The Living Shield - all natural live lactic acid bacteria probiotic supplement.
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VSL#3 Lactic Acid Bacteria Probiotic 30 pk 450 billion
	Quantity in Basket: none Code: VSL3000 Retail $108.99 Our Price $84.99 Shipping Weight: 2.50 pounds
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VSL#3 Lactic Acid Bacteria Probiotic Buy Two Boxes or more of the 30 pack to receive FREE SHIPPING (Continental US only) Use code VSLFREE Please Note: If you know that you live in an area that has high temperatures, please select expedited shipping to ensure viability of the probiotics. VSL#3 is stable at room temperature for 1 week without refrigeration. This product may not be returned. We cannot be held responsible for any delays that may occur in shipping once it has left our warehouse. Contains 30 packets. COMPOSITION PER PACKET OF VSL#3 Lactic Acid Bacteria: - 450 billion/packet Streptococcus thermophilus Bifidobacterium breve Bifidobacterium longum Bifidobacterium infantis Lactobacillus acidophilus Lactobacillus plantarum Lactobacillus casei Lactobacillus bulgaricus Other Ingredient contained in VSL3: Corn Starch Instructions for Use of Probiotic VSL#3 VSL#3 probiotics can be mixed in yogurt, ice cream, apple sauce or any other cold food or non-carbonated drink. Stir contents and ingest immediately. VSL#3 should not be mixed or taken with hot foods or hot drinks because the high heat inactivate the lactic acid bacteria. VSL#3 is different from other lactic acid bacteria preparations in: - number of bacteria - number and type of strains - clinically proven efficacy Suggested Use of VSL#3: 1-4 packets daily Open Packet of VSL3 and stir contents into yogurt, apple sauce or any other cold food or non-carbonated drink. Packets should be refrigerated (39-46 degress F 4-8 degress C). If unopened and stored under refrigeration, the probiotic formula is guaranteed through "best if used by" date. However, VSL#3 probiotic may be stored at room temperature for up to a WEEK without adversely affecting potency of the lactic acid bacteria. VSL#3 is a high potency friendly bacteria probiotic designed to produce optimal quantities and types of protective bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Each dose of VSL#3 contains 450 billion protective probiotic beneficial bacteria. The live lactic acid bacteria in VSL3 Probiotic have been cultivated, freeze-dried and mixed in high concentration. VSL#3 is the probiotic that has been proven in clinical studies to be effective in serious gastrointestinal disorders, particularly the management and prevention of Pouchitis, which is an inflammation of the small bowel reservoir or pouch, that is the most frequent colon removal and pouch creation surgery for ulcerative colitis. 8 strains of friendly bacteria have been purposefully selected, carefully cultivated and mixed proportionally to obtain the proven experimental and clinical efficacy of VSL#3. VSL#3 used successfully for Ulcerative Colitis According to research presented by Richard Fedorak, MD at Digestive Disease Week 2003 in Orlando FL, VSL#3 Probiotic therapy can be effective for treating patients with ulcerative colitis. "Many ulcerative colitis patients do not respond to conventional treatments and side effects of these medications can be troublesome," Dr. Fedorak said. "These results are meaningful because they demonstrate that adding a probiotic with multiple strains and a high concentration of bacteria to the treatment regimen may have the potential to stop this disease in its tracks and avoid any treatment-related side effects." In the multicenter, open-label study, 30 patients from Canada, United States, and Italy with a recent flare-up of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis that did not respond to conventional treatment were given four packets daily of the probiotic preparation of friendly bacteria VSL#3 (equivalent to 3,600 billion good bacteria) for 6 weeks. Eligible patients also remained on steady doses of standard therapies including mesalamine, oral corticosteroids, and azathioprine. The primary end point of remission was determined using the Ulcerative Colitis Clinical Score (UCCS), and was observed in 63% of patients. An additional 23% had an improvement in symptoms, for a combined remission/response rate of 86%. Four patients did not respond to the treatment, with one patient demonstrating worsened disease activity. No negative biochemical or clinical effects were observed by adding the therapy. Dr. Fedorak said results from the study confirm earlier findings that showed VSL#3 is effective in the management of gastrointestinal disorders such as pouchitis, a major complication following a common surgical procedure in patients with ulcerative colitis. In 2005 he published further encouraging research showing how VSL#3 specifically, was able to show a 77% Combined Remission/Response rate. VSL#3 provided benefit beyond that seen with other conventional therapy and there were no adverse events other than mild bloating. In another study, patients with Ulcerative Colitis who were allergic or intolerant to 5-ASA, 75% of them had a positive response to using VSL for 12 months. Read further studies: Probiotics in the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Probiotics in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Inflammatory Bowel Disease WHY USE VSL#3 PROBIOTIC? SEE FAQ's More VSL3 Research Studies Dr Kekkonen, et al. on probiotic having strain-specific anti-inflammatory effects Dr Fedorak Research on probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum contained in VSL#3 probiotics

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Probiotic VSL3

In the human body, the digestive tract is a crucial organ for processing nutrients and for the functioning of the immune system. The gut is not sterile; in fact, it is colonized by thousands of billions of bacteria. Most of the over 400 different bacterial speicies found in the gut are considered friendly because they contribute to the overall health of the intestinal tract and the body in general.

