Seeking Probiotics in Bangkok

[Pasularia]

I recently came to Bangkok from Chumpon to get treatment for severe bronchitis. I am now finishing a course of very strong antibiotics, and the side effects include intestinal issues because the antibiotics nuke pretty much every bacteria possible, good or bad. I'm worried about what will happen when I stop the antibiotics.

I'm allergic to dairy products, so I can't eat yogurt or dairy based kefir. Does anyone know where I can find probiotic pills in Bangkok?

[Sheryl]

Any large pharmacy- Infloran. May have to try a few places to locate it.

Easier - order from Lazada http://www.lazada.co.th/shop-health-food-supplements-weight-management/?q=probiotic&searchclickposition=cat2

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Are these non refrigerated probiotics any good?

I think only hospitals have the real stuff.

[DogNo1]

How about eating Kimchi? Seems to work for me. I also sometimes take Jarrow-Dophilus EPS which I order from iHerb. It doesn't require any refrigeration. Google it. iHerb is my source for supplements here with no shipping charges and a 7 baht import tax on shipments under $80. Full details are on the iHerb site. My orders have recently been taking about two weeks to arrive.

[Lumbini]

Selection and quality when ordering from Iherb is in another league than what's scalable here and better value .

[canathai8]

You can purchase pure, non-sweetened, plain Thai yogurt at Macro - about 175 baht for a large container

[DogNo1]

You have to eat a very, very large amount of yoghurt to get any probiotic effect.

[shagorillaHotel]

You have to eat a very, very large amount of yoghurt to get any probiotic effect.

have tried various small container supermarket supposedly probiotic yoghurts. cant see that they do any thing at all. tried some kimichi from chinatown, seems to do something - tastes good too even though it looks like a mess

Edited March 27, 2016 by shagorillaHotel

[Lumbini]

Also with yogurt you don't get multiple strains ...

Here are the 3 products I order and the top one has 19 strains . Pay now or pay Dr. later possibly Taking these and eating fermented foods you can easily make yourself is a game changer but you not here about this from most Dr.'s as there is no $ in healthcare the real profit for so much of so called health care is in disease management . You can work to be optimal or normal but if one is normal as they get older much time and money will be spent on trying to get well when one is sick and tired . Remember that unhealthy bacteria loves refined sugar also so if you can cut sugar you have big advantage to empower healthy gut and immune system . I know almost nothing but uncovering much as I got sick and tired of being sick and tired

Edited March 27, 2016 by Lumbini

[JHolmesJr]

+1 on iherb

Healthforce is the best ive tried on there.

[Lumbini]

[johnatong]

Before spending money on probiotics read the evidence or jump straight to the Conclusions.

https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2008/188/5/probiotics-sorting-evidence-myths

[uhuh]

Are these non refrigerated probiotics any good?

I think only hospitals have the real stuff.

Infloran is refrigerated

The pharmacy will put it in a plastic bag filled with ice just for the way back home.

BTW strictly speaking it is not a probiotic but it is exactly what OP needs

[Pasularia]

Kimchi is a good idea. I bet it's very hard to find in the rural south, though. I cannot eat yogurt because I am very seriously allergic to all dairy products (butter, milk, cream, yogurt, kefir, etc). I'll definitely try infloran - thanks for the suggestions!

[shagorillaHotel]

thai based, kimichi 145฿ they do delivery of some stuff http://radiancewholefoods.com/index.php/shop-online.html#!/Kimchi-250-gm/p/48711591

picture doesnt look anything like the stuff they sell as kimichi on charoen krung road in chinatown

Edited March 28, 2016 by shagorillaHotel

[JHolmesJr]

Why not make some sauerkraut yourself…its pretty easy. Google it.

[krey]

I can 2nd Infloran. I get it at a clinic in Chiang Mai and it is in the fridge when they give it to me. They dont package it up in ice though if I am going home on a short trip

I have tried the non refridge brands from Iherb and sites like it. I must say I didnt notice any difference taking them. However I found the live Infloran to really help a lot of issues I was having, I would look for that if you can find it

[Speedo1968]

If you are intolerant to dairy products be very careful what you consider / expect to be / are told - not told on the label. Some examples are pastas, quite often have milk or milk products / eggs. Lactosoy Blue label has milk ( as well as very high sugar ) whilst Lactosoy red label is milk free ( and lower sugar ). 3 in 1 coffee has a creamer which may or may not be milk or soy - even if stated soy it may contain milk products. Bread.

