Gut Disrupter #2: Antibiotics
- Olivia Borer
- Nov 12, 2015
- 2 min read
Last time, I wrote about how stress affects our gut bacteria. Today, I’m taking a more straightforward approach and discussing antibiotics and their role in bacterial imbalance.
What Are Antibiotics and What Do They Do?
Luckily, it’s pretty obvious: antibiotics kill bacteria, good and bad. That’s their job. And yes, antibiotics do have an important role in the medical community when it comes to deadly diseases.
However, when antibiotics are prescribed and handed out like candy, we have a problem.
If we take antibiotics frequently throughout the year (or even just once a year!), the negative effects accumulate quickly and our gut's bacterial levels become low or nonexistent, especially if we don’t take the proper steps to reinoculate our gut with good bacteria!
This leads us down a vicious cycle: our gut loses good bacteria and can’t defend us against infections, so we are prescribed an antibiotic to cure that infection, and the cycle continues.
Furthermore, we are seeing a growing trend of antibiotic resistance. This should be expected, as it follows a classic pattern: we become used to something when we are exposed to it often. Therefore, if we are exposed to antibiotics on a regular basis, it makes sense that our smart bodies would find a way to resist them.
How can we overcome this imbalance?
Start by decreasing your use of antibiotics for unnecessary reasons, like viral infections such as a cold or the flu (which antibiotics were not made to help). Only take antibiotics when they are seriously needed, and question your doctor if he or she tries to overprescribe antibiotics to you. Additionally, make sure to follow through on the entire dosage of the antibiotic if you do in fact need to take one. Not finishing the dosage can do more harm than good!
Finally, during and after your dosage of antibiotics, take a high-quality probiotics and consume probiotic rich foods (like sauerkraut) every day to reinoculate the gut bacteria. Just make sure to take your probiotic and antibiotic at different times during the day. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose!
Final Thoughts
While antibiotics do have their place, they should not be taken in excess or in unnecessary situations (like when we have the cold or the flu). Eating probiotic rich foods in addition to a real food diet, as well as including a daily probiotic, as excellent ways to recover from taking antibiotic, as well as reduce the need to take one.
Need more information? See the links below!
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