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NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS
What to do when you’ve taking antibiotics? Are there natural antibiotics? What treatments might help you recover faster? Are there things you can take that minimize unwanted reactions by your body to antibiotics?
First: it is generally accepted that if you have begun a course of antibiotics, even against your will, you should complete the recommended course (unless you clearly have a bad reaction to them). Not to do so means that the bacteria against which you are taking the antibiotic may survive and develop resistance to it, passing that resistance on to the next individual. Then that antibiotic won’t be so effective in future.
That’s what’s happened from overuse of antibiotics, so now scientists are in a race with the bacteria which have learned to resist even our best attempts. Science may be mighty, but on current showings, the bacteria are mightier still, developing faster than we can keep up. (Hence MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - and other such, now confronting hospitals and people with poor immunity.)
UNWANTED SIDE-EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS
So, you’re taking antibiotics and not feeling as well as you’d like. Indeed, the antibiotics may be causing you to have digestive disturbances like loose stools, nausea, tiredness, depression and in some people, yeast infections of the vagina or mouth.
Some can affect you even more severely, upsetting your kidneys, your liver and your bone marrow. Unfortunately, they can also cause colitis, an inflammation of the large intestine (colitis can occur as late as 6 months after taking the antibiotics), and allergic reactions. So nowadays, doctors are more circumspect about prescribing antibiotics. Nevertheless, antibiotics save lives so we should be grateful.
Take Action!
If you are taking antibiotics and your doctor hasn’t already suggested it, take probiotics.
PROBIOTICS
Probiotics are the good bacteria and yeasts that flourish in and support a healthy digestion. They occur naturally if you eat a healthy diet, containing raw or lightly cooked food, because you inhale them from a healthy environment and they are naturally present in or on many natural foods, and probably present in the birth canal of healthy mothers, so babies born naturally probably pick them up on their way out.
But modern packaged foods, or foods that have been micro-waved to heat them, and many other manufacturing processes, destroy them. They also don’t thrive in you if you eat highly refined foods, sugars, sweets and so on, which favour the opposition.
You find these ‘good’ bacteria in natural yogurt, by which we mean yogurt that has been made using what is called a yogurt ‘starter’, or another natural yogurt as a starter. So look carefully at the list of ingredients if you are buying yogurt. If the yogurt is sweetened and has a sell-by date some way off in the future, it probably isn’t what you want.
It should contain words like ‘Lactobacillus acidophilus’ and ‘Bifidobacterium’, ‘Bulgaricus’, or ‘Streptococcus thermophilus’. Some modern companies have come up with their own proprietary brands like L. casei immunitass (the ‘L’ stands for Lactobacillus).
Other foods containing probiotics
Actually, you get similar yeasts and good bacteria in great quantity in traditional foods like sauerkraut. Sauerkraut, love it or hate it, is basically shredded cabbage , pickled in brine and stored in a sealed container (traditionally in the ground, to maintain a steady temperature) for a while during which fermentation occurs, allowing a succession of bacteria and yeasts that were naturally present on the cabbage leaves to fight it out. If the seal remains unbroken, and if you put in the correct mixture of salt water and cabbage, the resultant food is highly nutritious. It contains enzymes to help you digest it, it’s got the full range of good probiotics, it’s contains vitamin C, and it has a very long shelf life.
(Which is why German sailors who took it with them on long voyages didn’t get scurvy, a fact that wasn’t lost on the British, who eventually came up with the British lemon. This gave us equally sour-looking faces. Sorry. Treading into other territory here.)
If you pasteurise the cabbage before sealing it in the brine mixture, the process doesn’t work. All you get is old, salty, cabbage. That’s because pasteurisation kills the very bacteria and yeasts that do the job. The same happens with yogurt, once you’ve made it. If you heat it up, you kill off its probiotics. (But as you’ve killed off what makes the food good, it will last longer, unless you’ve let any ‘bad’ bacteria creep in, in which case it will go bad.)
Probiotic supplements
You can also buy concentrated probiotic supplements, some of which weren’t produced using milk, so anyone allergic to milk might find these beneficial. You get them in health shops, in bottles, and some of them are better kept refrigerated. For someone on antibiotics, this is probably the best form to take. There’s another reason for taking the supplement rather than the yogurt, to do with the fact that yogurt is deemed a ‘cold’ food in Chinese medicine; for more on this see further down.
When to take probiotics?
At one time, it seemed senseless to take probiotics at the same time as the antibiotics because the latter would destroy the former. Research and experience has muted this opinion.
