Saccharomyces boulardii. I recommend it to my own patients when they take antibiotics, and I've even written about it to you here in House Calls.

Dr. Mark Stengler

How probiotics can beat infection 

It's the kind of misinformation that could hurt or even kill people, especially seniors -- and the worst part of all is that this one takes the form of a "study." 

In short, the study claims that probiotics do zip for you when you take antibiotics. They don't prevent diarrhea, and they don't prevent infection with the dangerous Clostridium difficile bacteria. 

But I'm not going to waste your time on the details because the problem isn't what's in the study. 

It's what they left out -- specifically, they didn't include the one probiotic strain scientifically proven to beat diarrhea and C. diff in patients on antibiotics. 

It's a probiotic yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii. I recommend it to my own patients when they take antibiotics, and I've even written about it to you here in House Calls. 

And I'm hardly the only one talking about it. 

Many mainstream docs urge their patients to take S. boulardii when they're on antibiotics. And just a few weeks ago, Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael F. Roizen wrote in their syndicated newspaper column that this probiotic can prevent diarrhea when you take an antibiotic. 

It's safe to say this isn't a secret, heck, it's not even controversial. 

Yet the researchers didn't bother to include S. boulardii at all in their new study, and then had the nerve to claim that probiotics "failed." 

This isn't just dishonest. It's dangerous, because doctors and patients alike will read about this study, and some may choose not to take a probiotic because of it. 

That could put them at risk for diarrhea, which is more than just a minor inconvenience. In some cases it can be severe and dehydrating. And if that diarrhea is caused by C. diff, it could turn deadly -- because these infections kill 14,000 Americans every year. 

Most of these victims are seniors, and nearly all of them had been taking an antibiotic before the infection. 

Antibiotic drugs kill good and bad bacteria alike, including the friendly kind that can help keep C. diff in check. C. diff, however, can withstand those drugs -- and without any good bugs around to keep it in check, it takes over and you get sick. 

This is where S. boulardii enters the picture. 

This little yeast has both the strength to withstand antibiotics and the power to keep C. diff under control -- and that's why it's absolutely critical to make sure you take a probiotic supplement that contains it anytime you're on an antibiotic. 

This isn't optional. This could be a matter of life or death.