Focus On A Healthier Lifestyle Overall
While eating right is crucial for restoring harmony in your gut microbiome, theres more that you can do to accelerate the healing process.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day, all day. Hydration will help the gut and smoothen digestion naturally.
- Move! This is importantfocus on at least 20-minutes of exercise, preferably in nature every day.
- Your body needs time to rest and recover after putting up a fight against the effects of antibiotics. Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep every night to stay energetic throughout the day and wake up with the sun and stop eating around 7PM.
A Careful Balancing Act: Understanding How Antibiotics Impact Your Gut Microbiome
The antibiotics that are prescribed when you have a bacterial infection can be a lifesaver, but theyre not without side effects. For example, they can disrupt the gut microbiome, leading to an imbalance in your that may cause digestive issues.
How Antibiotics Affect the Gut Microbiome
Good and bad bacteria exist in your gut. An overgrowth of harmful bacteria can make you sick. A doctor may prescribe antibiotics that will eliminate unhealthy bacterial cells. Antibiotics work by killing the bacteria that are making you sick. Unfortunately, antibiotics cannot differentiate between good or bad types of gut bacteria. Therefore, helpful bacteria may also be destroyed in the process.
Good bacteria in the gut are critical to maintaining a robust immune system, digestive health and protecting you from harmful toxins and germs. And if antibiotics disrupt your guts natural balance of bacteria, it can leave your digestive health compromised.
How to Rebuild Your Gut Microbiome After Taking Antibiotics
If youre worried that the antibiotics youve taken recently have disrupted the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut, here are a few ways you can rebuild your microbiome.
Increase Your Fiber Intake. Fiber doesnt get digested by your body, but it can be digested by microbes in your digestive tract, which helps stimulate the growth and restoration of lost good bacteria.
Ditch The Standard Western Diet
The evidence for the devastating effect of a processed, high-sugar, low-fibre modern diet on our health continues to mount up. A recent study described our 21st-century diets as an evolutionarily unique selection ground for microbes that can promote diverse forms of inflammatory disease . This means that the bad bacteria in our guts appear to love our deficient diets, while the all-important good ones arent so keen.
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Antibiotics And The Microbiome: Restoring Gut Flora After Antibiotics
Antibiotics have rapid effects on microbiome composition and health. Effects that can be detrimental to host health, especially with over exposure, which is increasingly common. We cannot always avoid antibiotics and should not when we need them, they are after all life saving drugs. However, we can take measures to lessen the harmful effects they have on our microbiomes.
If you are interested in learning more about how antibiotics affect the microbiome and how those effects can be prevented, we will cover those topics in the following sections:
First, lets cover how antibiotics work to fight bacterial infection.
Parasites: The Missing Link To Chronic Illness
Often the root cause of chronic illnesses, parasites are more common than you think!
In humans, these organisms can cause a wide array of symptoms digestive trouble, skin rashes, irritability, teeth grinding, heart palpitations, anxiety, depression and more and many people are unknowingly infected.
If youve been sick for years, parasites could be causing some of your symptoms. Join me and learn how to properly detect and eliminate them!
Parasites: The Missing Link to Chronic Illness could help you answer questions like:
- Why are parasite infections such a big deal?
- How do I know if I have a parasitic infection?
- What is the connection between parasites & autoimmunity?
- Do environmental factors impact parasitic infections?
- How do I implement an antiparasitic diet?
- Whats preventing me from eliminating parasites?
- How do I defend against getting parasites in the first place?
- Get answers to these and many more questions!
Read Also: Why Do I Get Diarrhea After I Eat Salad
Also Check: Best Probiotic For Dogs After Antibiotics
Antibiotic Scarring May Have Lasting Impact On Resistance
In addition to inducing compositional changes to the microbiome, antibiotics seem to increase the prevalence of resistance genes. In Anthony et al.s study, for three of the four antibiotics , there were higher relative numbers of antibiotic resistance genes in the samples taken six months after treatmenta change the authors call antibiotic scarring.
This long-term increase in resistance genes is a notable insight for Francisco Guarner, a digestive system researcher at the University Hospital Vall dHebron in Barcelona who was not involved in the study. He describes the gut microbiome as an ecosystem that is perturbed by antibiotics. When you take antibiotics, some bacteria in the network disappear the others overgrow, so the balance is different. In this new balance, what you gain are bacteria that are more resistant to antibiotics.
Gut bacteria that harbor antibiotic resistance genes may pose several threats. When gut bacteria and pathogens mingle, the resistance genes can be transferred, allowing pathogens to acquire resistance. One recently published study observed that resistant gut commensals can even degrade antibiotics in the gut, shielding pathogens from the effects of the drugs.
In further research, Kwon is investigating whether some healthy people in the community may serve as reservoirs for resistance genes, which could potentially be passed to others.
The Composition Of Gut Bacteria Almost Recovers After Antibiotics For Most People
Research has revealed an interesting strategy that some bacteria deploy to re-establish themselves after antibiotics. They use resistance genescalled the resistome by scientiststo make sure theyre never wiped out.
