For many years, Physician's Choice has delivered a range of probiotic formulas designed to support various needs in adults and children. Each formula is based on scientific evidence and approved by our Scientific Advisory Board which includes experts in medicine (MDs and PhDs), natural medicine, alternative medicine, and integrative medicine.

Dr. Anders Dahlstrom, MD, PhD

Pediatric Gastroenterologist

CFU stands for "colony-forming unit," a measure of live, active microorganisms (like bacteria and yeast) present in a probiotic product. For example, you may see 1 billion CFU (1 × 10⁹) or 10 billion CFU (1 × 10¹⁰) on product labels. These microorganisms are intended to reach and colonize the gut, where they can offer health benefits.

Each CFU represents a live microbe that can reproduce and form colonies within the digestive system, which is essential for probiotics to work effectively. The CFU count, or "dose," shows the strength of the probiotic, but it’s important to choose the right amount based on the specific health benefits desired. Research indicates that higher CFU counts may offer more advantages for certain strains and purposes. However, more isn’t always better; different health goals require different CFU levels.

Selecting a probiotic involves more than just looking at CFU numbers. Factors such as strain quality, delivery method, and stability during storage all contribute to a probiotic’s effectiveness. Consulting a healthcare professional can help you choose a CFU count and formulation that align with your health goals, maximizing the benefits of probiotic use.

Dr. Thiago Cavalcante, MD, ND

Otolaryngologist (ENT) and Naturopathic Doctor

It will depend a bit on the person and what is going on for them, bowel health-wise. If you experience occasional constipation or loose bowels, odds are high that they will start to regulate and be more normally consistent.

If you have some bad bacteria in your gut, you may have a bit of a 'die-off' reaction as you introduce a lot of good bacteria in. This may present as some bloating, gas, and irregularity with your bowels. But within a couple weeks, this should very likely subside. And then, you should just be feeling better overall.

Digestion should be a process that largely goes unnoticed. What I mean by that is that you shouldn't really feel much of anything 'happening'--it should work like clockwork without a lot of intervention or effort.

Some people will notice an improvement in mental clarity and overall mood.

Dr. Eric Wood, ND

Scientific Advisor

I strongly recommend that most people incorporate a probiotic supplement into their daily routine. Probiotics offer a wide range of benefits for gut health, hormone health, and immune function.

The foundation of good health starts in the gut. Probiotics help to restore and maintain a healthy balance of the beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tract. This microbiome plays a crucial role in digesting food, absorbing nutrients, metabolizing hormones, and supporting immune defenses.

Much of your immune system is housed in the gut, so keeping your gut flora healthy is essential for a strong immune response.

The benefits of probiotics are well-established, and they are a simple, safe, and effective way to optimize gut function and immunity.

Dr. Jennifer Roelands, MD

Board Certified OB/GYN and Integrative Medicine

Want to maximize your probiotic’s effectiveness? Take it on an empty stomach! Physician’s Choice probiotics are specially formulated with an acid-resistant capsule to ensure that the strains make it to the gut where they can do their job.

Angela Pifer, FMN, LN, CN

Functional Medicine Nutritionist

When selecting a probiotic supplement, look for one that contains a diverse array of well-researched probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. The potency, or colony-forming units (CFUs), should be at least 10 billion CFUs per serving. Additionally, choose a supplement that is shelf-stable and free of fillers or artificial ingredients.

Dr. Jennifer Roelands, MD

Board Certified OB/GYN and Integrative Medicine

Probiotics are the ‘good bacteria’ in our bodies that help keep us healthy. While mostly known as good gut bugs, there are also beneficial bacteria in our mouth, on our skin, in the vagina and other locations as well. The good bacteria or probiotics, if taken as a supplement, help with digestion, immune function, hormone health and many other functions vital for health.

Prebiotics are the food that probiotics ‘eat’. By incorporating fibers that we cannot digest but our gut bugs can, we encourage them to be strong and healthy themselves. This improves their population and encourages a large, healthy diversity of different bugs in our system. Fibers like inulin, chicory, acacia and others get fermented in the colon by our good bacteria help to improve digestion, immune function, regulate blood sugar and support many other benefits to us and our happy gut bugs.

Dr. Mona Fahoum, ND

Naturopathic Doctor

Yes, you can combine probiotics. There are many different strains of probiotics so it may be necessary to take one for digestive health and one for vaginal health for example. It may be a good idea to start with one type for a few days before adding any additional strains of probiotics so that you will be able to better assess how you feel with the additional probiotics.

Dr. Mona Fahoum, ND

Naturopathic Doctor