Labeling here is way less than UK or other parts of Europe - online searches, if you delve deep enough, can show true contents of products.

One of my daughters twins was lactose intolerant ( no family history ) - she had to stop breast feeding until she was clear of dairy products - then the boy was ok. She is now challenge feeding her son with dairy products to avoid toxic shock if he should inadvertently ingest something with dairy products.

I would presume you have tried sheep or goats milk as an alternatively.

Cutting out or reducing oily or fatty foods will certainly reduce bronchial attacks, also sugar as Lumbini posted above.

Good luck with improving your health and better to be with diet than antibiotics.

[DrNicha]

Some dairy-free probiotic foods:

• Kefir — Similar to yogurt, but kefir is cultured by bacteria and yeast to produce an acidic effervescent yogurt-like drink. Can also be found as dairy-free coconut or water Kefir

• Kombucha — A non-dairy fermented beverage rich in probiotic cultures. (Google search: Kombucha in Bangkok)

• Sauerkraut — Cabbage fermented with Lactobacilli and other lactic-acid producing bacteria. Most commercial sauerkraut is pasteurized which kills the beneficial bacteria,

however sauerkraut still has many other health benefits, including high glutamine content. Glutamine nourishes the cells lining the GI tract.

• Kimchi — Another lactofermented probiotic originating in Korea containing cabbage, onions, peppers, ginger, and varying other vegetables and spices.

• Raw pickled vegetables — Cucumbers, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, beets … many vegetables can be fermented and eaten as a condiment with meals.

• Natto — Japanese fermented soybeans. Vitamin-rich and great for cardiovascular health. If you can't handle the unique taste, try it with a little bit of mustard.

• Miso — Japanese fermented soybeans, barley, brown rice, and other grains. Taste better than Natto, easy to integrate with many recipes.

• Tempeh — Indonesian fermented soybeans that come in a patty shape. High in protein, good alternative for a vegan.

I have seen many of these foods at Villa Supermarket and Fuji Supermarket

For probiotics supplements, I have not the product that is comparable in term of quality in Thailand. Most probiotics are required to stay in the refrigerator. The one that claims they are stable outside the fridge, they should not be stored in room temperature longer than a month or the amount of probiotics will drop significantly.

- Dr. Nicha

Naturopathic Doctor

[RichardThailand]

I suggest this food. You will probably hate it for the first 50 servings and then after that you will love the taste. I heard it was one of the most healthy foods in the world you could eat:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nattō

[DogNo1]

Be careful of some of those probiotic foods listed above, especially kikchi, pickled vegetabled and miso. They contain a lot of sodium. There's a reason that countries where they are part of the daily diet have a high incidence of stroke.

Iherb has a huge variety of probiotics available. I continue to prefer Jarrowdophilous because of its long shelf life at normal room temperatures. Three capsules a day seem to make digestion a more comfortable process for me.

[Halima]

You can purchase pure, non-sweetened, plain Thai yogurt at Macro - about 175 baht for a large container

check out Hk Probiotics Bangkok, they sell Kefir, Kombucha and Jun.

Check out Hk probiotics Bangkok they sell Kefir, Kombucha and Jun drinks. They also deliver through out Bangkok. They also sell the culture to make it yourself at home they deliver in Thailand and Asia

.http://hkprobioticsbangkok.wix.com/store

https://www.facebook.com/HKprobioticsbangkok/

Check out Hk probiotics Bangkok they sell Kefir, Kombucha and Jun drinks. They also deliver through out Bangkok. They also sell the culture to make it yourself at home they deliver in Thailand and Asia

.http://hkprobioticsbangkok.wix.com/store

https://www.facebook.com/HKprobioticsbangkok/

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I just picked Combif AR from a certain hiso hospital in Bangkok. It was 29 baht per pill (free with my insurance).

I see it's 280 per box of 10 pills on Lazada, so just getting it at the hospital seems like a same deal.

