Soil Based Probiotics

Foxx

Foxx

The Living Force
I had never heard of soil based probiotics until I saw an acupuncturist who was also in the Paleo physicians network (http://paleophysiciansnetwork.com/), who recommended them to me. I took two pills a day of the brand Prescript-Assist for about two weeks as recommended by an Applied Kinesiologist, though I can't say I noticed any significant effects. Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be many people talking about them as either good or bad and there aren't many articles on them. Here's the brand I used, which has many positive reviews and also a group of people who claimed that the soil based probiotic made them sick (varied reports of headache, bloating, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, auto-immune flare up, and stomach pain):

http://www.amazon.com/Prescript-Assist-Spectrum-Probiotic-Prebiotic-Complex/dp/B00JB2GOFI/

An article I found:

http://www.thebarefootgolfer.com/2013/03/22/soil-based-organisms-a-superior-probiotic/
Soil-Based Organisms – A Superior Probiotic?
March 22, 2013

Introduction
With the addition of this post on soil-based organisms as probiotics, I guess this can now be considered a series of posts on probiotics since I have written about them here and here already. I am also sure I will come across even more things to discuss with regards to probiotics in the future as they appear to be getting a good deal of attention in the research and medical community particularly as an alternative to antibiotics. This post however, will be a little different as I will not be writing about a specific condition, it will be a post about a specific type of probiotic. This type of probitic is one that I am considering as my next step in controlling my “minor” autoimmune condition (seasonal allergies). I have been reading a fair bit about this type of probiotic and have become very interested in its suggested ability to regulate the immune system and its antimicrobial properties.

In Chris Kresser’s most recent Revolution Health Radio episode, he talked about The Old Friends hypothesis of chronic disease and autoimmunity and the introduction of what is called soil-based organism probiotics. The bacteria in this type of probiotic is not the common Lactobacillus type you commonly hear about, they are actually bacteria commonly found in soil. Eeeeewwww…you mean eating dirt is good for me. Well, it seems the short answer is yes. Now just so you are aware, probiotics containing soil based organisms are not actually dirt, they have simply cultured the bacteria strains that are commonly found in dirt, and only the ones that are not pathogenic.

The Old Friends Hypothesis – Overview
So this is actually pretty interesting stuff. Chris Kresser, in his radio show linked to above, provides a description of this hypothesis as well, and quotes a book called An Epidemic of Absence:

You can check out a summary of the book here. Ultimately, the argument that is presented is that the human species did not evolve in the absence of microorganisms (ie, bacteria and parasites). In reality, we likely evolved together in a symbiosis of sorts, the outcome of which being that we likely, in many ways, rely on the presence of microorganisms in our body, even certain organisms that may be considered pathogenic or parasitic. Really cool stuff right?

Some of you may have heard of what I think is called the hygiene theory? Anyway, it goes something like this: Our immune system has evolved to fight off intruders like viruses and pathogenic bacteria; however, in developed countries, and particularly in countries obsessed over sterilization (think hand sanitizer), we are no longer exposed to the same amount and/or type of such microorganisms, leading to our immune system attacking other things instead (like our own body or inhaled pollen). This may be oversimplified but I gave it my best shot.

Based on reading reviews of the above noted book, a slightly different hypothesis is that the presence of microorganisms in our body and our immune system support each other and if we take one of the supports away (take away the presence of microorganisms) the other one falls (our immune system). In other words the presence of microorganisms in our body seems to provide proper immune system regulation. Again, pretty cool. I will note that I have not read this book, but I will in the very near future. The summary also mentions that it dives into a theory about how allergies can be traced back to inflammatory responses in mothers. I always thought it was my parents fault 

Soil-Based Organisms – Probiotics:
So, some of the microorganisms referred to above would be those found in soil, with the theory that we probably haven’t washed our food and hands 20 million times a day until fairly recently in human history, so we likely ate some dirt, albeit not handfuls at a time. This really got me thinking, and Chris advised that he finds a soil-based probiotic called Prescript-Assist helpful for some of his patients. For me that meant I was going to try and do a bit of research and write something about this. I guess it’s my way of learning.

I started looking for local places that sold a soil-based probiotics and had some trouble doing so. However, I did come across some articles on the possible dangers of taking such a product. Some blogs out there were saying that soil-based probiotics can make you sick, or even cause death…Yikes, time to look further into this one right? It seems that there is limited scientific articles out there on soil based probiotics, but the ones that I found had some positive information for me.