After attempting to eradicate certain bacterial species with antibiotics, researchers looked at the microbiomes of 12 healthy men over a six-month period and documented the collateral damage.
Initial changes included blooms of certain types of potentially harmful bacteria, along with the depletion of friendly Bifidobacterium and butyrate-producing species. However, the researchers state that the gut microbiota of the subjects recoveredalmost to original levelswithin 1.5 months.
Its important to note, though, that nine common species, which were present in all subjects before the treatment, remained undetectable in most of the subjects after 180 days .
Read Also: Will Antibiotics Raise Your Blood Sugar
Antibiotics And Gut Health: What Goes Wrong
Antibiotics have one job: kill bacteria and stop them from multiplying. However, this simple task is what leads to a disruption in your gut microbiome.
Antibiotics cannot tell the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria. Their job is to simply go to your gut and kill bacteria. They dont discriminate between the good and bad.
When antibiotics enter your system and kill off bacteria seemingly at random, your balance of good and bad bacteria can be thrown out of wack. This is a major issue as the good bacteria in your system play a vital role in protecting you from issues such as SIBO or Candida overgrowth. As the number of good bacteria in your gut decreases, you become susceptible to overgrowths of other organisms, including a yeast called Candida.
While a small amount of yeast is normal and necessary, Candida is opportunistic. If given the chance, such as antibiotic usage killing off protective good bacteria, it will grow and multiply quickly especially when its fed sugar, carbohydrates, or alcohol. When yeast starts to multiply, it can damage the lining of your intestinal walls. This leads to increased intestinal permeability and whats known as leaky gut.
Follow These Four Recommendations To Improve Your Gut Microbiome Naturally And Effectively After Antibiotics
Antibiotics are highly effective in combating bacterial infections. However, prolonged use can upset your entire gut microbiome and even cause liver damage if overused. While antibiotics fight and clear out the infection, they also fight the good bacteria in your stomach, disrupting your gut microbiome. Such ill effects can cause prolonged health challenges if not treated at the right time. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to reduce such effects and start recovering quickly.
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Ways To Optimize Your Gut Bacteria For Optimal Weight Loss
When it comes to losing weight, most diets focus on calorie reduction and exercise. While eating less and exercising more will usually result in weight-loss, Dr. Kellman says that if you get your microbiome healthy, you will lose weight. Its all about correcting the overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria, which is making you crave the wrong foods and triggering inflammation. This makes sense because when you change your gut bacteria, you change how your body produces and metabolizes energy.
This also explains why so many people lose weight only to gain it right back because the bad bacteria are still present in your gut. The bad bacteria remember when you were fat, and they want to continue to live, so they trigger cravings for the foods that feed them.
In addition to the steps I outline above, here are 15 more ways to set up your gut for weight loss:
The Composition Of Gut Bacteria Almost Recovers After Antibiotics
- Date:
- University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
- Summary:
- The use of antibiotics has long been linked to deprivation of gut bacteria. Now, a new study shows that the composition and function of gut bacteria can recover after antibiotic treatment in healthy people. But after six months, the gut still lack nine common beneficial bacterial species.
The trillions of bacteria in the human gut affect our health in multiple ways including effects on immune functions and metabolism. A rich and diverse gut microbiota is considered to promote health providing the human host with many competences to prevent chronic diseases. In contrast, poor diversity of the gut ecosystem is a characteristic feature of chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, asthma and gut inflammatory disorders.
Due the general bacterial-killing nature of antibiotics, it has been speculated that repetitive use of antibiotics deprives people of a rich gut bacterial environment and through this lead to adverse health effects.
Now, an international team of researchers led from the University of Copenhagen and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen report when 3 antibiotics were given to young healthy men for 4 days it caused an almost complete eradication of gut bacteria, followed by a gradual recovery of most bacterial species over a period of six months.
Is the missing beneficial gut microbes in the Western world due to over usage of antibiotics?
Story Source:
Also Check: Can You Give Cats Antibiotics
What Foods To Eat For Your Intestinal Flora
Dr. Bulsiewicz advises that there are many culprits for diminishing the beneficial bacteria and microbes in a healthy gut. One of the biggest is refined sugar and saturated fats. Our modern diet can be linked to causing a healthy gut to become unbalanced. Therefore, a change in diet should be able to help restore the microbes. Based on Dr. Bulsiewicz’s advice, here are some tips on what to eat after treatment.
Eat Vegetables
After a course of antibiotics gut flora is essential to get back to optimal health. Your intestinal flora needs to be restored. One of the best foods you can eat is vegetables. Many vegetables contain good beneficial bacteria that help restore balance to your intestinal flora.
Resistant starch is also a good source of beneficial bacteria. This is because resistant starch ferments in the intestines, to restore intestinal flora. Well-fed beneficial bacteria will populate the lining of the gut.
