Incorporate Healthy Fats Into Your Meals
Healthy fats are great for your gut health.
A great example of healthy fats is omega-3 fatty acids, which help build the foundation of many cells in the body. There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, DHA, and EPA. ALA is easy to get through your diet, but DHA and EPA are typically only attainable through fish. Some circumstances, like following a plant-based diet, can make it difficult to receive all of the omega-3s you need.
If you have difficulty obtaining your recommended daily intake of these healthy fats through diet, consider taking an omega-3 supplement. Algae supplements provide two of the most necessary omega-3 nutrients, DHA and EPA, and one particular type of algae, Nannochloropsis, provides 50% better absorption than any other source of fatty acids.
How Does The Immune System Work
When you first think of the immune system, you may think of microscopic cells that attack and fight off invading bacteria. This image would be accurate, but the immune system is a complex system of white blood cells, antibodies, and other cells that mobilize to defeat sickness-causing invaders.
If someone asked you where the immune system is located, you would say inside the body, of course, but you may be surprised to learn that 70% of the immune system is actually located in the gut.
The gut contains a whole world of microorganisms and bacteria, or microbiota, that play a crucial role in immune function.
For example, a microbial molecule in the gut signals to activate T cells, also fittingly known as natural killer cells, that target and eliminate harmful bacteria. The gut also plays a role in developing antibodies and other immune cells.
People At Risk Of Bacterial Infections
Antibiotics may also be recommended for people who are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of infection. This may include:
- people aged over 75 years
- babies less than 72 hours old who have a bacterial infection, or a higher than average risk of developing one
- people with heart failure
- people who have to take insulin for diabetes
- people with a weakened immune system either because of an underlying health condition such as HIV or as a side effect of certain treatments, such as chemotherapy
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Animal Models Exploring Antibioitc
Animal models are particularly relevant to establish cause relationships that cannot be directly tested in humans in controlled settings. Although there are limitations in extrapolating findings from animal models, designing experiments that closely resemble the use of antibiotics in humans, including antibiotic combinations, doses, and route of administration, would have the potential to offer more relevant information. For instance, the common practice of extrapolation of antibiotic dose from humans to mice, which is based on the body weight alone, does not stand appropriate due to physiological and biochemical differences between these two animal species that influence pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of antibiotics. Hence, better approaches, such as allometric scaling based on normalization of dose to body surface area, are needed to calibrate the drug dose . While mice are the preferred animal models for antibiotic-related studies in neonates, the use of large animals like pigs may provide a better alternative due to anatomical and physiological similarities with humans, and large-sized neonates allow easier therapeutic manipulations like intramuscular and intravenous injections.
Some Good Bacteria Is Needed To Support Your Immune System
You’ve probably heard that antibiotics can kill the bad bacteria in your body, but they also kill off some of the good bacteria in your gut that plays a critical role in your immune system. Your body needs this good bacteria to be able to fight off infections and other health problems.
To counter this effect, use antibiotics only as prescribed and try taking probiotic shots while you’re on the antibiotics to give your gut a boost.
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Antibiotics Weaken Flu Defenses In The Lung
- Date:
- The Francis Crick Institute
- Summary:
- Antibiotics can leave the lung vulnerable to flu viruses, leading to significantly worse infections and symptoms, finds a new study. The research discovered that signals from gut bacteria help to maintain a first line of defense in the lining of the lung. When mice with healthy gut bacteria were infected with the flu, around 80% of them survived. However, only a third survived if they were given antibiotics before being infected.
Antibiotics can leave the lung vulnerable to flu viruses, leading to significantly worse infections and symptoms, finds a new study in mice led by the Francis Crick Institute.
The research, published in Cell Reports, discovered that signals from gut bacteria help to maintain a first line of defence in the lining of the lung. When mice with healthy gut bacteria were infected with the flu, around 80% of them survived. However, only a third survived if they were given antibiotics before being infected.
“It takes around two days for immune cells to mount a response, in which time the virus is multiplying in the lung lining. Two days after infection, antibiotic-treated mice had five times more virus in their lungs. To face this bigger threat, the immune response is much stronger and more damaging, leading to more severe symptoms and worse outcomes.”
Story Source:
Bacterias Can Learn To Be Resistant
Drug-resistant bacteria tend to be more aggressive and challenging to treat, and they are recognized as a growing global crisis. Drug-resistant bacteria can tremendously impact your health and lead to greater side effects. If a drug becomes ineffective during treatment and the bacteria has shown drug resistance, it could become difficult to eradicate that bacteria. This may allow the bacteria to spread throughout your body.
Research shows that antibiotics specifically interact with immune cells. Over time, our immune system produces white blood cells to fight the infection alongside the antibiotic regimen. After a period of time, their ability to fight the infection decreases because they have exhausted their resources. At this point, the patient is rendered immuno-compromised because they dont have the necessary means to fight the infection independently.
