Antibiotics and Probiotics

It is true that antibiotics have saved countless lives.  However, their misuse and overuse are leading to a dangerous situation in which harmful bacteria are becoming resistant to them.  If you really need to take an antibiotic, be sure to consume extra probiotics before, during and for two weeks following your course of medication.  It is best to take the probiotic at a different time of day than the antibiotic.  

 

If you’re not too familiar with probiotics, here’s a little background information.  We know that good health depends on beneficial bugs.  Our bodies are teeming with bacteria, both good and bad.  Harmful bacteria can make us sick, while good bacteria help us stay well.  Unfortunately, poor diet, stress, lack of physical activity, environmental toxins, the overuse antibiotics (here’s the connection) and several other factors can create an unhealthy balance of bacteria, letting the bad bugs take over. 

To correct this imbalance, it’s important to eat plenty of foods that contain good bacteria such as non-sweetened yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and other fermented foods.  But even with a good diet, it can be difficult to maintain optimal bacterial balance.  Overgrowth of harmful bacteria can lead to numerous health problems, such as heart disease, digestive disturbances, fatigue, mental health issues, depression, anxiety and weight gain.  So you can see how important it is to replenish your supply of good bacteria daily with a probiotic supplement. 

The ideal balance of bacteria in the intestine is 85 percent beneficial to 15 percent harmful.  A high-quality probiotic can help you maintain this ratio.  
The good bacteria found in your probiotics will also provide enzymes that help normalize the pH balance in the colon.  Optimum pH balance within the digestive tract provides the best environment for healthy bacteria to thrive, whereas harmful bacteria appear to flourish in an acidic environment.  Want to test your pH levels?  Purchase some litmus paper (pH test strips) from your pharmacy or on-line and you will be able to check this out at home either with your urine or saliva sample. 

Need  help finding a high-quality probiotic?  I recently started taking the brand, New Chapter, and have noticed significant changes in the quality of my skin in just under a week.   Remember that probiotics need to be kept cold so you should be buying them from a refrigerated unit in the store and keeping them stored that way at home.