A close friend was put into a long term antibiotic regimen for a very unusual and difficult bacterial chronic lung infection. She started noticing nerve pains, arthritic symptoms and insomnia after a few months despite dosing up heavily with probiotics. After visiting an amoxicillin forum, she discovered that many others had similar side effects.
Antibiotics, probiotics, and the medical monopoly paradigm
Almost everyone who knows anything about gut flora knows it's wise to take probiotic dense foods and supplements during and after antibiotic use. But when is the last time an MD gave that recommendation when he or she wrote up an antibiotic prescription for you, a family member or close friend?
The same person mentioned earlier told various MDs in the clinic her problems; they all frowned and shrugged. They had never heard of her side effects, which were corroborated by several amoxicillin users on a forum. Still, not one doctor asked if she was taking probiotics. In all likelihood, her case is not an unusual one.
A big bugaboo in medical circles is antibiotic resistant microbes and MRSA, the virulent staph resistant bacteria that has become a bit of an epidemic. The medicos blame frequent and overused antibiotics that bacteria have evolved to overcome. But they keep prescribing antibiotics, even for long term dosage.
Antibiotics are everywhere
Meat and dairy consumers who don't bother to select organic dairy or meat from grass fed livestock are taking in antibiotics constantly. Antibiotics are injected into livestock and also put into their food.
Subsequently, humans who consume those animal-products are taking in the same antibiotics. Despite pressure, The FDA has thus far refused to ban antibiotics from animal feed.
The ostensible use of antibiotics for preventing disease in overcrowded factory farms has concealed a secret that is even worse: the antibiotics make the livestock fatter more quickly by destroying their probiotic intestinal flora. But the factory farmers love that!
Human intestinal flora destruction invites physical and mental issues
Getting fat faster happens with humans on antibiotics too, for the same reason it happens with farm animals, gut flora destruction. Besides being important for digestion, probiotic intestinal flora have more than one immunity function.
The first is to prevent the bad bacteria or fungal microbes from getting out of hand. Too much Candida yeast and not enough friendly bacteria create Candida overgrowth, which is a quality of life damper and potentially a symbiotic haven for cancer cells.
Though probiotic bacteria do go after pathogens, the obvious good guy bad guy game goes beyond direct conflict.
Even from the gut, probiotic bacteria plays a role in triggering disease-killing cells in the blood as well as serving other immune regulating functions in both blood and organ cells. Digestion is very important, but gut probiotic microbes go beyond digestion and make up to 80% of our immune system.
Recently, a small number of medical pioneers have come across evidence that the rising numbers of mental disorders can be traced to intestinal flora imbalances. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has based her pediatric practice in the UK on fixing all kinds of behavioral and eating disorders by using diet and probiotics to restore gut health.
She had discovered what she calls GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) by curing her son of autism. That's way beyond the medical monopoly paradigm! You can find more on her work here.
Antibiotics may have their place and time but it's not everywhere or all of the time. Many consider it wise to opt for herbal antibiotics as an alternative.
