Antibiotics can be a necessary treatment and certainly can be warranted in cases of serious infection, however, I want to let you know about the unintended consequences that may come about from unnecessary or prolonged use. Our microbiome, or the term given for the planetary level of gut bugs living in our GI-tract do more than give us gas. We have a symbiotic relationship with those gut bugs. They eat up our undigested food (starch), and in return, produce byproducts called Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs). The cool thing is that these SCFAs actually feed the cells on our intestinal lining!
This is one of the reasons to ensure you are consuming adequate amounts of fiber throughout the day (think Chia seeds, asparagus, flaxseed). The SCFAs also provide added safety for our immune system. These can help our immune system to produce a cell type called T-regulatory cells. Hang with me here, 🙂 Just like they sound, T-reg(ulatory) cells are kind of like the referees on the field. They help to ensure the immune system doesn’t get too crazy. Your immune system actually can send out signals to ‘light up the fire’, but at the same time has a fire extinguisher (T-reg cells) ready in order to calm things down. Your gut bacteria play a role in this!
While antibiotics can certainly go after the bad bacteria in your lungs or wound, unfortunately, they are not specific enough to ONLY target the bad bacteria. An unintended side effect is the decimation of your microbiome-often this shows up as diarrhea while taking the antibiotic. Fortunately, they are often able to bounce back to normal, but long term or repeated prescriptions for antibiotics is a recipe for some unintended side effects down the road–not just the loose stools that often come along. Some conditions, such as acne, are going to be better addressed without antibiotics and going after the root cause!