So do take probiotics while you are taking the antibiotic, but not at the same time of day. In order for the probiotics to be the most effective, they should be taken at least two hours after each dose of the antibiotic. When the treatment has been completed, double or triple the probiotic supplements for between ten days and two weeks. Probiotics should be taken with food or shortly after eating as food dilutes the stomach acids enough for them to survive their trip through to the intestines where they belong. (Some probiotics are enterically-coated so that they don’t dissolve in the stomach acid, and these don’t need to be taken with food. At least, that’s the theory.)
What is actually going on here?
What happens is that the antibiotic changes the ph (acid/alkali) balance in your body and allows what might otherwise be friendly substances - in small quantities - to increase and threaten your health. For example, a woman's vagina should be acidic. Most women have the fungi responsible for yeast infection in their vagina all the time, (where the yeasts have other beneficial functions, when held in check) but the normal acidic environment prevents overgrowth and symptoms of yeast infection. When a woman takes an antibiotic her ph changes to become more alkaline and a yeast infection can occur. Antibiotics, oral contraceptives, even menstruation and pregnancy, and diabetes, are some of the factors that can alter the normal pH and result in a yeast infection.
More information?
These little ‘friends’ are usually unicellular organisms which outnumber the tens of trillions of human cells in a single human body. So the probiotics are just seeds for our personal agriculture. The probiotic bacteria have a growth curve inflection point of about 105 degrees F, about six degrees above normal human temperature. So when we get a fever, our body is favouring the commensal bacteria over the pathogens. Children have spiking fevers which seems to be nature's way of preserving them long enough to grow a strong immune system.
For some more of the research on this, read:
SS Biradar, ST Bahagvati, Baburao Shegunshi: Probiotics And Antibiotics: A Brief Overview. The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness. 2005. Volume 2 Number 1. says:...
Antibiotics are a double edged sword. Their power of fighting infection is indiscriminate towards all bacteria. All bacteria succumb to their powers, no mercy is shown towards beneficial strains. One should avoid the use of antibiotics unless it becomes life threatening. The human immune system has developed any ways to survive an infection and should be trusted, nourished, and given time. Our species would not have survived if our immune system were not the best defence we have against deleterious infections. If the use of antibiotics becomes absolutely necessary, proceed with caution. The longer the duration of antibiotic treatment, the more likely a candida albicans infection can occur. See the full-text at: http://tinyurl.com/2ot2b5
However, the jury is still out on the wisdom of co-administration of pro- with anti-biotics in some conditions because http://tinyurl.com/2vjl6q says:
BC Johnston, AL Supina, M Ospina, S Vohra. Probiotics for the prevention of paediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhoea [Review]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007 Issue 4. Copyright © 2007 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004827.pub2 This version first published online: 18 April 2007 in Issue 2, 2007. Date of Most Recent Substantive Amendment: 24 January 2007
This record should be cited as: Johnston BC, Supina AL, Ospina M, Vohra S. Probiotics for the prevention of pediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD004827. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004827.pub2.
Background: Antibiotics alter the microbial balance within the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics may prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) via restoration of the gut microflora. Antibiotics are prescribed frequently in children and AAD is common in this population.
Objectives: To assess the efficacy and adverse effects of probiotics (any specified strain or dose) for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children. To assess adverse events associated with the use of probiotics when co-administered with antibiotics in children.
Search strategy: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL , AMED, and the Web of Science (inception to August 2006) were searched along with specialized registers including the Cochrane IBD/FBD Review Group, CISCOM, Chalmers PedCAM Research Register and trial registries from inception to 2005. Letters were sent to authors of included trials, nutra/pharmaceutical companies, and experts in the field requesting additional information on ongoing or unpublished trials. Conference proceedings, dissertation abstracts, and reference lists from included and relevant articles were hand searched.
Selection criteria: Randomized, parallel, controlled (placebo, active, or no treatment) trials comparing co-administered probiotics with antibiotics for the prevention of diarrhoea secondary to antibiotic use in children (0 to 18 years).
Data collection and analysis: Methodological quality assessment and data extraction were conducted independently by two authors (BCJ, AS). Dichotomous data (incidence of diarrhoea, adverse events) were combined using pooled relative risks, and continuous data (mean duration of diarrhoea, mean daily stool frequency) as weighted mean differences, along with their
corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Adverse events were summarized using risk difference. For overall pooled results on the incidence of diarrhoea, a priori sensitivity analyses included per protocol versus intention to treat, random versus fixed effects, and methodological quality criterion. Subgroup analysis were conducted on probiotic strain, dose, definition of antibiotic-
associated diarrhoea, and antibiotic agent.
Main results: 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Trials included treatment with either Lactobacilli spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Streptococcus spp., or Saccharomyces boulardii alone or in combination. Six studies used a single strain probiotic agent and four combined two probiotic strains.
