And Shir, good luck. Try to get the dentist to give you breaks so you can close your jaw and rest the joint a bit.

I'm sorry, smonster.

Shir, I'm fond of Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap--a podcast where a couple get cheap food and drink and rate them. At least, it started off that way. Now people are sending them things from around the world, like silk worm pupae and lutefisk. And they rate booze as well as food. There's a solid chance that one or both will be drunk at the end of the podcast. [link] It might be a little too funny for the dentist chair, actually.

I've just discovered Lore, which talks about the origins of common folklore. It's creepy without being too melodramatic. The episodes are usually between 15-30 minutes.

And I had a root canal this summer and it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared, and I am hugely anxious in the dentist's chair.

I have a friend (the same one who's been fighting an undiagnosable digestive condition for months) who's asking for specific probiotics recommendations. Anyone have suggestions?

Florastor is a bit expensive but pretty good. I also like the Pearls brand.

Looks like there are a few types of Pearls -- any one in particular? And thank you.

I used the Pearls IC for 2-3 months when my GI tract was jacked up. That formulation has more strains of probiotic bacteria in it, so it seemed like it would be more helpful when things are actively jacked up. And it definitely did help.

Awesome. Thanks again.

RE probiotics: Get something with a high bacteria count (10 billion or more) and expiration date and a guarantee that there will be live organisms up to the expiration date if stored properly. Get something with a variety of ofganisms. try different brands till you find one that works. Essentially you are farming, finding something that will thrive in your gut.

Further re probiotics: common wisdom is that the best ones don't need refrigeration. But I find that the ones that require refrigeration work best for me. Again you are cultivating good bacteria that will eat harmful microrganisms. So what will work for you is very individual depending upon what kind of environment your body is for these things. You want to try various ones till you get the livestock that can flourish in your body.