The introduction of antibiotics is one of the most important medical advances of the 20th century. As useful and effective as these medications may be, there is unfortunately also a long list of negative aspects that can be caused by taking antibiotics. Especially in recent years, the increased use of antibiotics has often been heavily criticized. These are medications 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 multiplied there. This is because they can trigger inflammation and damage organs. In general, if you have taken antibiotics, you should urgently give your intestinal flora some affection afterward!
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 act against several bacterial pathogens simultaneously and are often prescribed when the exact infection is not entirely clear. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics, on the other hand, only work against a small number of specific pathogens. Therefore, taking broad-spectrum antibiotics can unfortunately also kill beneficial bacteria. Antibiotics work in two different ways – some kill the "bad" bacteria directly, while others only prevent them from multiplying further. Many people experience unpleasant side effects while taking antibiotics, such as bloating, diarrhea, or nausea. Antibiotics therefore affect both the stomach and 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 disease, but also beneficial ones that are essential for human health. This can lead to an imbalance in the intestinal flora after ingestion. This means that taking antibiotics can lead to what is known as dysbacteriosis—a pathological bacterial imbalance. If the bacteria in your gut are imbalanced, 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 bacterial diversity in our intestinal flora decreases. It is not yet entirely clear what long-term effects this might have on our health. However, it is generally assumed that reduced bacterial diversity negatively influences our general health in a variety of ways. For women in particular, taking antibiotics usually also 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 act in the intestines, they also attack the beneficial lactic acid bacteria in the vaginal flora and can sometimes even kill them off. Unfortunately, antibiotics usually result in a vicious health cycle. By weakening the immune system, susceptibility to other infections and fungal infections is increased.These secondary illnesses usually require further medication. In principle, it's very important to be prudent when taking antibiotics, discuss the prescription with your doctor in detail, and work with them 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 the permanent disappearance of certain essential bacterial strains from our intestinal flora. Studies have shown that it can take more than six months for the intestinal flora to recover after taking antibiotics. To ensure that your intestinal flora and the bacterial strains that dominate it can once again perform all of its valuable functions in our body, you should pay a little more attention to them after taking antibiotics – we hope, of course, that your infection has disappeared by now!
If there is no alternative to antibiotics, Taking probiotics Help restore your intestinal flora. This involves ingesting good intestinal bacteria, which then establish themselves in the intestinal mucosa, multiply, and restore the intestinal flora to balance. This means: To restore your intestinal flora to balance, you should increase your bacterial diversity somewhat and also consume probiotic bacterial cultures. You can support this by taking prebiotics in addition to your probiotics. These serve as food for the little helpers in your intestines and ensure that the good bacteria inside you get an extra energy boost, allowing your intestinal flora to recover in no time. Taking synbiotics, in particular, has a very positive effect on your intestinal flora, as they consist of a combination of prebiotics and probiotics – so you get the little helpers for your intestines and their food all at once! Check out our Dailybacs®!
Proven household remedies that help build your intestinal flora
To further enhance your well-being after taking antibiotics, we have compiled 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 antibacterial properties, promote blood flow in the gastrointestinal tract, and, above all, relieve nausea. Try a tea rich in bitters (artichoke, dandelion, nettle, ginger, or wormwood).
- MOVE: Movement && 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-&& 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, they are therefore more highly dosed and therefore work significantly faster and more effectively! With our Dailybacs, you can quickly restore your intestinal flora and support your immune system at the same time. Well then, get well soon!
