The introduction of antibiotics is one of the most important medical advances of the 20th century. As useful and effective as these drugs may be, there is unfortunately also a long list of negative aspects that can be caused by taking antibiotics. In recent years in particular, the increased use of antibiotics has often been heavily criticized. This is because these are drugs that are 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 are multiplying there. This is because they can cause inflammation and damage organs. In general, if you have taken antibiotics, you should urgently give your intestinal flora some love afterwards!
What happens when you take antibiotics?
Antibiotics are used when the body is attacked by harmful bacteria - not viruses. They help the body fight off these harmful bacteria by killing the bacterial pathogens.
ATTENTION: Antibiotics are therefore not effective against viruses and should not be taken under any circumstances! A general distinction is made between broad-spectrum antibiotics and narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics work against several bacterial pathogens at the same time and are often prescribed when it is not entirely clear what the infection is. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics, on the other hand, only work against a small number of specific pathogens. Therefore, it can happen that taking broad-spectrum antibiotics can also kill useful bacteria. There are two different ways in which antibiotics work - some kill the "bad" bacteria directly, others just prevent them from multiplying further. Many people notice unpleasant side effects while taking antibiotics, such as flatulence, diarrhea or nausea. Antibiotics therefore affect the stomach and also the intestines! Find out why this is the case here.
What happens to your intestinal flora?
Unfortunately, antibiotics not only attack "bad" intestinal bacteria, i.e. bacteria that cause illness, but also beneficial ones that are essential for human health. This can lead to the intestinal flora becoming unbalanced after ingestion. This means that taking antibiotics can lead to what is known as dysbacteriosis - a pathological bacterial imbalance. If the bacteria in your intestines are unbalanced, this can lead to everything from general intestinal problems to the development of autoimmune diseases, a weakened immune system, various food intolerances, obesity and, rarely, even psychological disorders.
When we take antibiotics, the diversity of bacteria in our intestinal flora decreases. It is not yet entirely clear what long-term effects this can have on our health. In general, however, it is assumed that a reduced diversity of bacteria negatively affects our general health in a variety of ways. For women in particular, taking antibiotics usually has a direct negative effect on the vaginal flora, which is why women are much more susceptible to vaginal yeast infections during and shortly after taking antibiotics. This is because antibiotics not only work in the intestines, they also attack the beneficial lactic acid bacteria in the vaginal flora at the same time and can sometimes even kill them. Unfortunately, antibiotics usually result in a vicious circle of health. By weakening the immune system, susceptibility to other infections and fungal infections is increased. These secondary diseases then usually have to be treated with medication. In principle, it is very important to be careful when taking antibiotics, to talk to your doctor about the prescription in detail and to work with him to find alternatives if necessary.
How do I rebuild my intestinal flora?
Normally, your intestinal flora regenerates itself, but this can take some time. However, various circumstances can lead to certain strains of bacteria that we need disappearing permanently from our intestinal flora. Studies have shown that it can take more than six months for the intestinal flora to recover after taking antibiotics. So that your intestinal flora and the strains of bacteria that dominate it can once again perform all the valuable functions in our body, you should pay a little more attention to it after taking antibiotics - we hope, of course, that your infection has disappeared by now!
If antibiotics are an option, taking probiotics can also help to get your intestinal flora back on track. This involves taking good intestinal bacteria, which then settle in the intestinal mucosa, multiply and can bring the intestinal flora back into balance. This means: In order to bring your intestinal flora back into balance, you should increase your bacterial diversity a little and also take probiotic bacterial cultures. You can support this by taking prebiotics in addition to the probiotics. These serve as food for the little helpers in your intestines and mean that the good bacteria inside you get an extra boost of energy and, hey presto, your intestinal flora can recover well again. Taking synbiotics in particular has a very positive effect on your intestinal flora, because they consist of a combination of prebiotics and probiotics - so you get the little helpers for your intestines and their food at the same time! Check out our Dailybacs®!
Proven household remedies that help build your intestinal flora
To ensure additional well-being after antibiotics, we have put together a few tried and tested tricks for you to try at home:
- EAT: Try to eat plenty of probiotic and prebiotic foods for 1-2 weeks.
- DRINK: As banal as it sounds - drink lots of water!
- BITTERS: Bitters have an antibacterial effect, promote blood circulation in the gastrointestinal tract and, above all, relieve nausea. Try a tea that contains a lot of bitter substances (artichokes, dandelions, nettles, ginger or wormwood).
- MOVE: Exercise & relaxation - yes, your intestinal flora also reacts directly to physical exercise 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.
The Dailybacs® , with their 60 billion CFUs, are therefore more highly dosed and therefore work much faster and better! With our Dailybacs, you can get your intestinal flora back on track in no time and at the same time support your immune system. Well then, get well soon!
