Years ago, I told a fellow doctor that people who take antibiotics should take a probiotic during the course of the antibiotic treatment, and continue taking the probiotic for two weeks after the course is finished. He laughed at the idea.

“Why not have them just eat yogurt?” he asked.

The reason is that yogurt is not a good source of probiotics. It generally contains too much sugar, which negates the positive effects of the probiotics in it.

If you do eat yogurt, it should come from whole organic milk with no added sugar.

When choosing a probiotic, make sure that you pick a product that has not been made with gluten. Many patients suffer from gluten sensitivities, and you may just be trading one problem for another.

In dairy-based probiotics, the fermenting process often neutralizes the substances that bother those with allergies or sensitivities.

However, severely allergic people should avoid probiotics made from dairy.

Probiotics have also been found to help with cases of diarrhea, urinary tract infections,3 vaginal infections,4 and eczema in children.5

Furthermore, probiotics may reduce side effects from antibiotic treatment from H. pylori. Different microbes have even been found that may point toward a treatment for obesity.