{"id":4554,"date":"2012-02-20T16:55:11","date_gmt":"2012-02-20T22:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/?p=4554"},"modified":"2021-09-06T21:43:55","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T02:43:55","slug":"antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash","title":{"rendered":"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted 02\/20\/2012<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients seem to be divided equally in their attitude toward antibiotics. Either they love \u2018em, remembering relief from a painful bladder infection, a nagging cough, or clogged sinuses, or they hate \u2018em, recalling minimal relief along with lots of diarrhea and\/or an industrial-strength vaginal yeast infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That first group often progresses to what cultural anthropologists call \u201cmagical thinking.\u201d Having seen the powerful results of antibiotics for Symptom A, they\u2019ll request an antibiotic when Symptom B, C, or D makes itself known. They do this even though it\u2019s a fact that most sudden-onset conditions–like sore throats and colds–are viral, meaning they\u2019re caused by viruses that remain utterly indifferent to any antibiotic you take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you didn\u2019t know, antibiotics work against bacteria and only bacteria.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every so often, I\u2019ll get a request from a real antibiotic enthusiast who\u2019s had some nagging symptom for a while\u2014for example, tiredness. The patient will request two or three antibiotics to be taken at the same time to \u201cwipe out everything and start over,\u201d a clean slate, so to speak, with the hope of re-introducing into his body \u201cjust those good bacteria\u201d he\u2019s been reading about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics. But magical thinking establishes itself deep in your brain and is hard to defeat. My game plan when dealing with an antibiotic request I deem inappropriate is to harken back to a rule I learned in med school: A viral infection will be gone in about two weeks using antibiotics. Without them, it will last 14 days<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second group of patients, the antibiotic-phobics, understand how to treat viral infections appropriately, but press the panic button when they realize they might actually need an antibiotic. They\u2019ll use all sorts of tactics to keep from taking it, most of which are just fine with me: neti pots and herbal blends for sinus infections; cranberry and vitamin C for bladder; inhalers, herbal teas, homeopathics, immune boosters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often these work well. The human body is pretty miraculous when it comes to ridding itself of unwanted invaders. But sometimes you\u2019re stuck with a stubborn bacterial infection and, despite your best efforts, you need an antibiotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five simple steps you can take to maximize the benefit from your antibiotic and minimize the risk of side effects:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  1. Request an antibiotic with the narrowest spectrum of antibacterial activity and with the shortest treatment course<\/strong>. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics, like penicillin or azithromycin (Z-Pak), kill off only specific bacteria. They work well when your doctor has a good idea which bacterium is the likely culprit. Broad-spectrum antibiotics–the Rambo-mycins like Levaquin\u2014should be reserved for more serious infections. However, antibiotic overuse in recent years has produced so many resistant strains of bacteria that the narrow-spectrum antibiotics are less and less effective. Whatever you\u2019re prescribed, however, do take all the pills. Stopping early leaves behind the most robust, resistant bacteria and leads to the possibility your infection could return.<\/li>
  2. Food-wise, there are no restrictions when taking antibiotics<\/strong>. And although you might be tempted to take your meds with a meal to avoid stomach symptoms, in actual fact food (especially calcium-containing foods) blocks the absorption of several antibiotics. Others are best taken with<\/span> food. \u201cWith or without food\u201d should be stated clearly on the label. If not, ask the pharmacist. It\u2019s important to stay hydrated, especially if you experience antibiotic-induced diarrhea. If you find yourself with an especially severe and persistent antibiotic-related diarrhea, call your physician.\u00a0She may want you tested for C. Difficile, a\u00a0bacterium that emerges during antibiotic use and which requires a second antibiotic to eradicate.<\/li>
  3. Start taking Florastor (saccharomyces boulardii), a strain of yeast–and hence not killed by your antibiotic–one capsule twice daily<\/strong>. We carry Florastor in our apothecary<\/a> and it\u2019s readily available in most drugstores. Using it will reduce your chances of getting antibiotic-induced diarrhea.<\/li>
  4. Also start on a good probiotic<\/a>, which you must take 2 to 3 hours separately from your antibiotic dose.<\/strong> Two reasons for this: if you\u2019re eating live-culture yogurt or kefir for the probiotic boost, the calcium in these foods can block antibiotic absorption. Additionally, the antibiotic will wipe out all those helpful bacteria if you take drug and probiotic at the same time.<\/li>
