Probiotics

[Guest guest]

Been on back-to-back oral abx, then 14-days IV, already having gut probs b4 IV abx....

But, seems pointless to take (costly) pro-biotics while taking abx... So have been looking up some web-sites, this may interest some...

http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijnw/vol2n1/probiotics.xml

(This is a small part I copied....)

Billions upon billions of bacterial cells make a home in a healthy human body. These bacteria are not infectious, but actually beneficial (these guys are our friends). More than 500 different species can be found in the intestinal track alone. Bacterial cells outnumber human cells ten to one. From their perspective, we are their hotel manager and they are our guests. This analogy is a good one because your body has gone through a lot of trouble to present these “guests” with a suitable living environment (the intestinal lining serves as an excellent ecosystem for bacteria). These invited guests serve us well by synthesizing vitamins, fighting off infection, aiding in digestion, and supporting a healthy immune system. However, sometimes we are exposed to malicious strains of bacteria which become unwanted tenants by creating infections. Most of the time the immune system, in combination with the beneficial bacteria, can elminate infections when given enough time and supported through nutrition. But in some instances, an infection can become too much and other actions need to be taken. Human technology, past and present, has produced a number of ways to fight infections, one of them being antibiotics. Others include probiotics, colloidal silver, and speciality herbs and herb combinations. Even still, sometimes antibiotics become necessary.

When you take an antibiotic, not only do you kill the deleterious strains that are causing the infection, but you are also killing the friendly bacteria. What's worse is that the friendly bacteria were actually helping you eliminate the bad ones. As a result, a number of problems can arise when taking antibiotics. For one, antibiotics can create an imbalance in the ecosystem of your intestinal flora, resulting in diarrhea. In these instances, probiotics can help to quickly reestablish a healthy intestinal flora. Antibiotics can actually create an infection of another sort, candida albicans. Candida Albicans, and other infectious yeast are not bacterial cells but eucaryotics cells. As described earlier, eucaryotic cells are impervious to antibiotics. Normally, a healthy gut flora will keep these infectious yeast at bay. Once antibiotics kill and weaken their neighbors, they can rapidly grow and become too much to constrain. Candida albicans have been associated with all sorts of chronic illnesses, one of the most common being chronic fatigue syndrome. Once established, it is very difficult to rid the body of a candida albican infection. (Note: The use of broad spectrum antimicrobials

Antibiotics are a double edged sword. Their power of fighting infection is indiscriminate towards all bacteria. All bacteria succumb to their powers, no mercy is shown towards beneficial strains. One should avoid the use of antibiotics unless it becomes life threatening. The human immune system has developed many ways to survive an infection and should be trusted, nourished, and given time. Our species would not have survived if our immune system was not the best defense we have against deleterious infections. If the use of antibiotics becomes absolutely necessary, proceed with caution. The longer the duration of antibiotic treatment, the more likely a candida albican infection can occur. Also, the use of probiotics during and immediately after antibiotic treatment will help minimize the destructive effects of antibiotics to the beneficial flora.

Consumption

During antibiotic therapy, taking probiotics as well keeps the intestinal flora in proper balance. They can be taken together, but not at the same time of day. In order for the probiotics to be the most effective, they should be taken at least two hours after each dose of antibiotic. When the treatment has been completed, double or triple the probiotic supplements for about ten days or two weeks. Probiotics should be taken with food or shortly after eating as food dilutes the stomach acids enough for them to survive their trip through to the intestines where they belong.

When taking beneficial bacteria or an antimicrobial agent, pathogens begin to die off. This sometimes causes unpleasant side effects known as The Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction, so named for the German dermatologist who first identified it. As pathogens begin to die, others try to escape by quickly exiting the body. When these microbes appear in large numbers, the exit routes from the body begin to clog -- much like rush hour traffic! It is at this point that the host may begin to experience headaches, bloating, gas, or allergy-type symptoms. Depending on the individual's level of tolerance for these unpleasantries, the dosage of probiotics may have to be reduced until the symptoms subside, and then increased slowly to the maximum recommended. Regardless of first appearances, it is important to realize that this reaction is a positive indication that all is going well.

Conclusion

The beneficial effects of probiotics seem to be strain-specific. For example, a few strains of certain species of lactobacillus may be capable of shortening the duration of rotavirus diarrhea, whereas most others are not. 10 The genetic variability among various strains of lactobacilli is considerable. 11 Probiotic benefits are most often dependent on the ability of the organism to colonize the bowel. This usually requires the presence of receptors on the bacterial cell wall that permit attachment to the gastrointestinal epithelium. 12 Most strains do not have such receptors. Certain strains are more bile- and acid-resistant than others and some strains produce bacteriocins, which kill adjacent organisms. 13 Additional factors or characteristics are probably also important. Consequently, controlled studies are needed to determine the efficacy of each specific strain of probiotic to determine its usefulness in clinical situations. Ultimately, we may view probiotics as we now view antibiotics, with many choices of strains useful in different situations and many double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to direct our choice for prevention or therapy

Nearly 2am here, I’m off...to bed!

joy

[Guest guest]

Thanks once again for the reference information. I take probiotics

every day. (The one I take, called Jarrodophilus, includes 8 species

and doesn't have to be refrigerated.) I started taking it after I

developed oral thrush a few years ago and started having a lot of

trouble eating because everything in my mouth burned. I started

brushing and scraping my tongue regularly and soaking my toothbrush in

peroxide between brushings. I haven't had a recurrence of thrush since.

I doubled up on the probiotics while I was taking Clindamycin for my

dental infection. The clindamycin causes some intestinal problems. I

think the probiotics (and eating low-carb yogurt) helped keep the side

effects manageable. So for me, it definitely was worthwhile to be

taking the probiotics while taking the antibiotics.

--

==========================

>

> Been on back-to-back oral abx, then 14-days IV, already having gut

probs b4

> IV abx....

>

> But, seems pointless to take (costly) pro-biotics while taking

abx... So

> have been looking up some web-sites, this may interest some...

>

>

http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijnw/vol2n1/probio

> tics.xml

> (This is a small part I copied....)

<snip>