Antibiotic recovery is not a term we are used to hearing. Whether you have taken antibiotics one time or many times your body will need help recovering from it. Every time I speak to a group I ask this question. After speaking to thousands of people I have still not come across anyone who has never taken antibiotics. It has become an accepted part of health care for many years now and those of us in our 20’s and up are feeling the effects in a major way.
We have finally started to pull back the reins when it comes to using antibiotics. For years, it was our first line of defense against any kind of bacteria and usually prescribed as a preventative measure. This may have seemed like a good idea 20 years ago, but today we face 2 major challenges as a result of this approach. Those challenges are 1. Antibiotic Resistance and 2 Digestive System Disorders. We are currently in a state of Antibiotic Recovery.
EXPOSURE
In the United States nearly every man, women and child has been exposed to antibiotics via a prescribed medication through their doctors. They are supposed to be used only for serious bacterial infections however they are prescribed often at the first sign of even a minor topical injury when something such as iodine can still be used to kill most bacteria. We also have had years of doctors prescribing antibiotics as a preventative measure to a secondary infection in the case of viral infections. The number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections is 20 million per year.
As most know antibiotics are useless against viral infections, as they live inside cells where antibiotics cannot penetrate. Antibiotics have saved many a life no doubt but due to overuse and misuse we now are suffering the consequences.
Most of us in the United States have also been exposed to antibiotics via the food chain. A large proportion of antibiotics manufactured (estimated at 80%) are for animal agriculture. These antibiotics are given to animals to prevent disease even though most of the diseases are now resistant to antibiotics. Still animals receive them as part of their regular feed. This is then passed through their systems and can contaminate ground water as well as what remains in their bodies when consumed by us humans.
EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS
Antibiotics have been one of the most effective medications every created. However they also can create some of the most widespread damage not only to our environment and the spawn of more resistant bacteria, but also to our inner ecology. A common symptom while taking antibiotics is diarrhea. This may be reduced by up 42% or more as indicated in one study published in 2012.
SHORT TERM SIDE EFFECTS
As with any drug antibiotics carry with them a host of possible side effects. These are the ones we are typically concerned with. What can happen within a few days or weeks of taking them? Side effects vary from different antibiotics but collectively include increased risk of musculoskeletal side effect, visual and renal systems, central nervous system damage, depression, hallucinations, psychotic reactions, the heart, liver and skin can be effected, as well as the gastrointestinal system to include nausea and diarrhea, hearing and blood sugar metabolism.
LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS
Candida is stored in the intestinal tract. Within two weeks of antibiotic use, normal healthy bacteria are killed off making room for Candida to flourish. While the short term side effects are not all that common (except diarrhea which occurs in approximately 40% of cases, long term side effects are less studied, but appear to be more wide spread. One of the most common being the overgrowth of a yeast in the body, bacteria called Candida Albicans which is estimated to be present in as many as 80% of Americans.
The overgrowth of Candida causing candidiasis is not new and the yeast was first described in the 1940’s as a rare medical occurrence. However as antibiotic use increase, so did the incidence of candidiasis and by the1950’s there was an epidemic of yeast infections that matched the rise in antibiotic use. Illnesses associated with candidiasis include ache, sinusitis, athlete’s foot, constipation, diarrhea, depression, ear infections, urinary tract infections and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Another major issue common among adults is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that has been associated with prior antibiotic use. In an article written by Dr. Charles Bernstein MD, Head of Section of Gastroenterology Director, IBD Clinical and Research Center at the University of Manitoba says that its not a cause and effect relationship, but points to several papers published on the IBD that suggest and association between antibiotic use and IBD.
Considering the prevalence and widespread use of antibiotics there is a huge need now to re-balance the body and finally recover from the use of them. This requires healing the digestive system killing the overgrowth of Candida Albicans and finally reestablishing and recolonizing the natural antibodies that should be present within each of us.