Supporting Gut Disease Treatment After Antibiotic Use

Gut disease treatment is one of the most troublesome disease types. Especially if you have investigated the troubles experienced during antibiotic treatment. In this regard, we will show you on our site how you can supplement the use of antibiotics, which is one of the steps in the treatment of gout disease. Thus, we will have faster and more positive results in treating gout. It is also worth mentioning. Do not try to tell our doctor what you are talking about in this article. Although simple actions may occur, they can cause problems due to a method applied during treatment.

A few years ago my husband was faced with a life-threatening case of pancreatitis. Despite my best efforts of using herbs to support his body, he ended up with an emergency weeklong stay in intensive care. Seeing how we eat very healthy and use herbs and other natural products to support our health, the situation caught us completely by surprise!

As he lay in the hospital bed, fighting for his life, we made the decision to go ahead with the intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment. While antibiotics are often overused, there are times when they are absolutely necessary as they were in this case.

In this article, I’d like to look at some situations when antibiotics are necessary. I’ll also share how they affect gut health and the best way to support gut health after a round (or two) of antibiotics.

When Are Antibiotics Necessary?

The word antibiotic literally means “against life.” Antibiotics are known to kill microbes in the gut, not discriminating between harmful and helpful bacteria (Ballantyne, 2016).

Prescription antibiotics should be considered when there is a serious bacterial infection like Lyme’s disease or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Natural products with antibacterial properties, such as oregano and cinnamon essential oils and fresh garlic among many other herbs and essential oils, are usually a good first line of defense for less serious bacterial infections. This, of course, will depend on the issue at hand. It’s always a good idea to consult a qualified natural health care practitioner for advice if you’re unsure.

It’s also important to understand that antibiotics can only address bacterial infections, not viral infections. Influenza, the common cold, and even certain cases of strep throat are caused by viruses (Ballantyne, 2016; Cleveland Clinic, 2016). Even though antibiotics are commonly prescribed for these issues, they won’t help and can actually harm the body further. Because antibiotics destroy all bacteria (including beneficial bacteria), they can cause gastrointestinal side effects like diarrhea and contribute to antibiotic resistance as well (Ballantyne, 2016).

How Antibiotics Affect Gut Health

Before deciding how to best support the body after taking antibiotics, it helps to know how antibiotics affect the gut.

While antibiotics kill both the pathogenic and beneficial bacterial strains in the gut, they also affect the natural balance of yeast (Myers, 2017). Candida albicans is native to our bodies, but when beneficial bacteria isn’t prolific enough to keep it in balanced proportions, it can lead to an overgrowth, and eventually, other serious health issues (Myers, 2015).

Antibiotics can also lead to other infections in the urinary and digestive tracts, one of which is Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), a potentially life-threatening issue that causes major gastrointestinal distress (Mayo Clinic, 2016). C. difficile ranges from diarrhea to severe colon inflammation. It can also contribute to dehydration and secondary infections as well. While C. difficile mostly affects the elderly, it’s becoming increasingly common in young, healthy individuals — even those who’ve never taken antibiotics. Recently, C. difficile has increased at an alarming rate and is becoming more resistant to conventional treatments (Mayo Clinic, 2016).

Antibiotic use may lead to side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, headaches, and hypersensitivity (McFarland, 2006; Ballantyne, 2016). They also put a strain on the liver and damage the gut lining (Myers, 2017). In fact, just one course of antibiotics is thought to permanently alter gut flora (Blaser, 2011)!

“When foreign substances make it into your bloodstream, your immune system flags them as invaders and begins to attack. Over time, this causes your immune system, liver, and lymphatic system to become overwhelmed and overworked. When the immune system can no longer keep up with this demand, your immune response goes haywire, and you can develop autoimmune disease” (Myers, 2017).

I’m not saying any of this to make you feel bad if you or your little one truly needs antibiotics. It happens to the best of us! It helps, though, to understand the potential effects they can have on the body so you can make an informed decision on when to choose antibiotics and how to support the body in recovery afterward.

How Natural Antibacterial Products Affect Gut Health

Herbs and essential oils that have been shown to have antibacterial properties rarely affect the gut in the same way isolated, synthetic drugs do. That’s not to say the gut doesn’t need some support after using these types of products, but the impact is less severe.

In a 2016 study in pigs, oregano essential oil was shown to support gut health by protecting against inflammation and damage that leads to leaky gut. Not only that, but it improved gut physiology and intestinal barrier as well (Zou, Xiang, Wang, Peng & Wei, 2016).

Source: https://www.growingupherbal.com/support-gut-health-after-antibiotics/