Unfortunately, this article (1) only has the abstract available and I couldn’t track down the full paper. It looks promising based on the fact that it is indicating that a soil based probiotic product has been shown to be beneficial in immune regulation and reducing symptoms in a number of autoimmune conditions, including allergies. At the same time, the abstract was a bit confusing and I couldn’t determine if it was a study on one individual or a review study of sorts.

With regards to IBS specifically, there are two studies (2, 3) that have shown beneficial effects of Prescript-Assist on IBS symptoms. One study was 2 weeks in duration, and the other was a 1 year extension of the first 2 week study.

A specific soil-based bacteria bacillus clausii, was shown to significantly and safely reduce the duration of respiratory infections in children (4). Two literature reviews (5, 6) have indicated that a soil-based bacteria (certain strains of bacillus) have positive effects on certain conditions do to immune regulating and antimicrobial properties.

On a safety note, it appears as though there has been very minimal reports of negative effects of soil-based probiotics (5, 6, 7, 8), so they do appear quite safe based on reading the noted studies. However, the warning in these studies that is given is that some bacillus strains are pathogenic and can cause illness, although these strains don’t seem to be used in probiotic products. Another note is that the studies I looked at mainly deal with bacillus strains of soil-based organisms only, and most soil based probiotics have many strains of bacteria in them (please don’t quote me on that since I haven’t read all soil-based product labels).

In the end, since the bacterial content of each product differs, who knows how accurate labeling of these products are, and the fact that some soil based bacteria can lead to illness, I decided that it was my best bet to seek out a qualified practitioner to suggest something for me. Thus, I have an appointment scheduled with a naturopath next week and soil-based probiotics will be a topic for me during this appointment. Given the reports of the effectiveness of these products on autoimmune conditions with what appears to be minimal, if any, risk of illness, I am very eager for this appointment and to start a product of this type. I must regulate my immune system, and hopefully soil-based probiotics will be the regulators 

Remember, I am not a healthcare practitioner, I am simply communicating what I have researched and read on my own, and what I have decided to try for myself. Hope this is helpful and interesting. I would like to hear if anyone who may read this has ever used a soil based probiotic and what their experience with it was.

Sincerely,

The Barefoot Golfer


References:
1.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11365013
2.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17692729
3.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16117982
4.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1936284/
5.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16102604
6.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21315976
7.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22121830
8.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18312567
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Here's the only thing I could find from Chris Kresser, aside from the radio show linked in the above article:

https://chriskresserlac-shopify.helpjuice.com/questions/47699-Prescript-Assist-and-*spore-forming-organisms*
Prescript-Assist and *spore forming organisms*
There is a lot of confusion about this topic. Jini Patel has raised concerns about soil-based organisms (SBOs) in this article , based on claims made by Natasha Trevnev, the founder of Natren (a company that sells lactic acid-based probiotics). Most of the objections raised in the article are either technically inaccurate or outdated by current research. It has become clear through DNA sequencing of the gut microbiota that the human gut has a makeup of bacteria similar to or already of SBO origin. From an evolutionary perspective, it's likely that we were exposed to SBOs to a much larger degree than we are now, due to the industrialization of agriculture and food distribution, and changes in soil quality and diversity.

The term "spore former" refers to microflora that can form spores that are biologically active, i.e. reproduce in the spore form, and are highly resistant to the environment and cause disease. Endospore formers, on the other hand, are biologically inactive and remain that way until environmental conditions allow resuming normal forms. Prescript Assist does have endospore formers, but they simply pass out of the system if they ever form in the gut of any mammal.

The Relman-Stanford group studies have shown that SBOs are more numerous in the gut than lactic acid microflora, and that the microflora resident in the healthy mucosa of the gut differ considerably from what is present in fecal material (which tends to have higher numbers of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria).

Finally,Prescript-Assist microflora are recognized Class 1 Etiological Agents, non-toxic, non-pathogenic, from independently maintained lines -- this is well documented in both of the Clinical Therapeutics Articles. More than a decade of use as a supplement has revealed no adverse effects and/or side-effects [including reportedly patients with impaired immune systems], as well as the initial demonstrations with repeated consumptions of doses amounting to 500X that recommended for ordinarily daily use with no ill effect.
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There's at least one main dissenting opinion on the topic of soil based probiotics that I found:

http://fixyourgut.com/hso-probiotics-part-3-prescript-assist/
HSO’s Part 3 – I Do Not Recommend Prescript Assist
May 16, 2014
John Brisson


Want to learn all about HSOs? Get a copy of Fix Your Gut.

Everyone in the natural health community loves Prescript Assist, I guess I am a lone wolf. From Sisson,1 to Asprey,2 to Kresser,3 everyone believes that Prescript Assist or HSO’s are the best things since sliced gluten free bread.

