The introduction of antibiotics is one of the most important medical advances of the 20th century. As useful and effective as these medications may be, unfortunately, there is also a long list of negative aspects that can be caused by taking antibiotics. Especially in recent years, the increased use of antibiotics has often been heavily criticized. These are medications used to treat bacterial infections. As the name suggests, these drugs aim to kill harmful and disease-causing bacteria. The use of antibiotics is necessary when bad bacteria have entered the body and multiply there. They can cause inflammation and damage organs. In general, if you have taken antibiotics, you should definitely give your gut flora some attention afterward!
What happens when you take antibiotics?
Antibiotics are used when the body is attacked by harmful bacteria—not viruses. They help the body fight these harmful bacteria by killing the bacterial pathogens.
WARNING: Antibiotics do not work against viruses and should never be taken for viral infections! There is generally a distinction between broad-spectrum and narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics act against several bacterial pathogens at once and are often prescribed when it is not clear which infection is present. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics, on the other hand, work only against a small number of specific pathogens. Therefore, taking broad-spectrum antibiotics can unfortunately also kill beneficial bacteria. There are also two different modes of action for antibiotics—some kill the “bad” bacteria directly, while others only prevent them from multiplying. Many people notice unpleasant side effects during antibiotic treatment, such as bloating, diarrhea, or nausea. Antibiotics affect both the stomach and the intestines! You can find out why here.
What happens to your gut flora?
Unfortunately, antibiotics attack not only “bad,” disease-causing bacteria but also beneficial bacteria essential for human health in the gut. This can cause the gut flora to become imbalanced after taking antibiotics. This means that antibiotic use can lead to dysbiosis—a pathological imbalance of bacteria. When the bacteria in your gut are out of balance, this can range from general digestive complaints to the development of autoimmune diseases, a weakened immune system, various food intolerances, obesity, and, rarely, even mental disorders.
During antibiotic treatment, the diversity of bacteria in our gut flora decreases. It is not yet entirely clear what long-term effects this may have on our health. However, it is generally assumed that reduced bacterial diversity negatively affects our overall health in various ways. For women, antibiotic use often has a direct negative impact on the vaginal flora, making them more susceptible to yeast infections during and shortly after antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics do not only act in the gut; they also attack the beneficial lactic acid bacteria in the vaginal flora and can even kill them. Unfortunately, antibiotics often cause a vicious health cycle. By weakening the immune system, susceptibility to other infections and fungal infections increases. These secondary illnesses usually require further medication.
It is very important to use antibiotics judiciously, discuss prescriptions carefully with your doctor, and, if necessary, look for alternatives together.
How do I rebuild my gut flora?
Normally, your gut flora regenerates on its own, but this can take some time. However, various circumstances can cause certain essential bacterial strains to disappear permanently from our gut flora. Studies have shown that it can take more than six months for the gut flora to recover after taking antibiotics. To ensure your gut flora and its bacterial strains can perform all their valuable functions in your body again, you should pay extra attention to it after antibiotic treatment—we hope your infection has cleared up by now!
If antibiotics are unavoidable, taking probiotics can also help restore your gut flora. Probiotics introduce good gut bacteria that settle in the intestinal lining, multiply, and help rebalance the gut flora. This means: to bring your gut flora back into balance, you should increase your bacterial diversity and also consume probiotic bacterial cultures. You can support this by taking prebiotics along with probiotics. Prebiotics serve as food for the helpers in your gut, giving the good bacteria an extra energy boost so your gut flora can recover quickly. Taking synbiotics is especially beneficial for your gut flora, as they combine prebiotics and probiotics—you get the helpers and their food all at once! Check out our Dailybacs® for this!
Proven home remedies to support rebuilding your gut flora
To further promote well-being after antibiotics, we have put together some tried-and-true home remedies for you:
- EAT: Try to eat many pro- and prebiotic foods for 1-2 weeks.
- DRINK: As simple as it sounds—drink plenty of water!
- BITTERS: Bitter substances have antibacterial effects, promote blood circulation in the gastrointestinal tract, and especially relieve nausea. Try a tea rich in bitter substances (artichoke, dandelion, nettle, ginger, or wormwood).
- MOVE: Exercise & relaxation—yes, your gut flora also responds directly to physical activity and mental relaxation.
Good to Know
Most foods contain only about 1/100 of the pro- and prebiotic bacteria. This also applies to so-called CFUs (colony-forming units)—foods usually contain about 5-6 million CFUs.
Dailybacs® contain 30 billion CFUs, making them highly concentrated and therefore much faster and more effective! With our Dailybacs, you can quickly get your gut flora back in shape while simultaneously supporting your immune system. So, get well soon!