[Ireland32]

Pickle juice

[THAM]

I know how you feel when I tried looking for Probiotics in Chiangmai. The closest I got was a box of 15 or 20 sachet that cost me THB 600 and has only 2b count. So now I get my stocks from a Malaysian manufacturer that costs me TB 800 for a bottle of 60 capsules. It has 10b of 5 strains. This was very helpful for my son & a friend who'd bowel syndrome. PM me if you like to try some.  

[davhend25]

Anyone tried a probiotic called Combif AR and have had any success? I have ordered it from Lazada and it seems to have made my bathroom problems worse. Only took it for a few weeks but now have stopped. When you ask for "probiotics" in the pharmacies here in Thailand, most don't have any idea what you are talking about, and will hand you a bottle of multivitamins that are horribly overpriced. I took a product called "Culturelle" back in the U.S. which seems to have worked pretty well but doesn't seem to be available here. Lazada stocks a children's chewable version but nothing else. I might try "iherb" as some have suggested. Thanks in advance for any replies.

[89121]

On 4/22/2016 at 4:21 PM, DrNicha said:

Some dairy-free probiotic foods:

• Kefir — Similar to yogurt, but kefir is cultured by bacteria and yeast to produce an acidic effervescent yogurt-like drink. Can also be found as dairy-free coconut or water Kefir

 

• Kombucha — A non-dairy fermented beverage rich in probiotic cultures. (Google search: Kombucha in Bangkok)

 

• Sauerkraut — Cabbage fermented with Lactobacilli and other lactic-acid producing bacteria. Most commercial sauerkraut is pasteurized which kills the beneficial bacteria,

however sauerkraut still has many other health benefits, including high glutamine content. Glutamine nourishes the cells lining the GI tract.

 

• Kimchi — Another lactofermented probiotic originating in Korea containing cabbage, onions, peppers, ginger, and varying other vegetables and spices.

 

• Raw pickled vegetables — Cucumbers, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, beets … many vegetables can be fermented and eaten as a condiment with meals.

 

• Natto — Japanese fermented soybeans. Vitamin-rich and great for cardiovascular health. If you can't handle the unique taste, try it with a little bit of mustard.

 

• Miso — Japanese fermented soybeans, barley, brown rice, and other grains. Taste better than Natto, easy to integrate with many recipes.

 

• Tempeh — Indonesian fermented soybeans that come in a patty shape. High in protein, good alternative for a vegan.

 

 

I have seen many of these foods at Villa Supermarket and Fuji Supermarket

 

For probiotics supplements, I have not the product that is comparable in term of quality in Thailand. Most probiotics are required to stay in the refrigerator. The one that claims they are stable outside the fridge, they should not be stored in room temperature longer than a month or the amount of probiotics will drop significantly.

 

- Dr. Nicha

Naturopathic Doctor

 

 

 

The best probiotics are from live food mentioned above. They have far more beneficial bacteria count than any supplement pills which are questionable. Therefore, if you have access to the food, that is the best choice. Just one spoonful of kimchi juice will have far more probiotics than any pill.

I make some of it myself. Kefir is the easiest to make, just add the kefir grains to whole milk. 

Kombucha is easy too, just add sweetened tea.

Fermented vegetables is easy but takes a little work. Wash and chop up vegetables, I use food processor. Then add sea salt and water, seal with a lid, and wait a few days. Garlic and spices can be added to your taste.

Kimchi is similar to fermented vegetables but more specific vegetables and spices are needed. I am not too picky so I just throw in some ground red peppers, salt, garlic, and ginger which are the main ingredients.    

Google for detailed instructions but they usually make it more complicated than what it is. Just follow the basics and start small til you get the hang of it. Once you do it few times, it gets easy.

   

 

[siam2007]

On ‎28‎/‎03‎/‎2016 at 2:40 AM, Lumbini said:

 

 

are these available in Thailand ?

 

 

[Sheryl]

Not AFAIK.

 

Infloran and Bioflor are also acidophilus, though requiring refrigeration.

 

 

[ricklev]

I have bought Infloran at Chula-Bhesaj.  They refrigerate it and wrap it with ice when they sell it.

 

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1024&bih=637&ei=jwmmWuqTKo-sjwO4hLFQ&q=chula+bhesaj+drug+store&oq=Chula+Bhesaj+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.35i39k1j0.3991.3991.0.6685.1.1.0.0.0.0.540.540.5-1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.540....0.ZCTTfE6CvBs