bL79

Oh, absolutely. It's just that I'd rather read more interesting insight on what we do know rather than a tangential attack on how Autism and gut yeast can't be related. I guess it's similar to a lot of more controversial topics where the dialogue is often narrated by extreme viewpoints rather than the more reasonable middle ground

Thanks for this comment. I totally forgot about this when I posted mine. You're understanding of soluble/insoluble matches mine although I think soluble does contribute to drawing water into the stool and giving it shape. Edit - Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel - insoluble absorbs water and provides a fibrous matrix. Both are involved in stool firming

Seems most supplements are soluble in nature. So maybe if you need to speed digestion or solidify loose stools you should focus on getting some insoluble fiber naturally rather than relying on supplements? Definitely seems like an important distinction

As someone who has recently been battling IBS after coming back from a trip it's become pretty clear to me that gut bacteria/micro fauna/whatever plays a significant role in our health that Western medicine is only just beginning to understand. I'd wager in another few decades we will see a whole bunch of new treatments based around an improved understanding of the gut.

It's unfortunate because I (anecdotally) see Doctors dismiss gut micro-fauna balance as quackery, especially since alternative medicine often points to it as a source of trouble (e.g. Candida overgrowth). Sadly it's common to see conventional doctors attack straw-men when discussing alternative medicine's view on the gut rather than acknowledging what we do/don't know. Not saying 'alternative' medicine is right but it's clear to me a healthy gut is critical to a healthy person. I crave more scientifically backed data - I've really begun to appreciate how impacted quality of life becomes when you're dealing with chronic digestive issues.

Adding fiber and probiotics to my diet has helped me tremendously. Shocker - eating green, healthy looking things instead of fast food poison makes me feel better too. After a fair bit of research this probiotic seemed like the best value with a solid strain list. Probably best to refrigerate as soon as possible though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEKYNZA/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Also found this article helpful. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22504002