Bacterial resistance is why it is important to follow the instructions your prescribing doctor provides. Taking it less than prescribed means you could end up creating drug-resistant bacteria that cant be killed by future antibiotics. You cant be harmed instantly by just taking two pills instead of one, or skipping a day of treatmentinstead, this contributes to long-term antibacterial resistance because you’re essentially “showing your cards” to bacteria when they aren’t actively attacking.
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You Take Medications That Weaken Your Immune Response
Unfortunately, many important medications that are used in cancer chemotherapy to prevent organ transplant rejection and to treat autoimmune diseases can be immunosuppressive.
Corticosteroids, a common class of drugs used for allergies, asthma and other inflammatory diseases can also be immunosuppressive.
Even a history of frequent antibiotic use has been shown to damage microbiome diversity in the gut, which can directly impair immune responses.
Use Antibiotics Only When Prescribed
Responsible use of antibiotics is a global call to fight against drug-resistant infections. You should never self-prescribe medicationsdoing so will only do more harm. Antibiotics can help infections that may be fatal, but incorrect antibiotic use can be fatal itself. If you want to learn more about antibiotics, we have unlimited nutritional coaching alongside our daily lesson plans & activities while you monitor your health metrics using our wellness cards. Sign up with Vessel Health today to connect with a coach!
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Medications That Weaken Your Immune System And Fungal Infections
Overall, most serious fungal infections are rare, but they do happen. They are most common among people with weak immune systems. People with certain health conditions may need to take medications with side effects that can weaken your immune system and put you at risk for fungal infections.
Specifically, corticosteroids and TNF inhibitors are two types of medications that can increase your chances of getting a fungal infection.1
- Corticosteroids are medications that treat conditions including arthritis, asthma, allergic reactions, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, sarcoidosis, or inflammatory bowel disease.
- TNF inhibitors are medications that treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Some fungal infections can be serious, such as:
You Get Sick Frequently And Take Longer Than Usual To Recover
Don’t be alarmed if you get the sneezes and sniffles through two or three colds a year. Most people bounce back to normal in about a week.
But if you’re constantly catching colds with symptoms that linger for weeks, or even get food poisoning often, it may be due to a sluggish response from your innate immune system.
Your innate immune system involves barriers that keep harmful materials from entering your body. Think of it as the first line of defense against all invaders and injury. Its components include:
- Cough reflex, which helps us expel things that may irritate or infect us.
- Mucus production, which traps bacteria and small particles and helps expel them from the body.
- Stomach acid, which helps kill microbes that enter through our food and water.
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Myth: Antibiotics Do Not Have Side Effects
Fact: Antibiotics can have many side effects. For example, prolonged use of antibiotics can damage liver function. Antibiotics can also destroy the helpful bacteria that reside in your gut. This is because antibiotics are not able to distinguish between the helpful gut bacteria and the harmful bacteria.
Follow A Doctors Advice On Vaccines
Doctors generally recommend that most people stay up to date with their vaccines.
However, they may advise a person with a weak or compromised immune system to delay or not receive certain shots.
If a short-term illness or a medication is responsible for the weak immune system, the person may be able to have the vaccine once the illness has resolved or they have stopped the treatment.
Examples of vaccines that doctors may recommend delaying or avoiding include:
- MMR vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella
CDC recommend a vaccination schedule that most people should try to follow. However, people with a weak immune system should check with a doctor which vaccines are safe for them to have and then follow the doctors recommendations. Vaccines can prevent a person from getting seriously ill.
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How Do I Maintain A Healthy Immune System After Taking Antibiotics
Even the healthiest body encounters challenges every now and then, and occasionally, antibiotics are needed to treat an infection. While they serve a very necessary purpose, antibiotics can also have some unwanted side effects, including upsetting your gut health and affecting your immune system.
So if youre asking yourself, How do I maintain a healthy immune system after antibiotics? youve come to the right place.
In this article, well discuss how antibiotics impact your body and share four ways to promote healthy immune function after antibiotics.
If Im Taking An Immunosuppressant Should I Worry About Covid
Not typically.
COVID-19 vaccines may provide less protection if you have a weakened immune system. But this doesnt mean they lose all effectiveness. In many cases, youll likely need an extra COVID-19 vaccine dose to help make up for this difference.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone age 5 and older to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This includes people with weakened immune systems. People who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 if you test positive for the virus. This includes people taking medications that weaken your immune system.
Your healthcare provider can help answer questions you may have about COVID-19 vaccines, including which vaccines you should receive and when. This includes choosing which additional primary shot or booster shot to get if youre considered moderately to severely immunocompromised.
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Increase Immunity The Healthy Way
Many products on store shelves claim to boost or support immunity. But the concept of boosting immunity actually makes little sense scientifically. In fact, boosting the number of cells in your body immune cells or others is not necessarily a good thing. For example, athletes who engage in “blood doping” pumping blood into their systems to boost their number of blood cells and enhance their performance run the risk of strokes.
