[Discussion] Digestive support supplements

Trust me, I felt stupid when I realized I did not have to wait for the capsule run to be done. I've taken Epicor every day for over two years. I wake up, walk to the bathroom, take an Epicor and Zyrtec, then go about my day. I was so used to that routine that I did not even consider just grabbing a jar of powder, and weighing it out with a scale. It's ironic, given that we have a warehouse full of all sorts of powders. Haha

Does this illness lead you to think there is immune deficiency for a period with cessation of treatment?

I am a special case. My immune system was destroyed when I got a strange illness in India. I was getting super sick 7-8 times a year. I don't have an appendix either. So my immunologist thinks that the IV antibiotics I was given in India killed all my probiotics. Since I did not have an appendix, my system never reintroduced them into my GI tract. So for me, taking probiotics and Epicor every day keeps things going smoothly. I am not sure if they just do not take hold in my system now, or what. But when I stop taking it, my immune response drops after a few days. Could that happen with other people? Perhaps. However, it's probably not going to be as severe as my case.

What's your take on the gut and the increased discussion as it relates to cognition? Is this a nootropic grey zone?

We still have a lot to learn. We know that GABA production can be altered by gut microflora. So mood certainly seems to be able to be affected by certain probiotic species. It stands to reason that some strains might affect other aspects of cognition. However, more research is needed to know what strains affect what mechanisms.