For Maximum Effects Try This Probiotic Protocol
The difference between success and failure with probiotics often comes down to either:
- Establishing balance in your gut microbiome
- Failing to establish balance in your gut microbiome
The key difference here is that many people dont seem to achieve this balance with just one strain of probiotic. Some lucky people do, but for many, one probiotic wont suffice. After many years of trying different approaches, Ive found this protocol to be most effective:
What Is Antibiotic Resistance
Theres no doubt that antibiotics have a crucial place in modern medicine, but their use does come with some significant downsides.
The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to antibiotic resistance, which is when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
This trait can be passed on from bacteria to bacteria even among different species! which leads to even more resistance.
Heres how it works:
- Lets say you have a population of harmful bacteria causing problems some of these are naturally resistant to antibiotics.
- Antibiotics kill both the good and bad bacteria in your body, but the naturally antibiotic-resistant bacteria stand strong.
- Without all the antibiotic-susceptible bacteria taking up space, the resistant bacteria have room to multiply and they pass their resistance on to other bacteria.
- These super bugs no longer respond to certain antibiotics, leading to longer, more intense, and sometimes untreatable infections.
Every time we take antibiotics, more resistant bacteria have the opportunity to flourish and some even become resistant to several different antibiotics, turning them into dangerous pathogens.
This is where taking probiotics with antibiotics can make a critical difference in your health.
Best Probiotics To Take With Antibiotics
There are many probiotic supplements on the market, so how do you know which one to choose?
Well, the right probiotic to choose depends on what youd like it to do. Probiotic effects are strain-specific, meaning that different strains have different effects on the body. If you want to reduce anxiety you could take a strain called Bifidobacterium longum R0175, while this strain may not be as effective if you wanted to prevent c.diff infection.
So as you can see, its important to choose the right probiotic strain for the job!
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Can I Use Probiotics To Help With Medical Conditions
There is currently a large amount of research happening around the idea of what probiotics can do for your body. Even though there are a lot of possibly positive outcomes, researchers are still working to find definitive answers about how probiotics can help with various conditions.
However, there are some medical conditions where probiotics may help. This can vary between people meaning that what works for one person may not work for another. These can also vary based on the certain probiotic that is taken.
Some of the conditions that might be helped by increasing the amount of probiotics in your body include:
- Upper respiratory infections .
- .
Study Summary: Probiotics Significantly Reduce Aad
Hempel et al reviewed 82 studies and pooled data from 63 RCTs to identify the relative risk of AAD among patients who received probiotics during antibiotic treatment compared with those who received no probiotics or were given a placebo. The studies encompassed a variety of antibiotics, taken alone or in combination, and several probiotics, including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, and some combinations.
The outcome: The pooled RR for AAD in the probiotics groups was 0.58 , with a number needed to treat of 13. Although the authors reported that the overall quality of the included trials was poor, a sensitivity analysis of the higher quality studies yielded similar results.
Subgroup analyses by type of probiotic and duration of antibiotic treatment were also consistent with the overall pooled RR. In subgroup analysis by age, a similar decrease in AAD was found among the youngest patients and those between the ages of 17 and 65 years. Among patients older than 65 yearsfor whom there were just 3 studiesa non-significant decrease in risk was found. Twenty-three of the studies assessed adverse outcomes, and none was found.
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Can I Take Probiotics While On Antibiotics
If you’ve ever asked “Can I take probiotics while on antibiotics?” you’re not alone. Yes, you can definitely take probiotics with antibiotics. An even better question is “Why aren’t more people taking probiotics while on antibiotics?”
Even “mild” antibiotics used to treat moderate infections can do some serious damage to your gut flora. If you have to take back-to-back courses of antibiotics, or antibiotics meant to treat a severe or potentially deadly infection, the effects can be much worse.
When you take an antibiotic, it works within your body to target and destroy a certain bacteria. Unfortunately, antibiotics aren’t good at distinguishing “bad” bacteria from “good” bacteria, and they kill it all as they work to stop infection. This change can cause immediate side effects and long-term health consequences.
As such, taking probiotics with antibiotics is a wise choice. Probiotics are certain strains of bacteria and yeast that have demonstrable benefits for human health.
Depending on the type and dose of antibiotic you’re taking, pairing it with probiotic pills can either lessen or even prevent the effects of gut flora disruption.
What’s more, continuing to take probiotics after your course of antibiotics is done is a great way to repopulate the gut with healthy bacteria and help your body get back on track.
DrFormulas Advanced Multi Probiotics
Probiotic Dose And Probiotic Strain
Generally, you want a probiotic dose with at least 10 billion CFUs or higher to make sure you are getting the right amount of active micro-organisms into the body. The best probiotic strains to take while on antibiotics includes Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11.
