Acidophilus: for Diarrhea or Thrush?

Acidophilus, used in milk in grocery stores and also sold in concentrated form as a health-food product, consists of
billions of live, beneficial bacteria, taken to change the flora of the digestive system and help crowd out harmful organisms. Most physicians do not take acidophilus very seriously, but regard it as a health food and do not mention it
to their patients; you will probably not hear about it from your doctor. But some physicians do recommend it for their
AIDS patients, and recently we have been hearing of a number of persons who are convinced that it has helped them in
controlling diarrhea and/or candida (thrush) in the digestive tract.

We don't know of any scientific studies which would prove or disprove these uses; but acidophilus is readily available,
inexpensive, easy to use, and evidently helpful to some. It appears to be entirely harmless, but patients should check with
their physicians to make sure there are no reasons to avoid trying it.

The several people we talked to made the following points:

* There are many different kinds of acidophilus, as dozens of different kinds of organisms could be used. Most brands
contain only one organism (usually L. Acidophilus), but some formulas contain several different ones.

* Perhaps most important, the people this writer spoke with recommended using a non-dairy acidophilus -- since persons
with AIDS-related digestive problems may have allergies to dairy products.

* This writer is reluctant to name particular brands. However, we have heard highly favorable comments about 'Jarro-
Dophilus', produced by Jarrow Formulas in Gardena, California. It is unusual in containing five different organisms (L.
Rhamnosus, S. Faecium 68, L. Acidophilus ATCC, L. Bifidus, and L. Bulgaricus). This brand is sold in health-food stores, or
can be ordered wholesale from Jarrow Formulas, (213) 659-4754, if not available locally.

* Robert Cathcart, M.D., of Los Altos, California, who is well known for his work with vitamin C in the treatment of AIDS
and ARC, uses a different brand of acidophilus (Vital Life), which is sold through physicians and unlikely to be found in
stores. Patients often start with three organisms (L. Acidophilus, L. Bifidus, and S. Faecium), then continue with L. Acidophilus only.