As we've explained in the Probiotic section, probiotics compete with pathogenic bacteria and yeast and produce anti-microbial substances that can selectively kill off the 'bad guys'.

They are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic... making them the perfect tool to re-balance the gut, especially when combined with an anti-inflammatory diet and anti-microbials (such as the ones recommended in the Clean Up Protocols).

If you've been on this journey for a while, it's highly likely that you've tried probiotics in the past, or are currently taking some.

You might remember there are four main categories of probiotics: lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces boulardii and soil based.

If you've already found one category that works for you, we recommend you keep taking it. You might still want to experiment with adding in another one from the another category to see if you get even more benefits.

If you don't know what works for you, we recommend trying one from each category, on its own, to see how you react. You might find that only one of these categories works well for you. Or, you might need a combination or even all four.

Warning: Probiotics don't work for everyone. If you try one from each category and you don't react well (bloating, anxiety, etc), then stop taking it.

Don't stress if you can't tolerate probiotics. You don't need a probiotic to get better. They're only one of the many tools you can use to heal your gut.

RECOMMENDED PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS

These are the probiotics we know are of high quality and do not contain any other ingredients that may cause issues (such as prebiotics).

If for any reason you choose to buy a different product than the ones recommended, make sure it is from a reputable brand, and that it does NOT contain prebiotics. Read more about prebiotics here.

CATEGORY 1: Lactobacillus

Ideal Bowel Support with L 299v by Jarrow Formulas. Available on Iherb and Amazon.

* We recommend that people with histamine intolerance and MCAS avoid this category.

CATEGORY 2: Bifidobacterium

Probiota bifido by Seeking Health.

CATEGORY 3: Saccharomyces Boulardii

Saccharomyces Boulardii by Seeking Health. There are many others available on the market.

* We recommend that people with mould illness avoid this category at first.

CATEGORY 4: Soil based probiotic

MegaSporeBiotic by Microbiome Labs, available here in Australia

Just Thrive, available here and here (amazon)

HOW TO TAKE THE PROBIOTIC

Let's be reiterate: some people do great with probiotics - some don't.

Remember, it's all about learning what works for YOU and your unique gut.

It's very common to experience bloating or other unpleasant symptoms at first. This is happening because it causes a little 'war' inside your gut, and some of the bad guys die in the process, causing a die-off reaction. If this happens, we recommend cutting the dose in half, and continuing your trial for 1-2 weeks. If the problem persists, then stop. Once your symptoms settle down, try one from another category.

We recommend trying only one category at a time so that you can figure which category works best for you.

After you've experimented and found which categories work best for you, you can then try a combination to see if you can more benefits.

Warning: if you tend to be sensitive to supplements or if you've previously reacted badly to a probiotic supplement, then take it very slowly, starting with a very small dose (you can open the capsule and take only 1/4 cap) and then slowly increase over many days to the full recommended dose. There is no rush!

RECOMMENDED DOSAGES

Some people do better with a smaller dose, while some need a higher dose to experience the full benefits. If you don't feel as good when increasing to a higher dose, back off and stay at a lower dose.