As many of you know, antibiotics are wildly overused by doctors these days, resulting in increasing amounts freaky treatment-resistant superbugs which may someday wipe out humanity. But that's not what this thread is about. (yet)
While antibiotics certainly have their uses, they can due a lot harm to the good bacteria in our bodies, particularly in the gut. Using antibiotics to treat an illness is kind of like dropping a nuclear bomb on city to kill an enemy insurgents...yes, you killed the enemy...but you also annihilated the city you were trying to liberate.
Which raises the question: How do we undo this damage once it is done?
My story: About a year and half ago, I developed some weird vision problems while I was in Peru. Upon returning to the States I saw an eye doctor who diagnosed it as a central retinol vein occulsion. He reccomended I go to regular doctor. I had some bloodwork done and he calls me up and tells me I have lyme disease, which apparently can contribute to the eye problem mentioned above. He insisted he'd only seen a few people with lyme antibody levels this high.
He perscribes 400mg a day of doxycycline for 30 days. When I dropped off the prescription the pharmacist did a doubletake and asked me if directions were correct. That's when I got concerned. But I also knew lyme can supposedly be really bad and I didn't want to take any chances so I downed the pills each day.
Fast forward to the present- I think I may have done enourmous damage to my gut flora. I really don't feel different, but I'm concerned this could cause problems I can't forsee down the road.
So now, my question is:
What is the best way to replenish the gut with healthy, beneficial microbes?
Let's use this thread to post ideas, recipes, foods and supplements that we've found useful. I think we may all find this helpful eventually, as the overuse of antibiotics doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
While antibiotics certainly have their uses, they can due a lot harm to the good bacteria in our bodies, particularly in the gut. Using antibiotics to treat an illness is kind of like dropping a nuclear bomb on city to kill an enemy insurgents...yes, you killed the enemy...but you also annihilated the city you were trying to liberate.
Which raises the question: How do we undo this damage once it is done?
My story: About a year and half ago, I developed some weird vision problems while I was in Peru. Upon returning to the States I saw an eye doctor who diagnosed it as a central retinol vein occulsion. He reccomended I go to regular doctor. I had some bloodwork done and he calls me up and tells me I have lyme disease, which apparently can contribute to the eye problem mentioned above. He insisted he'd only seen a few people with lyme antibody levels this high.
He perscribes 400mg a day of doxycycline for 30 days. When I dropped off the prescription the pharmacist did a doubletake and asked me if directions were correct. That's when I got concerned. But I also knew lyme can supposedly be really bad and I didn't want to take any chances so I downed the pills each day.
Fast forward to the present- I think I may have done enourmous damage to my gut flora. I really don't feel different, but I'm concerned this could cause problems I can't forsee down the road.
So now, my question is:
What is the best way to replenish the gut with healthy, beneficial microbes?
Let's use this thread to post ideas, recipes, foods and supplements that we've found useful. I think we may all find this helpful eventually, as the overuse of antibiotics doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
The Peru Thread
"Feminists exist in a quantum super-state in which they are both simultaneously the victim and the aggressor." - Milo Yiannopoulos