Eat a Range of Good Foods
Generally, the more diverse microbiota you have, the healthier your intestinal flora. Unfortunately, the modern Western diet is very rich in fats and sugar. Eating a balanced diet that consists of whole foods can lead to a balanced intestinal flora. Which is beneficial for your gut health.
Legumes, Beans, and Fruit
Prebiotic Foods
Here are 9 reasons to choose BIOHM Whole Probiotics from BIOHM Health:
How do you keep your gut healthy? Let’s talk in the comments below!Up Next:
Is Intestinal Cleansing After Antibiotics Always Necessary Restore Stomach Flora After Antibiotics
The intestine and its complex processes are far from being fully understood. Hardly anyone will deny that a balanced intestinal flora is is essential for the health of the entire human body. Intestinal repair through probiotic use is not harmful. Therefore, if you feel that your stomach needs support, you should provide it.
Also Check: Can You Treat Chlamydia With Antibiotics
Rotate: Dont Eat The Same Thing Every Day Rotate Foods And Try To Repeat Foods No More Frequently Than Once Every 4 Days
Gut healing can take several months. An unhealthy gut and/or the side effects of antibiotics may not present with any GI symptoms, so you cant rely on them. It is important to stick with the plan even after you are feeling well.
For more information on gut health, please read our article on How to Heal Your Gut Naturally .
Some of these gut-healing remedies can be found at The Fully Functional® Shop .
Reach out to our Inventory Manager, Sandy, for any questions you may have. She can be reached at
You can book an appointment by clicking here . We are also happy to speak with you at , Monday-Thursday, from 8AM 5PM Eastern time.
Find Your Fermented Favourite
Finally, include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir. The reason those fermented foods as well as sauerkraut and Greek yoghurt are so useful is that, according to Professor Spector, there are many more different species in fermented food than in probiotic tablets. Ten billion of one strain sounds good, but isnt as good as billions of different strains.
Recommended Reading: Can You Get Bv From Taking Antibiotics
These Studies Demonstrate The Wide Range Of Potential Consequences Caused By The Improper Development Or Destruction Of The Intestinal Flora
If antibiotics must be used , special care should be taken to not only restore their gut flora using probiotic foods and supplements, but to eat a diet that supports healthy gut microbiota with plenty of fermentable fibers from starch and the removal of food toxins.
To protect infants gut health, especially those infants born through cesarean section, it is crucial to exclusively breastfeed for at least six months, with breastfeeding continuing on-demand throughout the complementary feeding period . I also recommend using a high-quality infant probiotic to help populate your babys gut with beneficial flora, as I explain in this article from my natural childbirth series.
Infancy is a critical time where the development of a healthy gut microbiota is essential for the long term health of your child. You can read more about protecting the gut health of your child in The Healthy Baby Code.
As I said in the beginning of the article, antibiotics save lives and have significantly lengthened our lifespans. But that benefit has come with a price, and its one that were only just beginning to understand the full implications of. My goal here is simply to raise awareness of this price the harmful and potentially lasting effects of antibiotics so that you can make a more informed choice.
Ways To Clean Up Antibiotic Damage In Your Dog
Our dogs are walking, barking ecosystems. Like you, your dog is carrying trillions of other organisms around in his body. These little guys outnumber the cells in the body 10:1.
This group of bacteria, fungi, archaea, and eukaryotes make up the canine microbiome. Theyre nestled in your dogs nail-beds, gathered in his gut, and spread all over his skin, lungs and urinary tract.
The latest research shows what we already know about ourown microbiomes is true for our pets too.
The canine microbiome helps protect against disease, maintain healthy digestion and regulate hormones.
New studies have even linked an unhealthy microbiome to obesity and aggression.
So, a healthy microbiome = a healthy dog. Butwhat happens when you add antibiotics into the equation? And once those antibiotics are finished, is there a way to rebuild the microbiome?
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What Probiotics For Antibiotic Side Effects
Typically, it will take the body time to balance the microbiome to healthy, diverse bacteria levels. In fact, research shows that it takes about 6 months to recover from the damage done by antibiotics. And even then, the body might not even be back to its pre-antibiotic state.
Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic yeast is particularly good at preventing and alleviating antibiotic-associated diarrhea and travellers diarrhea. Its also a friend to your gut bacteria that supports good bacteria and prevents inflammation.
Lactobacillus acidophilus, a probiotic bacterium best known for being in yoghurt is also great for your gut. Studies show that its good at treating and preventing infections, and reducing the digestive side effects of antibiotics.
Other bacteria that help recover from antibiotic use include:
Benefits Of Prebiotics And Prebiotic Foods
Its important to know that although all prebiotics are fiber, not all fiber is prebiotic. To be classified as a prebiotic fiber, it must be fermentable by the gut bacteria and promote growth and activity of the good bacteria in your gut, otherwise known as probiotics. Probiotics need prebiotics as food to grow and multiply.
Read Also: How To Cure Chlamydia Without Antibiotics