Studies have shown that these two probiotic strains were particularly effective in keeping friendly bacteria alive while taking antibiotics.
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How And When To Take Probiotics For Maximum Benefits
So you’re taking a probiotic supplementcongratulations! By adding just one tiny pearl to your daily routine, you’re giving your gut microbiome a huge support system that can translate into benefits that literally run from head to toe. But have you given any thought to how and when you’re taking it?
Even veteran probiotic enthusiasts sometimes don’t consider the other factors that go into helping probiotics do their work. Timing, diet, and even what your probiotic formula is made of all play a role, and there’s a lot of conflicting information out there, leaving a lot of people unsure about the best time to take probiotics and just how to take a probiotic supplement for maximum benefits.
Right off the bat, you may be wondering, When should I take probiotics? Do you take them morning, noon, or night? Do you eat before or after? What about when you’re taking other medications? Does it even matter?
The short answer is that while the most important thing is to take probiotics, period, how you take them can go a long way in determining how effective they are.
How to Take Your Probiotics
Cover all your microbe-supporting bases by following these three tips:
1. Take your probiotics in the morning, before breakfast.
2. Drink lots of water.
3. Follow up with a healthy breakfast and prebiotics.
The Secret to Supercharging Your Probiotic Use
Taking Probiotics With Antibiotics
References:
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Morbidity And Mortality Are High
AAD is associated with several pathogens, including Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Staphylococcus aureus, and varies widely in severity. Pseudomembranous colitis secondary to C difficile is the main cause of AAD-related mortality, which more than doubled from 2002 to 2009.,C difficile infections cost the US health care system up to $1.3 billion annually. With such high rates of morbidity and mortality and high health care costs associated with AAD, even a small reduction in the number of cases would have a big impact.
Probiotics replenish the natural GI flora with nonpathogenic organisms. A 2006 meta-analysis of 31 randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy of probiotics for both the prevention of AAD and treatment of C difficile found a pooled relative risk of 0.43 for AAD in the patients taking probiotics. However, many of the studies included in that meta-analysis were small. As a result, in 2010, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommended against the use of probiotics for the prevention of primary C difficile infection, citing a lack of high-quality evidence.
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Effect Of Antibiotics On Your Microbiome
Even if antibiotics are prescribed responsibly and by responsibly, I mean for serious bacterial infections, not viruses they are associated with some significant negative health effects.
You see, in a balanced microbiome, probiotics comprise 85 percent of all the bacteria that leaves only 15 percent of the bad guys. With beneficial bacteria solidly in the majority, your probiotics can work hard to keep you healthy and harmful bacteria are unable to gain a foothold.
But, what if antibiotics knock that probiotic percentage down to 50 percent, 40 percent, or even 20 percent?
Think of your gut as a parking lot full of spaces for bacteria to park and make a home. If the spots are full with mostly good microbes and a bad guy gets in, he has nowhere to park and must leave.
Antibiotics clear out the parking spaces, getting rid of most of the pathogens but wiping out the good guys, too. Now, what if a bad guy gets in? You guessed it with plenty of open parking places, he can settle in and take over.
Taking Probiotics With Antibiotics Can Help
Although it may sound counterintuitive to take probiotic supplements while also taking probiotic-killing antibiotics, research shows that its beneficial to your gut health to fortify your system with the protective good guys.
In one recent review, patients taking probiotics during a course of antibiotics saw a whopping 60 percent reduction in the risk of contracting a C. difficile infection .
In another study, adults and children who took the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus during antibiotic treatment had a 10 percent less risk of contracting antibiotic-associated diarrhea .
Even in people who do experience diarrhea when taking broad-spectrum antibiotics, probiotic supplementation reduces the duration of symptoms by an entire day .
Probiotics may also help prevent widespread antibiotic resistance by ensuring that people take their full course of prescribed antibiotics.
Stopping a course of antibiotics early usually because of intolerable side effects increases the chances that some of the bad bacteria may survive and become resistant. By reducing or eliminating side effects, probiotics can make it much easier to stay the course .
Not too shabby for a bunch of microscopic friendly flora!
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Should I Eat Yogurt While Taking Antibiotics
Many yogurts are an excellent source of probiotics, which may help prevent the diarrhea that often accompanies antibiotic treatment, according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. During that study, a team of California-based researchers combined observed 12,000 men and women taking antibiotics. Those who took antibiotics plus probiotics were 42 percent less likely to develop diarrhea as those who got the placebo. While yogurt can help diminish some of the negative side effects of antibiotics, its not the only option.
Why Do We Take Antibiotics
Antibiotics have gotten a bad name. Thanks to threats of a future superbug and their inability to distinguish between good and bad bacteria, experts tell us to avoid antibiotics as much as possible. So, does that mean that antibiotics are a bad thing? Definitely not!