The balance between the various bacterial species present in the gut can be upset by lifestyle changes, including the food we eat, use of anti-inflammatories, antibiotic use, chemotherapy agents and other factors like stress and radiation.

The signs associated with gut bacterial imbalace may include:

• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• bloating and distension,
• bad breath,
• cramping,
• malodorous stools,
• malabsorption associated with lactose intolerance or carbohydrate intolerance,
• inflammation from:
  • gastroenteritis caused by traveller's diarrhea and drug-related gastroenteritis, proticits, diverticulitis
  • pouchitis, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease, proctitis, diverticulitis,
  • antibiotic-associated colitis, clostridium difficile colitis,
  • irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia.

Recent research suggests that reestablishing the balance between the number and proportion of different bacterial species present in the gastrointestinal tract can normalize the permeability, motility, metabolism, immune response and other functions of the gut. One natural way to achieve this goal is by ingesting adequate number of selected species of lactic acid bacteria (i.e. Lactobacilli, Streptococcus) and Bifidobacteria.

RESEARCH DATA ON VSL#3 PROBIOTIC

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is identified by a group of symptoms that include abdominal pain or discomfort like flatulence and bloating that are associated with a change in pattern of bowel functioning, such as loose or more frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, and/or constipation.

UCLA's CURE Digestive Diseases Research Center reports that when assessing 443 IBS referrals, 66% of IBS patients reported gas as a symptom, and 60% reported bloating-type symptoms as "the most bothersome".

VSL#3 has been successfully used in the Dietary Management of Bloating In an 8-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 25 diarrhea-predominant IBS patients VSL#3® was helpful in the dietary management of IBS with bloating. (mean change:-13.7 points; 95%CI -25, -2; P=.05)

46% of VSL#3 patients reported satisfactory relief of bloating for 4 weeks on study vs 33% in the placebo group (P=.27)

VSL#3 has also been used in the Dietary Management of Flatulence (gas) In an 8-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 48 IBS patients VSL#3 was helpful in the dietary management of IBS with flatulence (VAS score at 8 weeks: 29.7 vs 39.5, P=0.01).

Additional positive results were noted in randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled 2003 trial. Kim et al. reported a reduction in the urgency in diarrhea-predominant IBS patients involved in the trial. The fecal urgency score showed a trend toward reduction in the VSL#3 group (mean change: -8 points; 95%CI -15, -2; P=.056).

A very important fact to note - No side effects were reported in either of the randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trials of VSL#3.

VSL#3 Probiotic Alters Cytokine Production of Unfractionated Splenocytes upon Stimulation with Cecal Bacterial Lysate: Immunomodulation by This Probiotic Combination

Craig J. Cender, Dirk Haller, Charlotte Walters, Ryan B. Sartor, Chapel Hill, NC

Background & Aim: Clinical and experimental observations have demonstrated efficacy of the probiotic compound VSL#3 in human as well as animal models of inflammatory bowel diseases. Although the precise mechanism by which these bacteria exert their beneficial properties remains unknown, recent evidence supports modulation of the host immune response. We investigated this hypothesis by evaluating the cytokine profile of an unfractionated spleen cell population upon stimulation with cecal bacterial lysate (CBL) preceded by incubation with VSL#3 lysate (VSL3-L).

Methods: A lysate of both the probiotic preparation VSL#3, containing 4 strains of lactobacilli, 3 strains of bifidobacteria, and Streptococcus thermophilus, and the cecal contents from a syngeneic Fisher rat were prepared per standard protocol. Isolated spleen cells (2 x 106) from wild type Fisher rats were incubated for 18h with VSL3-L (25µg/ml) in the presence or absence of anti-rat IL-10 antibody (10µg/ml), followed by a 6h stimulation period with CBL (100µg/ml). TNF and IL-10 concentrations of the supernatant were determined by ELISA. Cell viability was controlled by trypan blue exclusion.

Results: Rat splenocytes demonstrated a dose-dependent secretion of TNF and IL-10 when exposed to CBL and VSL3-L, respectively. Time-dependent analysis of cytokine response showed early upregulation (3-6h) of TNF that peaked by 12h while IL-10 increase was steadily progressive over 60h, irrespective of the stimuli utilized. Incubation of VSL3-L prior to stimulation with CBL reduced mean (±SEM, n=6) TNF levels from 1233.65±208.64 to 268.03±41.87 (p=.0005) and increased mean (±SEM, n=6) IL-10 levels from 138.82±26.91 to 252.11±55.71 (p=.05). The addition of neutralizing anti-rat IL-10 antibody in the incubation phase did not significantly alter the TNF reduction observed in the presence of VSL3-L alone, a 68% vs. 77% reduction respectively.

Conclusions: TNF reduction was independent of the IL-10 upregulation observed in stimulated rat splenocytes when pre-incubated with the non-viable lysate of VSL#3. Alteration of the proinflammatory and protective cytokines by VSL#3 probiotic supports an immunomodulatory mechanism for this probiotic preparation.