Our bodies contain more bacteria than they do cells. Yet even more strange is the fact that we need these bacteria to maintain health. Our bodies know and support the growth of our good friendly gut bacteria. For example, mother’s breast milk contains carbohydrates which her nursing baby system is unable to digest. Her friendly gut bacteria which pass to her infant, via the placenta as well as via her milk, digest these complex carbohydrates for her infant.
These friendly gut bacteria help the body to manufacture vitamin K. Vitamin K helps the blood to clot when it needs to, so that we don’t bleed to death when injured. These bacteria, as well as the ones on our skin, reduce inflammation and protect us from pathogens and other dangerous disease causing agents. Friendly gut bacteria help us maintain a healthy weight.
The antibiotics we take for various infections destroy our friendly gut bacteria, evidenced by the slight diarrhoea at the start of a course of antibiotics. Dead, dying, bacteria in the gut pull water into the intestines. The resulting condition is the diarrhoea or loose stools at the start of a course of an antibiotic. The diarrhoea usually stops soon after the antibiotic is stopped. The infection you took the antibiotic for, if not destroyed, can then take advantage & begin to flourish again because the numbers of the protecting friendly gut bacteria have been reduced/compromised.
Salmonella, a known “bad guy”, can take advantage of such a situation and the diarrhoea may continue for a few more weeks. Worse than salmonella are the bacteria that have a protective covering called spores. After a course of antibiotics this type of bacteria can survive and flourish in the intestines causing intestinal bleeding.
After a course of antibiotics you will need to repopulate your gut with the good friendly bacteria – which isn’t necessarily easy to do. A course of antibiotics can kill off as much as six months worth of friendly gut bacteria. In doing the math a course of antibiotics can relieve you of at least six (6) months worth of friendly gut bacteria. Two (2) courses can relieve you of at least one (1) years worth of friendly gut bacteria.
To repopulate your gut with friendly bacteria, you’ll need to consume probiotics – and certain fermented foods such plain unsweetened yoghurts with live friendly bacterial cultures. Other fermented foods include:
? Certain cheeses, cottage cheese
? Sauerkraut, fresh pickles
? Fermented cabbage
Stomach acids also kill friendly bacteria. Consume probiotics in pill form with the protective coating. The protective coating will dissolve after the pill has passed through the stomach, releasing its contents i.e. the friendly gut bacteria into the intestines. Here are some other recommendations:
? Almonds finely ground significantly increase the levels of certain friendly gut bacteria.
? Almonds also provide protection against infections.
A study on almonds found that almonds help prevent the common cold & flu caused by viruses. After taking a course of antibiotics, you are more prone to new infections, such as yeast infections, because of a compromised immune system.
The study in almonds also found there are naturally occurring chemicals in the skin of the almond that improve the ability of white blood cells to seek out viruses & stop their replication. Even after almonds had been digested in the gut, they continue to protect against viruses.
To contact Dr. Stan Horne:
1-264-582-7045
1-784-531-1150
Email: naturopathyplus@yahoo.co.uk
