had a terrible attack and felt sick the entire day. It affected me so badly, I actually went on a complete water fast for 2 days! It finally allowed my stomach to rest, but certainly didn’t eliminate my dairy and food problems. I decided I would give Digestive Advantage another shot, as I remembered I had good results in the past..
Enter the Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance Therapy-My Review
This stuff is incredible! They also make something for Crohn’s and IBS, but this works great for me (I have never tried the others). I first heard of this product when I was researching lactose intolerance pills. I had finally concluded that milk/dairy was definitely one food that was causing the symptoms (among others). I came across this product, and the product reviews on Amazon.com were so good I actually suspected they were fake!
So for less than $8 for about a month’s supply, I thought, “Why Not?” I gave them a shot. The results were incredible. First, you have to take them for a couple of days. The box recommends taking 2 for your first few days, and then eating 1 daily (or 2 if you have really bad digestion).
So I would stay away from bad foods until you have a chance to get this stuff in your system for about 2-5 days, then test it. The pills themselves come individually wrapped in a small paper-like wrapping that is easy to open, and great if you need to carry an extra one or two with you in your pocket. The pills are small and blue, and relatively easy to swallow. They don’t really leave an aftertaste or anything in my opinion.
I usually take one every morning on days when I will eat normal non-symptom causing foods. If, however, I eat something like a big cheesy pizza, I usually take 1 or 2 more pills right before I eat the pizza. It works like a charm.
My stool is perfect (no diarrhea). I get NO stomach cramps. I get very little gas (and that is only with certain foods, and Beano or Gas X will solve that issue). So this is nothing short of incredible. I can eat like a teenager again!
Another interesting thing to note, is that I would usually have a bowel movement daily. The stool would often be somewhat loose and almost diarrhea consistently (but mostly solid). This was on “normal” days before taking this product. Of course, if I had some bad foods, I would have terrible cramps and go 2-3 times if necessary.
This product has actually changed my bowel habits to once every 1 1/2-2 days, which is a bit odd. It also makes my stool the recommended “perfect” consistency that most doctors describe. So I found that odd how it changed my bowel habits to about ever 2 days instead of 1. But hey, it works for me!
Before I took this stuff, if I ate a slice of pizza, ice cream, or anything else, I would be in severe pain a few hours later. It was so psychological that I avoided those foods completely for almost a year. No so anymore.
I am able to eat pizza (I did this week), chocolate, cookies, and anything else. I get no stomach problems, my digestion feels incredible and more.
What is the secret? It has an AWESOME probiotic in it, and also the lactase enzyme thing to help with dairy. This probiotic is way better than any other priobiotic I have taken before. I tried the Phillips Colon health one, and it didn’t do anything. Digestive Advantage, however, works like a charm. It quickly became obvious that the Amazon.com reviews were for real, and even inspired me to write this.
I have noticed one thing though: In the past, I thought I would be cheap and avoid taking the pill to save money unless I ate some milk foods. For example, if I knew I would only eat veggies that day, I wouldn’t take one. I wouldn’t take one for days at a time unless I had some milk/dairy or something.
This is a mistake. Instead, take at least 1 daily to keep a good supply of this probiotic in your guts. I learned that the hard way. As long as I do that, it works every time. If I skip days or take them sporadically, they aren’t as effective because the little “bugs” won’t be there to break down the foods. So keep them coming to ensure stable digestion. Otherwise, if you do take a break and stop taking them, start taking them for at least 2-3 days before eating something “bad” again.
Conclusion: Digestive Advantage Actually Works!
This has given me my “food” life back. I can eat the foods that are good again. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t over do it. It isn’t like I eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But as long as I eat relatively healthy on most days and take this pill, I can eat pizza and other foods with no problems.
For less than $8 bucks a month, it is so worth being able to eat my favorite snacks. Not only that, but the company even offers coupons and free samples from time to time so you can try it yourself for free or cheap.
So that is my experience, and if anyone out there has digestion issues like I describe, or have lactose intolerance (or even Crohn’s, IBS, or Ulcerative Colitis), you may want to give this a shot. Ask your doctor first, and use it for a few days before testing it out (and start slowly with small portions just in case).
In fact, I even heard some GI doctors actually recommend this a lot to patients, along with a few other brands. So it is SO worth it, it is reasonably priced, and I love it.
I definitely recommend this product, and I pray that they never go out of business! I need my pizza every few weeks.
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Posted under Diet
This post was written by Ben on June 25, 2009
