It has always seemed logical to me to avoid antibiotics and other meds like the Pill that decimate beneficial gut flora even though probiotics could conceivably “fix” the damage after the fact.
This expectation that repairing antibiotic damage with quality probiotics is straightforward, and that over time, gut flora returns to normal, may not be entirely correct.
Evidence is now emerging that damaged gut flora may actually be permanently altered by drugs. It is also one of the little-known risks of a screening colonoscopy.
This concerning and extremely provocative theory has been put forth by Dr. Martin Blaser MD of New York University’s Langone Medical Center who writes in the August 2011 edition of Nature:
Early evidence from my lab and others hints that, sometimes, our friendly flora never fully recover. These long-term changes to the beneficial bacteria within people’s bodies may even increase our susceptibility to infections and disease. Overuse of antibiotics could be fueling the dramatic increase in conditions such as obesity, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies and asthma, which have more than doubled in many populations.
As evidence, Blaser goes on to say that infections with H. pylori, the bacterial cause of ulcers, has plummeted in recent years. H. pylori, as it turns out, is very susceptible to the same broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat children’s ear infections and colds which are doled out like candy at most pediatrician offices.
Most children routinely receive up to 20 courses of antibiotics before the age of 18.
In addition, between one third and one half of pregnant women receive antibiotics during pregnancy. The high C-section rate is also a contributing factor as surgical birth negatively affects the composition of gut flora in children as they completely miss out on exposure to Mom’s friendly bacteria as they travel through the birth canal.
This is a lot of antibiotic exposure for our younger generations and the implications for those children who don’t acquire H. pylori due to excessive antibiotics appear to be dramatic with a higher risk for both allergies and asthma.
Blaser’s research group has also observed that lack of H. pylori in the human body affects the production of ghrelin and leptin, 2 hormones that play a factor in weight gain.
Preservation of the MicroBiome
The composition of a person’s microbiome, not only in the gut but also on the skin and everywhere in the body, has huge implications to long term health. Altering this balance with drugs not only negatively affects the variety of bacterial species present but also promotes the retention of resistant bacteria in the gut.
Preservation of your personal microbiome is critical and affects not only your health but the health of your children as parents bequeath their microbiome to their offspring.
Blaser observes that:
Each generation … could be beginning life with a smaller endowment of ancient microbes than the last.
If Dr. Blaser is correct, it seems that people need to guard their microbiome from the assault of drugs and processed foods in the same manner that they protect their home and possessions with locks on the doors.
Does this research mean that it is futile to use probiotics and lacto-fermented foods to attempt to repair antibiotic damage? Absolutely not. Even if it is proven that a damaged gut cannot be returned to “normal”, the situation very well could be improved and at worst case, positively managed by a steady and regular infusion of friendly microbes.
Reference
Antibiotic Overuse: Stop the Killing of Beneficial Bacteria, Nature, August 2011
@Amanda, the post ends on a very positive note. I don’t think you would be discouraged at all. A daily infusion of probiotics such as what those of us who adopt traditional eating follow with fermented foods/drinks/etc goes a very long way for making up for any past damage that has occurred.
Seroyal probiotics saved my life (gut.) The nutritionist at rockwellnutrition.net, Julie Haugen is great. I take Seroyal Replenish and Intensive- it’s very good stuff. They make Natogen for birth- one yr of age and the baby just suckles it off of your finger. Best of luck and health to you and yours! Remain diligent and you’ll come out on top. My prayers to you.
I find this post extremely discouraging. As someone who has been on GAPS for 5 months for severe GI distress that was likely brought on by three rounds of antibiotics for strep throat within 8 months (the last time around they gave me “the big guns” for those who had been colonized), I’m brought to wonder…am I spinning my wheels? Wasting my time? Will I ever get back to the level of gut health that I enjoyed before? Quite frankly, I’m feeling a little gobsmacked over here.
Sarah, can you point me exactly to where in Dr. McBride’s book where she discusses seeding? I’ve read most of the book, and haven’t come across anything so far that paints such a negative, depressive picture of a GAPS patient’s hopes for recovery. If anything, I find the entire theme of her book, and that of Dr. Catherine Shanahan’s (“Deep Nutrition”) to be hopeful.
Is Dr. Blaser’s theory just that, a theory? I’m hoping so, based on the quote you reference: “Early evidence from my lab and others hints that, sometimes, our friendly flora never fully recover.” I’m going to put emphasis on the “SOMETIMES,” and hope that I will be in the group that sees success.
I understand that your intent with this post was to help people understand the vital importance of protecting their gut flora…Lord knows I’ve learned my lesson the hard way!…but I must tell you that I think you missed the mark this time in terms of tone, and went a little too far.
Perhaps more research, and some clarification, on Blaser’s findings are in order.
In the meantime, I’m off to gobble up some kefired cream with my GAPS soup…sheesh.
