Customer Reviews

Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls (90 Capsules)

5 star:		(149)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Update to original review from 9/20/08:

I used these pearls for several years with great results, but that has changed. (Please see my additional followup below)

First let me say that I know what Acidophilus is. But there is no reason that it should have any lactose, if ineed they do. I'm not ALLERGIC to milk, only very sensitive to lactose, huge difference. But there are people out there with milk allergies, so this is important.

I don't know if this new labeling is a cover-your-butt legal thing or if there really IS milk/lactose left in them, but I was made VERY ill by them, read on:

I used to be able to take these pearls to balance out my IBS-D issues, but no more. This product will still work just fine for those with CONSTIPATION, it certainly kept me in the bathroom for several nights, sicker than I've been in a long time.

I have IBS-D accompanied by severe lactose intolerance.

The acidophilus pearls used to help me a lot. I stopped using them for a while and had switched over to their Probiotic Pearls, which are more expensive, but work beautifully for me and friends who have constipation, too. It seems I've 'sold' these to everyone I know with gut problems.

This time, I didn't have twenty dollars and bought the acidophlius pearls again at only fourteen dollars with Subscribe and Save (which is cheaper than they've ever been).

When the package came, I should have returned them as soon as I read the new labeling that said that there could be MILK residue in them (that wasn't on the packaging before), but I was so afraid of being even sicker without them, so I took them anyway.

I put down the first couple days of trouble to having run out for a couple of days. My diet hadn't changed, it had to be the pearls. I stopped taking them after 3 days and the after-affects continued for another 4 days. I even went to the doctor to see if I had an infection and I didn't. I can't take Immodium, so I just had to tough it out. What misery.

If you're using probiotics for constipation, great, these should help. For those of us using them to help balance out a gut with IBS-D or lactose intolerance, go for the more expensive ones without the acidophlius. I lost 8 pounds in 7 days in the worst possible way.

The milk disclaimer should be on the web page and so I should be able to return these. I will be contacting Amazon and the manufacturer about it.

11/07/11:

I did contact the manufacturer and spoke to their medical rep. They use milk as the growth medium and there is a very small chance that some lactose will be present in the probiotics. Apparently I got a batch that did. I was asked to return them and received a full refund very quickly. They were very polite with me about it.

I am satisfied that the company took care of this issue for me, though I'm sorry it had to happen in the first place, though it was probably just bad luck on my part (and poor judgement, I shouldn't have taken them after reading the disclaimer). I hope that the product page will be updated to reflect that there is a chance that small amounts of milk can be present in the product.

If you are experiencing some chronic intestinal-related discomfort, I recommend giving these Acidophilus Pearls a try. It's the same concept as that Dannon Activia yogurt but way more useful, because people with tummy trouble often have lactose/dairy problems and can't eat yogurt. I was getting a lot of bloating and discomfort after eating just about anything and was starting to get freaked out. I've been taking these Pearls for almost 2 weeks now and have definitely noticed a difference. I haven't been having uncomfortable food/intestinal reactions, and without getting too explicit, visiting the toilet these days is practically something I look forward to now. I feel "regular" and "productive" for the first time in months and have a feeling that I had too much intestinal bacteria. These Acidophilus Pearls seem to be doing the trick for me. I hope they work for you, too, because it's no fun to be bloated and gassy all day!!

These acidophilus pearls are easy to store, pack, and take. If you've recently taken a round of antibiotics, you NEED to take acidophilus in some form to re-establish these friendly bacteria in your bowels. Do a Google search to find out why in detail. Not to be too graphic, they help your system eliminate better, plus acidophilus bacterium produce B vitamins as by-products of their work, a big benefit to your body and your general health. Highly recommended for acne sufferers and anyone who has undergone antibiotic therapy. One other perk of this product: the pearls are specially designed to survive your digestive system's somewhat harsh environment (most harsh: the strong acids in the stomach itself) so that they can ultimately colonize in your bowel; you can't always be sure how much of the acidophilus in yogurt and other cultured dairy products will survive the trip.