  5. If you know your body well enough to expect a vaginal yeast infection<\/strong> (candida) sometime after finishing your course of antibiotics, ask for a prescription for Diflucan (fluconazole) 100 mg. You can take a tablet once or twice daily for a few days after you\u2019ve completed your antibiotic course. Use them only<\/em> if you know you have a yeast infection\u2014they won\u2019t prevent one from occurring and, in fact, do just the opposite. With the combination of an antibiotic and Diflucan, you could develop a Diflucan-resistant strain of candida.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019d urge you to read this story and knock out bacterial bugs with an antibiotic only when strictly necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Be well,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    David Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Posted 02\/20\/2012 Patients seem to be divided equally in their attitude toward antibiotics. Either they love \u2018em, remembering relief from a painful bladder infection, a nagging cough, or clogged sinuses, or they hate \u2018em, recalling minimal relief along with lots of diarrhea and\/or an industrial-strength vaginal yeast infection. That first group often progresses to what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,2,29,50,296,3],"tags":[1150,1031,1357,1038],"class_list":["post-4554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a","category-blog","category-digestion","category-healthy-lifestyle","category-inflammation","category-knowledge-base","tag-antibiotics","tag-probiotic","tag-saccharomyces-boulardii","tag-yeast-infection"],"yoast_head":"\r\nAntibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WholeHealth Chicago\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wholehealthchicago\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-02-20T22:55:11+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-07T02:43:55+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"wholehealthchicago\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@wholehealthchi\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wholehealthchi\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"wholehealthchicago\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash\",\"name\":\"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-02-20T22:55:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-07T02:43:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8f28cef347f94e6801d2bdd38b9cea19\"},\"description\":\"You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"WholeHealth Chicago\",\"description\":\"WholeHealth Chicago is the Midwest's oldest and most respected center for integrative care, successfully blending the latest advances in conventional medicine with a wide range of clinically proven alternative therapies.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8f28cef347f94e6801d2bdd38b9cea19\",\"name\":\"wholehealthchicago\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b63bce17acaeb51f185933c60fa6fa86c347679a70b79ec51e5b772e271a469f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b63bce17acaeb51f185933c60fa6fa86c347679a70b79ec51e5b772e271a469f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"wholehealthchicago\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/author\/wholehealthchicago\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash","description":"You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash","og_description":"You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics.","og_url":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash","og_site_name":"WholeHealth Chicago","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wholehealthchicago","article_published_time":"2012-02-20T22:55:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-09-07T02:43:55+00:00","author":"wholehealthchicago","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@wholehealthchi","twitter_site":"@wholehealthchi","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"wholehealthchicago","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash","url":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash","name":"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-02-20T22:55:11+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-07T02:43:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8f28cef347f94e6801d2bdd38b9cea19"},"description":"You can imagine that every doctor, myself included, spends a lot of time talking people out of taking antibiotics.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/20\/antibiotics-maximize-benefits-minimize-intestinal-backlash#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Antibiotics: Maximize Benefits, Minimize Intestinal Backlash"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/","name":"WholeHealth Chicago","description":"WholeHealth Chicago is the Midwest's oldest and most respected center for integrative care, successfully blending the latest advances in conventional medicine with a wide range of clinically proven alternative therapies.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8f28cef347f94e6801d2bdd38b9cea19","name":"wholehealthchicago","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b63bce17acaeb51f185933c60fa6fa86c347679a70b79ec51e5b772e271a469f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b63bce17acaeb51f185933c60fa6fa86c347679a70b79ec51e5b772e271a469f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"wholehealthchicago"},"url":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/author\/wholehealthchicago"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2087"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4554"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28600,"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4554\/revisions\/28600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}