6 replies to this topic

[rfarris]

I know that Primal Defense is not popular around here. I'm not sure exactly why, other than maybe the fact that it is incredibly expensive. For those of you that don't know; Primal Defense is a sort of combination probiotic and algae/green thing. One of the really strange things about it (as a probiotic) is that it doesn't need to live in the refridgerator. Its claim is that its inventor (an MD, I believe) used it to cure himself of chrones disease. The more mundane reason to take it is to cure yourself of candidiasis.

Like I said, I know that it's not popular around here, but I had a little bit too much money so I decided to go through a cure-cycle of Primal Defense and see what I thought about it.

Here's the issue that bothers me. Looking at the label, it claims that it has iron in it. As a man, I've heard that iron is bad for us. When I first saw the line-item, I noticed that it said it had 13% of the iron RDA (2000 kCals). That didn't seem too bad, but then I read that you're supposed to take at least three caps a day (50% iron RDA), and preferably six caps a day (100% iron RDA) in the beginning.

Is 100% iron RDA something to worry about, or are the higher amounts of iron included in multis the problem?

[ajnast4r]

its non-hema iron, your barely gonna absorb any of it


btw, primal defence is a pretty good product... but its way too expensive. there are better probiotics out there for less money. imo a probiotic is a very necessary part of a good supplement regimen

[scottl]

Rick,

ajnast4r is likely correct. Personally, I'd get my money back as it ain't gonna cure ya.

1. Their basic hypothesis is that organisms found in dirt are normal flora in our gut (I couldn't make that up).

2. They are very pricey.

3. You IMHO ain't gonna cure anyone of anything significant with flora alone (well...vaginal infections...). Soo stick to tried and true stuff. I believe this is true due to the whopping emotional component in many of this type of illness.

IF you need really high power stuff use this:

http://healthsolutio...nterPlexus.html

I personally use metagenics acidophilus/bifidus Dairy free.

[Pablo M]

Found via Quackwatch (not always a trustworthy source, but pertinent to the issue at hand):

# His NMD [Rubin's] (naturopathic medical doctor) is from the Peoples University of the Americas School of Natural Medicine, a nonaccredited school with no campus.
# His Ph.D. is from the Academy of Natural Therapies, a nonaccredited correspondence school that the State of Hawaii ordered to close last year.
# His CNC (Certified Nutritional Consultant) comes from the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, whose only requirement for "professional member" status has been payment of a $50 or $60 fee. The CNC requires passage of a test based mainly on the contents of books that promote nutrition quackery.

Primal Defense is mostly a fad/scam. Jordan S. Rubin, whose diet principles are based on the Bible, says that "homeostatic soil organisms" are one of the reasons for the people of the Bible's longevity. These soil organisms were present on vegetables which biblical peoples ate, he says. Any beneficial organisms present on food were probably in competition with undesirable ones and functioned as a sort of natural pesticide to ward off these pests, which were likely also present in some quantity and would be ingested along with the "beneficial" ones (if they were ingested at all). Whether people, biblical or not, would ingest "homeostatic soil organisms" is doubtful. In any case, Rubin says these nutrients are destroyed during cooking, and biblical people ate most of their food cooked (bread, stews, etc.), so his whole theory is basically bunk.

Given Rubin's obsession with cleanliness, it seems odd that he condones a practice which is akin to shoving unwashed vegetables covered in dirt in your mouth. Seems very unhygienic. If you read The Maker's Diet, you'll see that Rubin has an obsession with cleanliness. This is obvious in some statements he makes in the book (not having breakfast until you've had a bowel movement in the morning) and in his company's numerous "cleansing" products.

[rfarris]

As I pointed out, Primal Defense is not well thought of around here.

But I don't think it will hurt me, either. I was just looking forward to "ugly stringy looking stuff" coming out of my butt.

I was worried about the iron, though, and AJ points out that it's non-hema iron (whatever that is), so I'm not going to worry about it.

What if I took 12 capsules of Primal Defense dirt? Would that be more likely to heal me?

[Pablo M]

I was just looking forward to "ugly stringy looking stuff" coming out of my butt.

I take it you're referring to "mucoid plaque"? Don't even get me started on that.

[ajnast4r]

I personally use metagenics acidophilus/bifidus Dairy free.

i also use the same product (cept its 'ethical nutrients' brand, which is a division of metagenics... so its literally the same stuff)... its very effective, and its very reasonably priced.


no stringy stuff is gonna come out your butt... but there are certain illnesses that can be cured by not too much more than mega-dosing on probiotics, specifically certain forms of indigestion and ulcers.

you can NOT go wrong taking a probiotic, imo is is ESSENTIAL that everyone take them