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antibiotic consequences?
2010-Sep-14, Tuesday 08:47 amIt's important to maintain diversity in the larger ecosystem. The same rule applies, though, to the complex ecosystem found within our own bodies. I've mentioned before the theory that humans may be experiencing autoimmune problems in such high frequency because we've used antibiotics to kill off the parasites that we hosted in the past. Similarly, a new study finds that use of antibiotics can have long-term effects on the bacteria that we keep in our intestines.
This study shows that antibiotics administered six months apart could profoundly influence the species that colonize our gut.
Some 15 years ago, I was receiving monthly antibiotics for 2 years or more. My allergies were such a problem back in Austin Texas that I would get sinus infections perpetually. Not minor infections either, but bad ones. My all-time fever high (103F) was due to a sinus infection. My sinuses would get clogged up, random bacteria that floated in the air would get trapped in there, and they'd multiply like crazy. I'd take a 2-week course of antibiotics to get it under control, wait another 2 weeks, and then I'd have yet another sinus infection requiring another round of antibiotics.
Eventually, my doctor finally relented and authorized sinus surgery. That process removed the scar tissue that had built up, and supposedly the surgeon drilled a few "extra holes" for fluids to drain out. It worked wonderfully. I still have allergies, and my sinuses still act up, but material eventually comes out without causing infection. No more monthly antibiotics.
It does leave me wondering, though, if perhaps that antibiotic regimen might be the cause of my current digestion issues. I've tried eating probiotic yogurt for weeks at a time, but it didn't really help. Maybe in some future years, doctors will be able to prescribe specific pills to replenish particular species of gut bacteria. Maybe previously acquired damage cannot be repaired, but at least having a proper gut colony would reduce future damage.
This study shows that antibiotics administered six months apart could profoundly influence the species that colonize our gut.
The new findings underscore the desirability of finding ways to pinpoint not just which bacteria have been lost or whose numbers were diminished by an antibiotic, but also which important beneficial functions performed by the patient's gut microbial community as a whole have been impaired - such as signaling cells of the intestinal lining, which are constantly turning over, to maintain an appropriate barrier against ingested toxic compounds, or secreting anti-inflammatory substances that may prevent allergic or autoimmune diseases.
- http://www.physorg.com/news203613111.html
- http://www.physorg.com/news203613111.html
Some 15 years ago, I was receiving monthly antibiotics for 2 years or more. My allergies were such a problem back in Austin Texas that I would get sinus infections perpetually. Not minor infections either, but bad ones. My all-time fever high (103F) was due to a sinus infection. My sinuses would get clogged up, random bacteria that floated in the air would get trapped in there, and they'd multiply like crazy. I'd take a 2-week course of antibiotics to get it under control, wait another 2 weeks, and then I'd have yet another sinus infection requiring another round of antibiotics.
Eventually, my doctor finally relented and authorized sinus surgery. That process removed the scar tissue that had built up, and supposedly the surgeon drilled a few "extra holes" for fluids to drain out. It worked wonderfully. I still have allergies, and my sinuses still act up, but material eventually comes out without causing infection. No more monthly antibiotics.
It does leave me wondering, though, if perhaps that antibiotic regimen might be the cause of my current digestion issues. I've tried eating probiotic yogurt for weeks at a time, but it didn't really help. Maybe in some future years, doctors will be able to prescribe specific pills to replenish particular species of gut bacteria. Maybe previously acquired damage cannot be repaired, but at least having a proper gut colony would reduce future damage.