I highly recomend this product for controlling yeast in the digestive tract. It has been very helpful for me in preventing yeast and urinary infections.

I'm a big believer in probiotic therapy; I take another, far less expensive, probiotic on a daily basis. But, like most probiotic supplements, my regular brand has to be refrigerated to retain its effectiveness. So what to do on vacation, when, often as not, I end up without a refrigerator in my hotel room? When also, as it happens, I'm very likely to eat different foods, be under increased stress, be exposed to strange new germs, and need my acidophilus more than ever? The greatest thing about Pearls is they keep for a very long time without refrigeration.

Two pearls a day (one in the morning and one at night) serve me every bit as well as 2 capsules of my regular supplement, and they're worry-free. I just toss them in my suitcase and go. When you travel is *not* the time to skimp on your usual health routine. Get the Pearls and you're good to go.

I just read a report by Consumer Labs on probiotics, which included this product. Natrol BioBeads wasn't specifically evaluated, but since BioBeads and Pearls appear to offer the same technology, I compared the contents. According to the manufacturers, Pearls provides two types of bacteria, while BioBeads has four. Consumer Labs indicated that, in general, the broader the variety of flora a product provides, the better. Ironically, Consumer Labs also indicated that the types of bacteria in both products(strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) can usually survive gastric acids and don't need a coating anyway.

Great little supplement for those who cannot eat yogurt. It is about the size of a pea, extremely easy to swallow and has greatly helped with my digestive issues.

Acidophilus Pearls is the only product that works especially for people who are prone to get yeast overgrowth in the intestines. The pearls dissolve in the intestines instead of the stomach where most acidophilus is inactivated by the low Ph from the gastric enzymes. I highly recommend Acidophilus Pearls.

Ann Evans

I have been taking acidophilis for years with minimal help with my digestive tract. Then I found these that don't get clobbered in the stomach and actually get delivered to where they belong. I have had much better results with this brand.

Enzymatic Therapy makes quality products. I worked in a vitamin store for a while, so I learned which brands are good values. These are the acidophilus caps I choose to take every day myself.

First, these are enteric coated, so they will survive a trip through your stomach acid and into your small intestine. By the time these live bacteria cultures make it to your small/large intestines, the coating will have dissolved enough to release the contents. In your intestines, these good critters take up shop, helping to break down your foods. Acidophilus will help eliminate gas and bloating, especially if you have ever taken antibiotics.

Antibiotics kill off bad bacteria as well as these necessary good bacteria. I think everyone should at least take 30 days worth of acidophilus pearl after coming off each course of antibiotics. I learned this the hard way years ago. After doctors really couldn't help with my stomach troubles despite several prescriptions, I researched acidophilus. Not only did acidophilus make me regular like factory assembly line, I stopped getting sick.

When you constantly introduce good bacteria into your gut, these good bacteria will outnumber any bad bacteria that makes it's way into your digestive system. The good bacteria wage a daily war to keep you healthy. Just ensuring that your body has all the good bacteria it can handle goes a long way towards keeping you from ever getting ill.

I tried lots of brands. Every manufacturer has a different way of measuring how many live and active cultures are contained in each capsule. I just know that personally Enzymatic Therapy (and several other brands too) works exceptionally well for me. Cheap pharmacy brands are not worth your dollar. These capsules are shelf stable and do not need to be refrigerated, so you can keep them wherever is convenient, and you don't have to worry about the product getting degraded in shipment.

I do the Subscribe and Save every 3 months, as I know I'll take these for the rest of my life, and Amazon's price is better than you'll find anywhere else. Don't hesitate to try these. Your health can only improve.


Note for females: these capsules will help you overcome yeast infections and prevent future occurrences if taken regularly. Also look for "non-enteric coated" capsules (like by Natural Factors), which can break down in any fluid, to use as a suppository instead of something like Monistat. This is a healthy alternative to strong fungicides and is very successful in eliminating this common problem. Enteric coated capsules like these pearls will not break down in any fluids and so cannot be used as a suppository.