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side effects of antibiotics

The 21st Century View on Antibiotics, aka Fleming Turning in His Grave

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There is a time and a place for everything in medicine.  Even, I would (very) begrudgingly admit, statins. But too often we are using meds without a full understand of the dark side of medicine.

And that dark side can be as devastating to your health as any diseases we’re trying to conquer with drugs.  Antibiotics are on this list.

When you would ask the average doctor what the principle danger of antibiotics is, it is almost assured that you will get antibiotic resistance as the answer.  And antibiotic resistance is a community issue.  As the prescribing physician, it’s easy to think that the risk of antibiotic resistance has little to do with the patient standing in front of you with an upper respiratory infection.  After all, antibiotic resistance is a community” thing, not an “individual” thing.

In other words, if there is little harm of antibiotic resistance from unneeded antibiotic use to the patient staring you in the face, the potential benefit, however small, is worth the risk.  So that prescription will be given on the off chance that it may help the upper respiratory infection.

The first peer reviewed published article on probiotics was published in 1908.  Now, 106 years later (as of the writing of this article) very few doctors grasp even the basics of the relationship between us and the bacteria in our gut.  This is despite literally thousands of studies documented the benefits of probiotics.

But even this concept is reversed.

It’s not about the benefits of probiotics.  Rather, it’s about the devastating health consequences of destroying the beneficial bacteria seeking refuge in your body:

  • Disrupted immune balance, leaving you susceptible to allergies, asthma and autoimmune conditions
  • Inability to fight off infections from disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites
  • Inability to detoxify toxic chemicals from the environment
  • Alteration of the hormone balance in the body, leading to depression, obesity and anxiety

The list is far longer, but I think you get the idea.

The group who does NOT get the idea, however, is the one continuing to write prescriptions for antibiotics in all but the most severe cases.  Ear infections.  H. pylori in the stomach.  Upper respiratory tract infections.  Pharyngitis (sore throat).  Before dental work.  After every surgery.  Sinus infections.  As a preventative just in case a bacterial infection MIGHT happen during a viral illness.  The list is quite long.  And all of this in spite of mounds of research screaming to NOT use antibiotics.

Until prescribing providers truly, deeply and passionately understand just how important it is to have a normal bacterial flora living and thriving within us, our society will be plagued with chronic diseases.

This particular article drives this home.  Even further, most of this entire Journal of Clinical Investigation is devoted to the topic of just how integrated bacterial populations are integrated into every part of our health.

The authors highlight the emerging viewpoint that we need to view ourselves and the bacteria within us as an ecological community.  One where wanton destruction of its inhabitants have long-term damaging consequences to our health.

It takes no convincing for society to look with horror on the killing of Siberian tigers for the pelts, elephants for their tusks, the overfishing of certain fish populations to near extinction or the loss of the rainforests killing the abundant life that lives within.

It is through this lens that we need to view the bacteria within us.  We need to focus our efforts on supporting solid growth and diversity in our newborns and infants through vaginal birth, breastfeeding and NO antibiotics in the first few years of life.  As we age we need to focus on diets that support the growth of bacteria rich in soluble fibers and without processed junk.  We need to do everything in our power to avoid drugs that block acid production in the stomach (unless a bleeding ulcer is present).  And we need to change the way we raise livestock in an antibiotic soup.

Until we can make these changes, both in understanding and in behaviors, the modern, antiseptic life is going to rob us of health.

 

Antibiotics Destroy Critical Part of Your Cell

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I remain firm on my mantra that destruction of healthy bacterial flora is the worst thing we can do for an infant’s health.  But probiotics can fix the damage from antibiotics, right?

I used to think so as well.

Of course, mainstream medicine (pediatricians, in particular) worry about antibiotic resistance from the overuse of antibiotics.  Kind of cute.  But really such a small part of the destruction that antibiotics rain down on humanity.  As mentioned, the destruction of normal flora wreaks havoc on the developing immune system and sets the stage for autoimmune disorders, immune imbalance and allergic problems.  In general, however, this side effect can be combatted easily by following up antibiotic treatment with probiotics to restore the destroyed bacterial flora.

Then there are the indirect effects of antibiotic use that destroy the competition for other invasive species to grow, such as thrush, Clostridium difficile, staph, strep and E. coli.  Probiotics can help here as well.

All of this should be enough to convince physicians that antibiotic use should be limited to only the most deserving situations.  Kidney infections, MRSA…things like that.  Giving antibiotics “in case” there might be a bacterial infection is just no longer good medicine.  Quite the opposite.

Just in case this was NOT enough to convince you that wanton antibiotic use is a bad thing, I give you this particular study.

Researchers looked at what three typical antibiotics, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin and kanamycin, did to the cells of the human body.  The results were not good.

Regular readers of the Rantings know that my absolute favorite organelle in the human cell is the mitochondria.  The powerhouse of the cell.  Proper function of the mitochondria is critical to a healthy cell.  Harm your mitochondria and you increase your risk of pretty much every chronic disease.

You can see where this is going.

The antibiotics studied in this report, when used for at least four days, led to deteriorating mitochondrion.  Nothing good can come of this.  Add this to the list of the side effects of antibiotic use.  However, this one is not easily fixed with a short course of probiotics.  The deterioration of mitochondrial function is far more tricky and usually requires a combination of supplements and lifestyle changes.  Quite the price to be paid to battle an ear infection that would’ve resolved on its own.

This may account for the tendon ruptures seen with antibiotics like Cipro and other weird side effects that have been seen over the years.

The authors do mention the use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to be used in conjunction with these antibiotics to help mitigate the damage to the mitochondria.  Keep this in mind if you do have to take antibiotics.