Antibiotics have really and truly changed the world. Since penicillin was discovered back in the 1940s, more than 150 new antibiotics have been found. These antibiotics have come together to change what it means to be alive today.
So, while we might talk a lot about the downside of antibiotics, it is important to remember that antibiotics are an absolutely critical tool in keeping us healthy and enabling us to live significantly longer lives.
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Antibiotic Risks For Your Microbiome
Thats because your gut microbiome is critical for your health. It’s involved in immune system function, body weight, and even brain health. However, antibiotics can lower the diversity of microbes present in your gut, causing imbalances that increase the risk of inflammation and lower your protection from diseases.
The use of antibiotics during pregnancy, in newborns and infants, is especially problematic because the gut microbiome develops in early life and, during that period, it educates the immune system.
Infants who are exposed to antibiotics either before or after birth have been shown to have fewer health-promoting microbes like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus that are dominant members of the infant microbiome.
Research shows that antibiotic disruption of the gut microbiome at a young age is linked with an increased risk of allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disorders. Antibiotics and weight gain are also a major issue: this medication has been pinpointed as an important factor in the obesity epidemic.
For example, Clostridium difficile is a deadly bacterial infection affecting the colon that is common in healthcare settings, and it’s resistant to most antibiotics. Nowadays, doctors have found that transplanting a healthy microbiome into patients is most effective when treating for C. diff.
Should I Try Probiotics
If you are interested in adding probiotics to your diet, its worth a conversation with your healthcare provider. Many providers may suggest giving them a try to see if they help with your general health. It is important to remember that not all probiotics behave the same way and have the same effects. Each has their own individual benefits. They generally dont cause harm. One easy way to start can be by simply introducing probiotic-rich foods into your diet, like yogurt.
Before you start any supplements, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider. Your provider may be able to point you in the right direction, helping you figure out the best probiotic to take, how much to take and when to take it. A conversation is always worth the time when it concerns your health.
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Keep Your Gut Healthy
In the meantime, the best thing you can do to ensure long-term optimal health is focus on tending to your microbial garden by protecting and nourishing your good flora.
And, dont forget to look out for antibiotics in your food! Farmers often use antimicrobial medications to fatten up their livestock, so if you eat meat, fish, or dairy, make sure its antibiotic-free.
Its hard to fathom where wed be without the life-saving power of antibiotics.
But, as we move forward responsibly using antibiotics only when absolutely necessary and making sure to support our wondrous gut microbiome along the way we can do so with confidence that were giving our entire body the fortification it needs to live a healthy and vibrant life.
Amoxicillin And Its Role As An Antibiotic In Killing Good Bacteria
There are few classes of bacteria that amoxicillin doesnt attack. From opportunistic bacteria such as H. Influenzae to the digestive-focused Helicobacter pylori, it searches and destroys the cultures that cause some of the worst symptoms of food poisoning, meningitis and strep throat. When paired with clavulanic acid, it is particularly effective in breaking down stubborn respiratory tract infections. And while all of this makes it highly useful, it also means that some good bacteria will get pulled down in the crossfire.
Therefore, it is worth considering whether amoxicillin and probiotics can be choreographed in such a way that you get the benefits of the former with no side-effects .
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Are There Any Storage Instructions For Probiotics
Several probiotic strains are very fragile and need to be protected from heat, oxygen, light and humidity. The probiotics might start to break down or die if they are exposed to these elements. Because of this, you may need to refrigerate your probiotics or store it in a particular place. Refrigerating certain probiotic strains ensures that theyre still viable when you go to use them and will still provide the full benefit of the probiotic. Always read the labels on any probiotic product you purchase to make sure you store it correctly and use it within the expiration date.
The Lack Of Consistency In The Findings On Probiotics Comes In Part Because They Are Being Treated Like Conventional Drugs
This opens the door to developing personalised probiotic treatments based on someones genetic profile. Such a system is realistic and could be developed relatively soon, says Elinav, but at this stage it remains a proof of concept. To become a reality, it will need more research on probiotic tailoring and testing more bacterial strains in larger groups of people.
This kind of personalisation may release the full potential of probiotic treatments for gut health. At the moment, the lack of consistency in the findings on probiotics comes in part because they are being treated like conventional drugs. When you take a paracetamol tablet, you can be more or less sure that the active component will do its job and work on receptors in your brain, dulling your sensation of pain. This is because most peoples pain receptors are similar enough to react in the same way to the drug.
But the microbiome is not just a receptor it is closer to an ecosystem, and sometimes likened to a rainforest in its complexity.
As a result, finding and tailoring a probiotic treatment that will work on something as intricate and individual as your own internal ecosystem is no easy task. And with that in mind, its not so surprising that a dried-out pack of bacteria from a supermarket shelf may well not do the trick.
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