Attempting to boost the cells of your immune system is especially complicated because there are so many different kinds of cells in the immune system that respond to so many different microbes in so many ways. Which cells should you boost, and to what number? So far, scientists do not know the answer. What is known is that the body is continually generating immune cells. Certainly, it produces many more lymphocytes than it can possibly use. The extra cells remove themselves through a natural process of cell death called apoptosis some before they see any action, some after the battle is won. No one knows how many cells or what the best mix of cells the immune system needs to function at its optimum level.
What Illnesses Are Caused By Viruses And Cant Be Treated By Antibiotics
Viruses cause most upper respiratory infections, which include head colds, sore throats, bronchitis, and sinus infections. Viruses cannot be treated by antibiotics.
The common cold and flu do not respond to antibiotics. Less than 10% of acute bronchitis cases are caused by bacteria. Most cases of acute ear infections also resolve without antibiotics.
Sore throats are usually caused by viruses as well. Antibiotics are not recommended unless you have strep throat. Only about 15% to 30% of sore throat cases in children and up to 10% of cases in adults are due to strep throat.
Almost all cases of acute bacterial sinusitis resolve without antibiotics.
The bottom line: Taking antibiotics for most acute upper respiratory tract infections does little or no good, and the downsides are real.
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Does Being Cold Give You A Weak Immune System
Almost every mother has said it: “Wear a jacket or you’ll catch a cold!” Is she right? Probably not, exposure to moderate cold temperatures doesn’t increase your susceptibility to infection. There are two reasons why winter is “cold and flu season.” In the winter, people spend more time indoors, in closer contact with other people who can pass on their germs. Also the influenza virus stays airborne longer when air is cold and less humid.
But researchers remain interested in this question in different populations. Some experiments with mice suggest that cold exposure might reduce the ability to cope with infection. But what about humans? Scientists have performed experiments in which volunteers were briefly dunked in cold water or spent short periods of time naked in subfreezing temperatures. They’ve studied people who lived in Antarctica and those on expeditions in the Canadian Rockies. The results have been mixed. For example, researchers documented an increase in upper respiratory infections in competitive cross-country skiers who exercise vigorously in the cold, but whether these infections are due to the cold or other factors such as the intense exercise or the dryness of the air is not known.
The Defensive Role Of Gut Bacteria
How exactly did ingesting antibiotics weaken the mice before their exposure to the flu? The researchers may have an explanation for this phenomenon.
As part of the study, the team also found that type I interferon signaling a form of protein signaling that regulates the response of a type of cell that lines the lungs is key to stopping the flu virus from replicating in the lungs.
Usually, gut bacteria would drive interferon signaling, telling the lung cells to react to the virus, stopping it from replicating, and thus making survival and recovery more likely.
We were surprised to discover that the cells lining the lung, rather than immune cells, were responsible for early flu resistance induced by microbiota, notes Wack.
The process by which antibiotics seem to render the lungs more vulnerable to viral infections is a complex one, and it relates, in part, to when and how the immune response occurs.
Gut bacteria usually send interferon signals that switch on the antiviral gene Mx1 in mice, corresponding to a similar gene called MxA in humans. However, antibiotic treatment delays the switching on of the antiviral gene, affecting the efficiency of the response that the body initiates against the virus.
It takes around 2 days for immune cells to mount a response, in which time the virus is multiplying in the lung lining, explains Wack.
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Probiotics And Prebiotics To Help Sustain Immune Health*
Antibiotics are a modern medical marvel that have saved millions of lives. The downside is that in addition to killing the bad, unwanted bacteria, antibiotics can also damage your good gut bacteria.
To maintain your immune system after antibiotics, youll want to take good care of your digestive system.
Follow the four tips we listed above: eat fermented foods or take probiotics, take prebiotics such as Gaia Herbs Microbiome Food, and keep your stomach calm with GI Feel Good and Sweetish Bitters. These tips and the supplements mentioned here can also help keep your digestive and immune systems functioning at their best.*
A healthy gut is essential to a healthy immune system. With just a bit of extra care, you can support your gut microbiome to help maintain your immune system after antibiotics.
REFERENCES:
1. Mary Cheung, MD, 6 Things You Should Know About Your Gut Bacteria, The Well by Northwell, accessed April 18, 2021,
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What Is An Immunosuppressant
An immunosuppressant is a medication that weakens your immune system. It does so by making your immune system less active.
This can actually be helpful in certain conditions. For example, some people take immunosuppressants after receiving an organ transplant. This helps prevent the immune system from attacking the new organ.
Immunosuppressants are also used as treatments for people with certain conditions caused by an overactive immune system. This includes lupus and rheumatoid arthritis .
But in other cases, immunosuppression is a side effect of certain medications.
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