The per protocol analysis for 9/10 trials reporting on the incidence of diarrhoea show statistically significant results favouring probiotics over active/non active controls (RR 0.49; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.74). However, intention to treat analysis showed non-significant results overall (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.50 to 1.63). Five of ten trials monitored for adverse events (n = 647); none reported a serious adverse event.
Authors' conclusions: Probiotics show promise for the prevention of paediatric AAD. While per protocol analysis yields treatment effect estimates that are both statistically and clinically significant, as does analysis of high quality studies, the estimate from the intention to treat analysis was not statistically
significant. Future studies should involve probiotic strains and doses with the most promising evidence (e.g., Lactobacillus GG, Lactobacillus sporogenes, Saccharomyces boulardii at 5 to 40 billion colony forming units/day). Research done to date does not permit determination of the effect of age (e.g., infant versus older children) or antibiotic duration (e.g., 5 days versus
10 days). Future trials would benefit from a validated primary outcome measure for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea that is sensitive to change and reflects what treatment effect clinicians, parents, and children consider important. The current data are promising, but it is premature to routinely recommend probiotics for the prevention of paediatric AAD.
Plain language summary: It is premature to routinely recommend probiotics for the prevention of paediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD)
Studies of probiotics for the prevention of paediatric AAD: Ten studies were reviewed and provide the best evidence we have. Study quality was mostly good overall. The studies tested 1986 children (aged 0 to 18 years) who were receiving probiotics co-administered with antibiotics to prevent AAD.
The subjects received probiotics (Lactobacilli spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Streptococcus spp., or Saccharomyces boulardii alone or in combination), placebo (fake pills), other treatments thought to prevent AAD (i.e. diosmectite or infant formula) or no treatment. The studies were short term and ranged in length from 15 days to 3 months.
What is AAD and could probiotics work to prevent AAD? AAD occurs when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in the intestinal tract causing harmful bacteria to sometimes multiply beyond their normal numbers. The symptoms of AAD may include frequent watery bowel
movements and crampy abdominal pain. Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast. Probiotics are thought to restore the natural balance of bacteria in the intestinal tract.
What did the studies show? An analysis that included only patients who completed the studies showed that probiotics may be effective for preventing AAD. However, a more conservative analysis that counted study drop-outs as treatment failures did not show any differences between probiotic and comparison groups.
How safe are probiotics? Probiotics were generally well tolerated and side effects occurred infrequently.
What is the bottom line? Although current data are promising, there is insufficient evidence to routinely recommend the use of probiotics for the prevention of paediatric AAD.
Still More Information?
Since there are many different kinds of antibiotics utilizing 5
different sites of action...as well as many different types of organsims
in the intestinal flora (both gram negative and gram positive)...it's
not clear to what degree any given antibiotic would actually interact
with intestinal microbes...and what effect it might have on the
half-life, which is mostly affected by metabolic pathways and renal
function.
Prebiotics
However, if you have concerns about affecting the half-life...you might
try eating foods rich in fibre and oligosaccharides, which help the good bacteria flourish. (Another reason for eating foods rich fibre!)
For example, inulin (please don’t confuse this with Insulin) is one such substance which occurs in jerusalem artichokes, chicory root, onion, wild yam and garlic. Inulin can also be purchased as a nutritional supplement fairly cheaply...(though we think it's always better to get things from real food and there are plenty of good sources). Inulin is not digested so it won't make you fat...and is ok for diabetics...it seems to help with calcium-absorption...AND it provides food for the intestinal flora...!
But most sources of indigestible fibre help to do the trick, including oats.
Your appendix
Apparently, the appendix is now also known for its action in supplying the "needed flora or bacteria” for the gut, at least in animals. So it is arguable that those with appendices intact may be in a stronger position to resist bacteria than those who have had their appendices removed.
What can alternative medicine offer?
Most antibiotics are ‘bitter’ and ‘cold’ in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and have an effect on your body which, according to TCM, is ‘cold’ and ‘damp’.
That means that they cool the infection and encourage your body to provide additional moisture. You might think that would be a good thing, if you are suffering from an inflammation, fever, dryness, swelling and so on.
But these symptoms are occurring in your lymph nodes, in your joints, on your skin, and are carried around by your blood. Only some of them are actually in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) which starts in your mouth and ends in your anus. But your GIT is precisely where you place the antibiotics you are taking (unless your doctor is injecting the antibiotic straight into your veins). It is reckoned that about 70% of your immune function (the cells that provide your immunity) lie along your GIT.
So those antibiotics, whilst they may be killing of the ‘baddies’ when absorbed into your blood, are also killing off your friends as they progress down your throat and through your digestion. And their action in Chinese Medicine reduces your digestion’s ability to keep you warm. They also introduce moisture, in the form of fluids in which ‘bad’ bacteria and fungi grow faster than your ‘good friends’ there, most or all of which are by now dead anyway from the antibiotic you’ve been taking.