Hi Angela, I have the first edition of GAPS and it is on page 172.
“In fact, probably the only time in our lives we have to populate our gut with beneficial bacteria is at birth when the gut is sterile. Unfortunately, most supplemental probiotics do not settle or colonise the gut wall. They do their work in the lumen of the gut and then come out of the system. We have not yet found a way to replace the pathogens on the gut wall with beneficial bacteria.” So patients with GAPS syndrome need to carry on taking probiotic indefinitely.”
Don’t be discouraged. 5 months is not all that long. I had to go on around of strong meds for a very serious knee infection a couple years ago and it took me at least 6 months to fix my gut although there is probably residual damage based on this research. I take a strong probiotic or consume several fermented foods/drinks on a daily basis so I feel “normal” but would probably have problems without this constant infusion of beneficial flora.
Establishment-educated “medical doctors” can do some neat things, but they’re also largely clueless about what it takes to become truly healthy. /methinks this post is overly alarmist.
Edgar Cayce frequently recommended castor oil packs to improve the health of organs in the abdomen. Another recommendation was a 3-day diet consisting entirely of raw apples and a bit of olive oil, combined with daily high colonics. This completely clears out the large intestine, and re-alkalinizes the body.
This talk about anything being “permanent” is rather fatalistic. Look at all the despair in many of your loyal readers’ comments. “Mind is the builder”; the body’s subtle energies are the blueprints that create a pattern for the physical body to follow. Fix the energies, eat the right foods (especially inulin-containing foods), and the body – including the bacteria in the digestive system – will comply.
Sincerely,
James Knochel
http://teslabox.com/
Antibiotic Damage to Gut Flora May Be Permanent – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/bEvPImyL
im in a similar position as some others commenting here in which my daughter had a severe injury when she was 9 months old (she swallowed a battery) that resulted in some extensive infections in her body and around her heart and lungs. she was intubated for a month and was on broad spectrum antibiotics through a central line for weeks. it was such a nightmare, and the thought that she could suffer even more life-long damage aside from the scar tissue in her narrowed esophagus is just another layer of frustration, anger and devastation. we were beyond lucky that she survived and im beyond grateful for the medicines and the doctors who worked so hard to save her. im just going to focus on that and avoid reading this article.
What about the mini-pill? I asked my doctor about the pill messing with the gut, and she said she had never heard about anything like that. I had never heard it before either. Where is that information coming from? What are the hormones doing exactly that is causing this? As far as I know, my gut is fine. Everything seems to be working normally for me and all of us in the family, and we get antibiotics from time to time, I’ve been on birth control at different times over the years, and we eat regular dairy products. I’m not saying I disbelieve what y’all are saying, I’m just not seeing the connection. And I’m about to go on the mini-pill again. I can’t have another miscarriage.
The mini-pill would have the same effects as the regular Pill. When a woman is pregnant, her gut flora are at risk for becoming messed up (unless she is vigilant) as the immune system is depressed from the pregnancy hormones. Being on the pill kind of puts the body in a similar state hormonally which is how the gut flora get compromised over time. This information comes from Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD’s book called Gut and Psychology Syndrome.
This isis severely depressing for me. I took a course of antibiotics a year ago for moderate acne. I took doxycycline 100 mg 2x a day for 5 months. Now I have severe seborrheic dermatitis all over my face… acne got worse and it is starting to scar…. and weird skin colored lesions all over my face. Please somebody help me… email is [email protected]
There are many essential oils that are good for acne. Thyme oil has been clinically proven to be more effective than benzol peroxide (you will want to dilute it as it is very fiery). I have found thyme and myrrh oil to be the best. Make sure it is high quality oil. You can get affordable organic essential oils at Mountain Rose Herbs. Young Living is also a good brand but very expensive. You can mix the oils in with a carrier oil like sunflower seed or grapeseed oil, neither of which have ever made me break out, tho coconut oil does make me break out. Everyone is different. Discard all soaps and just clean with a washcloth and hot water followed by cold water. Good luck!
@Laura D
I think this is the book you are looking for:
Gut and Psychology Syndrome
http://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Syndrome-D-D-D-H-D-Schizophrenia/dp/0954852028/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316195844&sr=8-2
I hope that works since I don’t know how to link it except copying and pasting the url
I am SO glad my mom never gave me antibiotics as a kid!
Thanks for the encouragement. Trust me, this wasn’t exactly how I hoped things would go. Considering that this is my 3rd pregnancy, but the first time I’ve made it past 23 1/2 weeks, I’m just grateful that we get to keep this baby. I’m going to fight like crazy to give him/her the best possible health in spite of the not-even-close-to-ideal circumstances.
Stay on it Melissa and don’t give in to discouragement. While your situation is not ideal, just being aware of the challenge will allow you to minimize it with correct decisionmaking.