The sad thing is most of the time I agree with Kresser, but this time I cannot stand behind one of my mentors.

But why is that?

Well, in theory Prescript Assist appears to be perfect HSO supplement. The supplement is heat and shelf stable, and most of the HSO’s are encapsulated in either endospores or make their own biofilms so you know it will survive your stomach acid and propagate freely in the large intestine.

Kresser goes as far as to say that the HSO’s found in Prescript Assist are:4

“Finally, Prescript-Assist microflora are recognized Class 1 Etiological Agents, non-toxic, non-pathogenic, from independently maintained lines — this is well documented in both of the Clinical Therapeutics Articles. More than a decade of use as a supplement has revealed no adverse effects and/or side-effects [including reportedly patients with impaired immune systems], as well as the initial demonstrations with repeated consumptions of doses amounting to 500X that recommended for ordinarily daily use with no ill effect.”

Well, I’ll be damned Prescript Assist is the safest HSO supplement known to mankind!

Too bad for Prescript Assist and Kresser insurmountable scientific data proves otherwise.

The Problems with Prescript Assist



Most HSO’s in Prescript Assist are unknown if they are part of normal human flora or have non-existent human studies and research of safety. More information about the interaction between these HSO’s and their human hosts might be known once the human microbiome project5 is completed, but for now it is truly unknown if any of these bacteria makeup your biome.

You might be asking yourself what is so wrong with that?

The main issue is that using any bacteria or yeast with unknown pathogenic capabilities in healthy and especially sick people is just asking for trouble. Without research, we simply don’t know what these organisms are capable of doing in the human body.


HSO’s That Are Not Considered Normal Human Flora or Have Non-Existent Human Interaction Research in Prescript Assist6

Azospirillum brasiliense
Azospirillum lipoferum
Bacillus brevis
Bacillus marcerans
Bacillus pumilus
Bacillus polymyxa
Bacteroides lipolyticum
Bacteroides succinogenes
Kurthia zopfii
Myrothecium verrucaria
Pseudomonas calcis
Pseudomonas denitrificans
Pseudomonas glathei
Streptomyces fradiae
Streptomyces cellulosae
Streptomyces griseoflavus


Remember when Kresser mentioned that the HSO’s in Prescript Assist were non-pathogenic, and no side effects, or illness have ever been reported from the HSO’s found in the product. Yeah, well I guess he didn’t do a lot of research before he made that statement.



Documented Opportunistic HSO’s in Prescript Assist



Acinetobacter calcoaceticus7 8 9 10
Bacillus subtilis11
Phanerochaete chrysosporium12
Pseudomonas fluorescens13 14


All of these listed HSO’s are known to cause opportunistic infections in humans. Pseudomonas fluorescens has even been implicated as the cause of Crohn’s disease (I believe that it is a coinfection instead of being the direct cause.)

These bacterium are able to produce endospores and biofilm which make them harder to eliminate if they become opportunistic. It is a lot easier to eliminate opportunistic Lactobacillus acidophilus then Pseudomonas fluorescens.

I hope you now understand why I cannot recommend any of my clients supplement Prescript Assist, and I hope you take my research and do some investigating of the supplement on your own.


http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-primal-supplementation/#axzz31t4SchA6 ↩
http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-red-meat-scapegoat-the-new-york-times-carnitine-heart-disease-and-science/ ↩
http://store.chriskresser.com/products/prescript-assist-probiotic ↩
https://chriskresserlac-shopify.helpjuice.com/questions/47699-Prescript-Assist-and-*spore-forming-organisms* ↩
http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp/index ↩
http://www.prescript-assist.com/ ↩
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/846390 ↩
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/362918 ↩
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01643394#page-1 ↩
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC172888/ ↩
http://fixyourgut.com/hso-probiotics-part-2-danger-supplementing-bacillus-subtilis/ ↩
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rcr2.31/abstract ↩
http://www.gutpathogens.com/content/2/1/16 ↩
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC133002/ ↩
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He raises some good points and I don't think I'm qualified to dissect the specific technicalities of the individual strains to determine if the data is accurate or not. And unfortunately I haven't found much data from other well known bloggers on the topic. It has been recommended in the paleo sphere a number of times (I found some recommendations on Paleo Hacks) and the reviews on Amazon are generally pretty positive. I didn't experience any perceived negative effects, but no significant positive ones either. It's possible that I simply didn't notice any effects in either direction as I took them some months ago and the effects may have been small. The negative reviews on Amazon are hard to evaluate because we have no idea what the diets of the people who had negative reactions to the supplement are or other factors that might contribute to their having a negative reaction.

I think these may be worthy of more investigation and experimentation, but it may be wise to proceed with caution.
 