This ‘cold damp’ effect means that you don’t digest food so well. Instead of drying out, your stools emerge as diarrhoea, which also cools you down. You may find that instead of ‘cooking’ your food in the correct kind of warmth in your stomach and intestines, you get extra gas, cramping and bloating. That can reduce your appetite and even make you nauseous. In killing the good bacteria and fungi, the ‘bad’ ones no longer held in check can flourish and run amok, irritating the intestinal lining and causing bloody diarrhoea.
(Incidentally, this combination of cold and damp and ‘bad’ bacteria lowers your immunity against your next cold or cough, making you more susceptible to the ‘bad’ ones growing back.)
So if you are taking your probiotic yogurt but still finding you have bloating, diarrhoea and so on, consider visiting a practitioner of Chinese acupuncture or Chinese herbs. Yogurt is deemed a ‘cold’ food in TCM, so doing something that counteracts this will help you recover your health faster.
(Incidentally, being a ‘cold’ food, it is used in Indian food to counteract the heating effects of the spices. You find it ‘raitha’, in curds, and in ‘lassi’, a traditional Indian drink with various recipes. Next time you visit an Indian restaurant, ask for a lassi to take with your meal, especially if you find that Indian food gives you diarrhoea, or makes you very hot. Sip the lassi throughout your meal.)
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs
There are excellent acupuncture treatments, some including a warming herb process call moxibustion, that can speedily recover your GIT’s natural function.
There are also herbal formulae, tested over hundreds of years on millions of people, which, adapted to your Western physiology, can quickly get you back on your feet, and smiling again.
What are these formulae called, we hear you ask, and where can you get them? The answer is that each basic formula contains herbs that work together for a better effect than they would individually. But the basic formulae are designed to be adapted to your particular metabolism by the addition of other herbs. For a proper prescription, visit someone who knows about this, such as an acupuncturist or herbalist trained in TCM.
(An analogy to the basic formula might be a diesel engine block, which, given different bores, strokes, carburettors and fuel mixtures, can be used in all sorts of different situations. The same engine block can be adapted to be used in a boat, in a fork-lift truck, in a car and to provide electric power, for instance. In each case the requirement for power output, for speed, for acceleration and so on would be different, so the basic building material would be adapted. So it is with a basic herbal formula in TCM.)
WARM FOOD AND DRINK
Whilst taking antibiotics you should also take warm food, hot stews, soups, and avoid cold foods, iced foods, chilled or iced drinks, and ice cream.
The exception to this is at the start when, and only if, you are feeling hot, dry, parched and feverish. Here you may actually want and benefit from cool liquids and foods, but as you continue to take your antibiotic, assuming it is working of course, these hot symptoms will leave you. It is at this point that you become susceptible to cold and should alter your diet towards warming foods and drinks.
GINGER
We also recommend you add a little ginger to your drinks, soups and stews. Ginger is a herb that in TCM warms your digestion and combats cold. So you might find that taking ginger at the same time as antibiotics improves your digestion and maintains your energy.
How to take ginger? Best is to buy a root of ginger. Wash any dirt off but don’t peel it. Cut off a few very thin round slices, up to 2 cm diameter and no more than 1mm thickness. Keep the root refrigerated and put a slice into a mug. Pour on boiling water, allow it to steep for five minutes, and then sip the mixture over the next hour.
(What? You don’t like it? Who said anything about liking it? Get used to the idea that it’s doing you good, instead! Have you never heard of brussel sprouts?)
You can cut up the remaining ginger slices into slithers and add them to soups and stews, stir-fries and other dishes.
You might even learn to like it.
THE END RESULT
The aim, in TCM, is to maintain a healthy metabolism and immune system. If you eat too much ‘poor’ or ‘cold’ food, or foods that have a cold effect on you, your digestion will suffer, you won’t absorb nutrients into your blood, you’ll get tired and you’ll become less resistant to disease.
In addition, lacking the right ingredients for health, your attitudes will alter, you may become depressed, your concentration will go and your memory too. If you are a child, you’ll be harder to cope with. Good food makes an enormous difference to everyone.
When you are taking antibiotics, make sure that you compensate for their ill-effects by taking foods or substances that maintain a healthy digestion. We suggest probiotics, possibly prebiotics, and ginger, as being precautions that you can take yourself.
You may find acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine really helpful. Indeed, both of these can often treat diseases for which antibiotics have been prescribed.
And when your course of antibiotics is complete, continue taking probiotics, eat more natural foods lightly cooked, and come for some acupuncture to put you back on your feet and get you fighting fit again!
CONSULTATION
If you would like a consultation, please ring for an appointment using the contact details on the left.
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