Probiotics the intestines best friend.

One of the many different products that is sold at my pharmacy on a weekly basis with a wide age range of female customers spanning from young children to adult older women, is Florajen probiotics, which come in three different types. Florajen, better known as acidophilus is a probiotic that is widely used within the pharmacy world today. Different trade names include some of the following:
; Bulgaricum IB^®
 DDS-Acidophilus^®
 Acidophilus Extra Strength
 Intestinex^®
Lactinex^®
Probiata^®
Super Vegi-dophilus^®   

these are only some of the different names for these probiotics, but of these Florajen is the one that I see the most widely dispensed from my pharmacy. So what is acidophilus? The many women of the general public come into the pharmacy hearing their girlfriends and other mothers talk about this product for their children, but they have no idea how it works, they only know to come in and ask for the "good bacteria" having no other knowledge of what this drug can do for them. 

Acidophilus by lex-comp definition is:  A bacterium that creates an environment unfavorable to the overgrowth of potentially pathogenic fungi and bacteria. 

Its two main uses are to aid in cleaning up and protecting the intestinal tract, use for diarrhea, and also for bacterial vaginosis. 

          Bacterial vaginosis, is a vaginal infection that occurs due to an imbalance or change from the normal balance of normal bacteria occurring in the vagina, allowing for different disease-causing bacteria, primarily Gardnerella vaginalis, to overgrow.

Florajen is generally very well tolerated, and can be taken orally, usually with a full glass of milk, juice, or water. It is dispensed as capsules, tablets, and different types of granules that can either be chewed or swallowed whole depending on the composition. 

There are three different products that are currently available by Florajen and those include: Florajen, Florajen 3--which is Florajen's general active ingredients and higher potency composed of three different types of bacteria, and Florajen4kids, which is recommended for normal bacterial growth in children. 

Florajen itself is used for aiding healthy bacterial growth in the intestinal tract along with promoting a health immune system. 

Florajen3 does the same thing but also has an additive effect of helping patients who have bacterial vaginosis as well. 

And then Florajen4kids has a 4 bacterial component makeup that can help children's immune systems and gastrointestinal tracts flourish. 

The majority of these products are supplied as capsules and need to be refrigerated due to stability issues, they come in bottles ranging from 30 to 60 capsules. So why do we recommend this product to many of our female patients and to their children as well? There are quite a few reasons that can be found directly from the products websites, that help to encourage our patients to buy these products. 

Safe and Natural

The micro-organisms in Florajen probiotics are the same “good bacteria” that occur naturally in healthy people. Florajen contains the same strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus used by most yogurt companies in the United States since 1973, yet it is dairy-free.

Highly Potent and Effective

Research has shown that to be effective, probiotic supplements must contain billions of live cells. While many off-the-shelf probiotics fall far short of this standard, each Florajen capsule contains over 20 billion live cells.

Refrigerated for Freshness and Potency

Continuous refrigeration maintains Florajen’s freshness and high potency from the time it is manufactured to the time it is purchased. Look for Florajen in the refrigerated section of your healthfood store or ask your pharmacist.

Guaranteed High Quality

Florajen probiotics are 100% U.S. manufactured in GMP certified facilities. Alll product lot numbers are microbiologically tested for quality and safety according to current FDA and USP procedures and guidelines.

All Florajen products have a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with them for any reason.

Affordable

Florajen probiotics provide more live cultures at a lower price than competitive products, making them a better value. Our founder believes that everyone should be able to afford the benefits of high quality probiotics and is priced accordingly.

^{**obtained from} http://www.florajen.com/products.shtml

These products are generally well tolerated, but shouldn't be used in patients who have intestinal disease, GI troubles, or who have intolerance to milk products, but they're regularly not problematic. Overall they can help to keep a normal daily balance of "good bacteria" along with increasing health and stimulating the immune system. So probiotics are good recommendation along with other health supplements like vitamins, to make to your patients.