By Jennifer Tardy
Walk into any supplement aisle and you’ll see it—$60 bottles of 50 billion CFU probiotics, often refrigerated and marketed as a cure-all for gut health.
For some, they seem to help—briefly. A couple of weeks of improvement, then the symptoms return. In some cases, the bloating and discomfort get worse.
Here’s the issue: probiotics aren’t always the first step.
If the gut lining is inflamed, if conditions like Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) are present, or if the migrating motor complex isn’t functioning properly, those probiotics may not effectively colonize. Instead, they may simply pass through the system—or worse, contribute to an existing imbalance.
This is a common pattern. Many people take probiotics for months yet continue to experience bloating, irregular digestion, and food sensitivities. The underlying cause of the imbalance is never addressed.
That raises the more important question: what disrupted the gut in the first place?
Potential factors include prior antibiotic use, chronic stress affecting stomach acid production, undiagnosed infections, or ongoing inflammation triggered by food sensitivities.
Probiotics can play a role in improving gut health—but they are rarely the starting point. Identifying and addressing the root cause should come first.
Otherwise, you may simply be reinforcing the very imbalance you’re trying to correct.
In good health,
Jennifer Tardy, CHN, IPHM
Jennifer Tardy is an IPHM-certified holistic nutritionist, integrative health coach, and personal trainer. Eating for Healing Nutrition and Wellness focuses on holistic approaches to health and wellness. She can be reached at 803-556-2593 or at www.eatingforhealing.org
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