There is an article in one of the DOT connector magazines about BAM "beneficial active micro-organisms" that sounds sort of like the same thing you are talking about. But BAM is a liquid. It is live organisms whereas typical probiotics are just the enzymes that promote the growth of normal gut flora.

It has been awhile since I've read the article, but maybe others who have used BAM and know more about it can jump in with more information.
 
Here is a link to info on Bacillus Lateropsorus BOD strain that I've been using to fight Candida:
http://www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com/bacilluslaterosporus.html

Since it is soil based, I also use it as a probiotic for cleaning up the soil in my potato garden.
 
Very interesting. I remember my mom always saying that dirt was good for you, and for digestion. Clean dirt that is. I guess she was right.
 
Spore Based Probiotics

How I Came To Love MegaSporeBiotic, the World’s Best Probiotic
By Michael Roesslein Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach | Co-Founder of Rebel Health Tribe

Never did I think that some tiny spore-forming bacteria would be responsible for radically shifting my professional career or my life. Two years ago, I didn’t even know that such organisms existed. I was plodding along, moving from one ‘professional-grade’ probiotic product to another, trying to find something that would really help my clients and those who attended classes and workshops that I taught. I understood that our microbiome, the trillions of tiny organisms that make our body home, was extremely important – but I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of consistent positive results after trying at least twenty different brands of the ‘best’ probiotics on the market.
...

This was the spring of 2014 and I was about to give up on probiotic supplements, as a whole – and move more towards only utilizing fermented foods. The problem with this approach, which concerned me, was that at least half of the clients I worked with did very poorly with fermented foods and couldn’t tolerate them at all – which is actually quite common in people with GI infections, overgrowths, inflammation, etc…

Finally, I came across something different. While listening to an episode of Chris Kresser’s (well-known Functional Medicine Practitioner) podcast, I heard him discuss soil-based organisms. The product he mentioned, specifically, was Prescript-Assist. Chris went on to explain that he’d seen better results with these type of organisms, and this product specifically, when compared with his experience using conventional probiotics – which generally consist of various strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. With nothing to lose, I decided to give this product a shot. If nothing else, it was something different than what I’d been doing.

Initially, the results were rather encouraging. More people saw positive results than I had seen with any conventional probiotics, that’s for sure. There were still, however, many people who didn’t do well, or saw nothing at all. The improvements were generally very subtle for most people, if noticeable at all. Yes, it was better… but nothing really spectacular.

That’s when I stumbled upon a webinar titled ‘Forget What You Know About Probiotics‘, directed at practitioners, and hosted by Dr. Thomas Bayne, DC and Kiran Krishnan (Microbiologist) – the founders of Physicians Exclusive and creators of MegaSporeBiotic.

Needless to say, the information presented definitely peaked my interest. It was different, intriguing, and made sense.

I decided to give it a whirl.

The first person I gave the product to was my mother-in-law. She had recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition which attacks the Thyroid. Auto-immunity is strongly linked to gut permeability issues, GI inflammation, and gut dysbiosis (wrong bugs). She had also suffered from life-long severe (often requiring hospitalization) asthma and allergies (mainly to pets).

Within a few weeks, she was reporting back that her allergies and asthma were almost non-existent and she felt great. As mind-blowing as this was, it was about to get even more unbelievable. A few weeks later, so maybe 6 weeks after she began taking the spores, she came to visit us. We have a dog and a cat, so previously there is no way she would have even been able to come in our home.

Not only was she able to be in the house, she was able to pet the animals, which is something she hadn’t been able to do in decades without risk of life-threatening reactions. To say this was emotional for her doesn’t do the situation justice. Life-changing is more accurate.I was sold. From there, I started recommending the product to my clients, and in several Facebook groups that I’m in. One person after another was reporting back to me with rather amazing results, which I honestly wouldn’t have believed a few months prior. Word spread like wildfire through some of the Facebook groups and I started to get messages and emails daily from people asking how they could order the product.
...

Introducing Spores! (Let’s get to the good stuff already!)

Spore-form bacteria are robust organisms that can survive the harsh environment of the stomach 100% intact. Through the evolutionary process, nature designed them to be transferred from human-to-human via the environment and food. They have evolved to be very stable in the environment and also to colonize the GI tract very effectively. In fact, studies have shown that certain developments of the human immune system specifically require spores.
What do we know about spores?

