Let's get Nerdy!
There are some important things to know when choosing the right women's Vaginal Supplement:
Why do you want to take a Womens Vaginal Supplement?
The choice of live supplements for women is a bewildering one. The shelves in the pharmacy are full of them, all different coloured packaging, different amounts of bacteria, refrigerate or not, for sleep, for bloating, for consistency…….. how do you choose?
You need to start with why do you want to take a women's supplement. If you want a one that claims to help you sleep then you do not need one that has bacteria in it that help with your stomach upset. There are many products on the shelf with names or claims that have no evidence at all to prove to you that they will do what you want. You need to do a little bit of homework:
- Search the web for 'best probiotics' for your particular need.
- Look at the ingredients – the bacteria will have a name like Lactobacillus crispatus, this is the SPECIES, it should also have some letters and numbers after it, like LBV88, this is the STRAIN. Generally speaking, supplement manufacturers will only put the strain on the label if there is some research on the bacteria and it is in the product to do a specific job
- Search the SPECIES and the STRAIN (Lactobacillus crispatus LBV88) and see what evidence there is to show you that it does what you are hoping for.
WARNING: Most live bacterial supplements have no evidence at all to support their use.
What is the right amount?
The quantity of bacteria in a live supplement is measured by Colony Forming Units (CFU’s). These are the number of live bacteria that when tested grow and multiply. The important thing to know is that more CFU’s are not necessarily better. What is important is the right type of bacteria with enough to do the job. It is generally accepted that 1 Billion CFU’s of a specific bacteria is a good quantity though this may vary. Another important factor is when did they count the CFU’s – when they went into the jar or at the end of the shelf-life? It’s no good having 50 CFU go into a jar if they are all dead by the time they get to you. We count our CFU’s at the end of the shelf life and guarantee the activity for 2 years.
How is a live vaginal supplement made and packaged.
The manufacture and packaging of a live bacterial supplement is a critical part of whether it will work or not. Bacteria are living creatures. They are grown in a lab and then they are freeze-dried to preserve their life inside a sachet or a capsule. When you eat the product, the moisture in your body brings them back to life and they start to feed, grow, multiply and do their job. A big problem with live supplements is that most are sold in a jar or screw top container which lets air in every time you open it. The air around us is full of moisture and it allows the bacteria to wake-up with nothing to eat and nowhere to go. This kills the bacteria and quickly reduces the shelf-life and effectiveness. The vaginal baterial supplement containing products from VJJ Health are manufactured in a state of the art facility and are packaged in a dry atmosphere over nitrogen which takes away any moisture and oxygen. They are put into moisture proof blister packs or sachets which stop the bacteria from coming to life before you have taken them.
Key factors for best live bacterial supplements
- Proven SPECIES and STRAIN for the job you want it to do.
- The optimum quantity of the right bacteria – not billions of ones that don’t work
- Packaging that protects the life of the bacteria, no jars or pots or refillable gimmicks
- A guarantee that assures you of the activity right up to the end of the shelf-life.
- Live bacterial supplements, often called 'probiotics' by pharmacies, doctors and nearly everyone are a good example of "you get what you pay for". Cheap supplements will have non-specific bacteria, little research and data and poor packaging.
At VJJ, we have done the hard work so you don't have to!
