How To Protect Your Gut And Support Your Body While Taking Antibiotics

So, what are you to do when you've been prescribed these powerful pills?

You and your doctor share a common goal: your wellness. Consider yourselves partners. Integrative gastroenterologist Robyn Chutkan in her book The Microbiome Solution advocates for becoming "the kind of patient who analyzes and queries medical advice, and engages your health care professional in respectful dialogue." Feel comfortable asking questions like, "Have studies shown that antibiotics shorten the duration of this type of infection or not?" In the case of bronchitis, antibiotics are commonly prescribed despite ample evidence1 that they are unnecessary. Or you might ask, "Is this the best type of antibiotic for my infection?" Certain varieties of antibiotics are better suited2 for certain illnesses. You could also ask, "Is this the shortest effective course for my infection?" It's important to take antibiotics for long enough3 to completely kill your infection, but you don't want to overshoot your goal and expose your body to the harsh side effects for longer than necessary.

If your doctor has examined you and believes you have a bacterial infection that may not clear on its own, take the antibiotic course prescribed completely. Stopping treatment when you feel better is tempting but dangerous. You risk your infection returning or mutating into an antibiotic-resistant form. You may also be contributing unwittingly to the worldwide epidemic of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Protect your microbiome with a powerful probiotic. Dr. Chutkan recommends Visibiome, a high-dose option available in capsules and in powder form that contains up to 900 billion colony-forming units of bacterial strains. Maintaining the function of your microbiome is key in preventing candida overgrowth, the culprit behind those yeast infections that crop up more readily while you're on antibiotics.

More information4 is surfacing about the damage prolonged use of antibiotics can wreak on mitochondria, sub-units in cells essential to the body's transformation of food into energy. Functional medicine doctor Terry Wahls M.D. says, "Mitochondria need all the B vitamins and minerals like magnesium, zinc, and sulfur. They also need coenzyme Q, but our ability to make coenzyme Q declines sharply after age 50. Mitochondria require plenty of antioxidants, which protect them from the free radicals generated during the production of ATP." In this animal study, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant derived from amino acid, was shown to help counteract the cellular damage of antibiotics.

Nutritionist Meghan Telpner advocates for eliminating all sugars from both processed and natural sources, like maple syrup. "The bad bacteria feast on sugar, so try to keep that under control," she explains.

Soaking up replenishing liquids will help your body stay in balance. Telpner recommends applying that advice to your food choices, too: "Broths and other soups can help support the health of the gut while on antibiotics."

Stress5 is the enemy of healing. Telpner says, "Get plenty of rest. Antibiotics have the incredible ability of making us feel well very quickly, but there is still a lot going on in the body, so be sure to rest as much as you can." Meditation, deep sleep, and essential oils (lay low on powerful scents if you have inflammation in your passageways) can all help provide your body the peace it needs to repair.