Customer Reviews

Garden of Life Primal Defense HSO Probiotics Formula, Caplets, 180-Count Bottle

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

If you wonder why you're feeling lethargic or if you have one of those little abdominal paunches you thought was just advancing age, then you might need probiotic therapy. You might even need it if your resistance to colds is low!

Because we live much "cleaner" lives than our ancestors did, sterilizing our dishes, putting our food in the fridge, and spraying pesticides on everything, we live our lives virtually bacteria-free. Free of the GOOD bacteria, that is. The baddies seem to still get us, and without the good ones to balance them out, we're in trouble.

A lack of friendly bacteria in your intestines can cause problems throughout your body. To put it in "nice" terms, it's a little like having backed up plumbing inside you, and the world just ain't gonna be right until you fix it.

I started on probiotic therapy several months ago, and I was amazed at the following things that happened almost immediately:

*That little stomach paunch WENT AWAY. I kid you not. Talk about an instant self-esteem booster.
*My chronic [men, cover your ears] yeast infections decreased dramatically (even without my eliminating wheat from my diet, which I know I ought to do).
*I had more energy and felt more like the me of years ago.
*I became more resistant to colds than I used to be.

If you're considering supplementing your diet with probiotics, you should know that not all of them are created equal. In fact, testing done by www.consumerlab.com indicates that the vast majority of probiotic supplements don't deliver the number of live organisms they claim -- not even close! Those little creatures are very delicate, and things like processing, shipping, and sitting on your shelf can kill them. And let's not even talk about what your stomach acid does to them.

Primal Defense is one of the few supplements that delivers the amount of probiotics it claims to. (I can tell from its effects on me.) In addition, it contains lots of good-for-you green foods that also help build that all-important inner strength.

One very important caveat about Primal Defense, though: Because it's SO effective, don't even think about starting out taking 3 tablets a day! Not unless you don't mind a lot of abdominal discomfort and are able to spend several days all by yourself at home. I took one a day for about 2 months, and then I finally felt ready to move up to 2. It'll be at least another month before I'm up to the recommended 3.

One more thing: Drink lots of water. You need it anyway, and Primal Defense works best when you're well hydrated.

I've had digestive problems for years--most of my adult life. And my problems reached a climax when I was hospitalized with acute diverticulitis. My wife found this product at Whole Foods and ever since I've been taking just one pill a day (on most days--unless I do something crazy like drink too much alcohol or eat very spicy food--in which case I might take an extra one or two depending upon how screwed up I've managed to make my gut). I can't overstate the impact this product has had on my quality of life. It's been truly life-changing for me. And at this price you're talking less than $10/month for 180 pills. Expensive? Hardly. And worth every penny.

One final note: I was singing the praises of this product to my brother, who was suffering from ulcers at the time. For him, he couldn't get past the bloating that the product caused. Fortunately for me, my condition was dramatically improved by Primal Defense--and without any associated bloating. But as with so many things in life, there is rarely a single solution for everyone's problems. I would therefore recommend NOT stockpiling this product before you've determined how it works with your individual digestive system and issues. I would suggest that you buy a small amount--perhaps even one of the smaller bottles--and give it a try for at least a week or two before you "buy in" as I've done. Good luck in your search!

After dealing with an auto-immune issue for 20 years, I have not had a problem since I started taking Primal Defense more than 4 years ago. This is the best product I've tried for maintaining a healthy gut and immune system.

I've suffered through years of digestive disorders and bought a large 'stockpile' of this product, believing it would help. I started at one tablet/day and slowly worked my way up to 3 tabs 3x/day. The results? Absolutely nothing! It failed to improve anything! I was pretty shocked/disappointed. For those of you wondering, I stayed on this regime for several months; I gave it plenty of time to work its magic but to no avail. This is not a cheap supplement either! A lot of money wasted for nothing!

I did discover later that I was low in stomach acid which might explain why it didn't work. Perhaps I wasn't even absorbing any of it; but after being on betaine for quite some time and trying this product again (I still had 2 bottles left over) it still made no difference. Perhaps I need to try the 'Ultra' formula, but at this point I'm pretty jaded/doubtful it will work.

UPDATE: June, 2008:

While I appreciate the comments of some well-wishers (Lindsay, Richard, S. Malette; thank you :) ), I think it's important to realize that there is no such thing as a 'magic bullet' that works on everyone when it comes to probiotics, no matter how well-made or high quality the product might be. I tried this product a number of different times, a number of different batches, at the maximum dosage required. Nada. There was nothing wrong with the product or how I was using it. It simply does not work for me. Period.

I have since found a completely different probiotic that does work! L. Sporogenes! Mercola recommends it to all his patients because he's found it has the highest success rate of all probiotics he's tested. (I think it's interesting to note that Mercola "used to" recommend Primal Defense but no longer does; it appears he's replaced it with this new one).

So there ya go! IF you find Primal Defense does not work for you (and I know there are others out there like me) I would suggest you try a probiotic that contains L. Sporogenes. You may have better success with it like I did.

Yes, it's expensive. But so are doctor's visits and prescriptions. Of all the things I've tried, this (along with garden of life's digestive enzymes) has almost completely eradicated my IBS issues. I'm not 100% yet, but I expect to be someday so long as I continue to use this product. Highly recommended!!

Everyone living in the modern world should take this product. Primal defence and Omegazyme are the best products for the gut. Most people have between 5 and 40 extra pounds of rotting fecal matter hanging out in their gut. This product helps process that unnecessary weight off. I have had historically horrible digestive problems. It didn't matter how good or bad I ate, it was always on the bad side. Irritable Bowel Syndrome my doctor says. After taking this product and exercising more , I don't have chronic diareaha anymore and finally have normal bowel functioning. It is supposed to help kill pathogenic bacteria and yeast in your gut too. My whole family came down with a stomach bug that lasted a week, but it didn't phase me in the least.

I take it because I have a minor case of crohns. I haven't felt this good since before I got sick. No need for expense artificial medication anymore. Thank you very much Garden of Life!

I knew something was not right with my digestion...for years, even decades I had constant food cravings and abdominal pain. My doctor could find nothing wrong, he used MRI, bariun enema, x ray, to no avail.

My weight had been going up along with my age, here i was.. 260# 60yo.

I looked on the web for any advise or help. I found Garden Of Life digestive enzymes and the probiotics in this review.. Within a day my food cravings began to lessen and my gut pain subsided. After two weeks the situatuion is getting even better.. I have a normal appetite, I feel full after a modest meal and I am actually able to walk past delicious food because I am not hungry. Believe me I ALWAYS ate everything before.

Maybe the resutls are not the same with all people, but these products sertainly work for me.

I have been struggling with fatigue for 6 years now. I have researched everything trying to find an answer. I read "The Maker's Diet" which is written by the man who created this product and cured himself of Chron's. I have tried all sorts of supplements (and still take a wide range of vitamins and antioxidants). I've been taking this for over a month now and am not dragging like I usually am. I can actually get things done. I have also been able to sleep through the night without sleeping pills.

Be sure to only start out with 1 a day and work your way up to 3 as the label indicates to do. Those with worse conditions may need more. Works best on an empty stomach.

My mother introduced me to Primal Defense and the Garden of Life product line about 4 years ago. If you suffer from gas/bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, irritable bowl, etc, this product will change your life.
I now recommend it to all my friends and would hate going without it.