They are found all over the environment (soil, vegetation, dust, rocks, aqua-environments, digestive systems of insects, marine life, mammals, etc.) which means as a probiotic they are evolutionarily supported – a true probiotic.
Spores remain dormant until they get to the intestinal tract and then they colonize the bowel. They pass through the stomach and upper GI with 100% survivability.
They are universally found in the human microbiome. They are normal organisms of our digestive tract.
There is a LONG history of use in industries where efficacy is closely measured, for example the pharmaceutical and agriculture industries.
Human studies have proven spores to be extremely safe and efficient.
 
A negative review of the above mentioned product:
Why I Do Not Recommend MegaSporeBiotic or My Issues With Bacillus licheniformis

Bacillus licheniformis is one of the worst offending soil based “probiotics” and is known to cause food poisoning, 8 septicemia, 9 10 11 peritonitis, 12 and ophthalmitis. 13 Bacillus licheniformis is not native human flora but appears to be native flora in birds. 14 Bacillus licheniformis is a ubiquitous organism and likely enters the human digestive system many times a day. While data regarding its ability to survive in the human gastrointestinal tract is sparse, it is likely that the spores pass without activating. 15

Bacillus licheniformis is known to cause spontaneous abortions in cattle and sheep as well as contaminate dairy (a cause of food poisoning) with toxins produced from the animals from ingestion of spoilage. B. licheniformis is a spore former and likely to survive all industrial processing of milk, such as the manufacture of milk powder and whey concentrate. Toxins produced by B. licheniformis interfere with mitochondrial function and over-activate the TRPV1 receptors in the intestines causing diarrhea. 16
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The Problem With Soil Based Organisms (SBOs) As Probiotics

SBOs are different because they were never supposed to be part of the gut microbiome. Supplementing with soil organisms (introducing foreign microbes) when your intestinal tract is not properly colonized with resident bacteria is like inviting a group of squatters over to a vacant home and crossing your fingers that it will all work out. To make matters worse, SBOs are spore forming and they proliferate rapidly – so rapidly, in fact, that many manufacturing facilities who grow the probiotic strains found in the human gut consider SBOs as a contaminant to their facility. They know that if they don’t take every precaution to keep them out, SBOs could take over and create a nightmare scenario. Because of this, they even refer to them as the “cockroaches of the industry”.
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I remember having read in Natasha Campbell's book Gut and Psychology syndrome, that bacillus subtilis has got a wonderfull cleaning action. it's not an opportunistic: it doen't stay in the gut, it just passes and kills all bad bacterias in its passage when you ingest it. Its home is the soil, particuarly spring sources.
 
Here's a video where Dr. Mercola interviews Dr. Zach Bush, a thrice-certified allopathic physician who 'woke up'. He talks about the degradation of soil through modern industrial farming, and later the addition of Round-up/Glyphosate, and Gluten concentrated grains. Also discussed is epigenetics, micro RNA, 'tight junctions' in the gut and blood brain barrier, etc. - Glyphosate's effects on these cellular walls, namely leaky gut, autism, diabetes, cancer...

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgKlX6rC4EQ

Bush mentions that an expanded gut biome via earth-based probiotics can increase cellular communication and even activate certain "junk DNA".

He sounds like he has done quite a bit of research. A lot of it does seem to make sense BUT. I dunno so making this post here. My partner just ordered his product and will be no doubt trying it out on herself, and will insist I try it as is well... :) :scared: :huh:


His product, which I am not affiliated with in any way, is called Restore and is on Amazon:

Amazon said:
RESTORE is a new generation, soil-derived supplement to balance gut health, support respiratory wellness, combat environmental exposures, promote immune function, enhance mental clarity, and promote hydration. It is not a probiotic. It is not a prebiotic. Rather, it is a carbon-rich, alkaline liquid, comprised of Terrahydrite, a formulation of Aqueous Humic Substances and trace mineral amino acid complexes. It is naturally gluten-free. RESTORE has been shown to create a beneficial shift in the bacteria of the microbiome-what many people are attempting to do with probiotics and prebiotics. Carbon-based redox molecules from ancient fossilized soil help restore the communication network between bacteria in the gut, mitochondria, and cells in the body.

RESTORE has also been shown in lab testing to increase and strengthen the tight junction proteins in the gut lining, our frontline of defense against environmental factors in our food, water, and even air, thereby impacting the immune system, as much of the body's immune system is in the gut lining. In experiments, environmental and natural toxins - including herbicides and gluten - have been shown to degrade the gut barrier. A stronger gut lining keeps undigested food and environmental elements from leaking out into the bloodstream, so the immune system does not have to defend against these foreign "invaders."

RESTORE is based in science. Our research has shown it to be non-toxic on sensitive kidney cells, even at high usage. Our Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Team does regular testing on RESTORE gut supplement for bacterial contamination, heavy metals, and overall product composition.
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