Everyone is very familiar with antibiotics and their intended goal - to kill harmful bacteria that cause us to be sick. The conundrum here is that antibiotics also kill the beneficial bacteria that live in our digestive tract, which can cause other issues such as diarrhoea or lowered intestinal immunity.
It is for this reason that it is STRONGLY recommended that people take a daily probiotic such as Progurt whenever their doctor prescribes an antibiotic. BUT - it must be done far enough apart from the antibiotic so that the probiotics are not killed by the antibiotic. Usually 3 or 4 hours from the time the antibiotic is taken is sufficient.
This methodology is particularly beneficial for persons such as Lyme disease sufferers and persons with autism who are on potent, long-term antibiotics. When probiotics are restored to the system, digestive issues such as gas, diarrhoea, and constipation have been shown to become lessened.
Even those on short-term antibiotic regimens that use probiotics have been found them to be beneficial. What many people do not realize is that so much of our immunity begins in the intestines and that probiotics are the "police" that keep so much infection from occurring. When their numbers are depleted by antibiotic use, it can leave us open to potentially worse invaders to do their damage.
Regarding probiotic use AFTER an antibiotic regimen: It would be beneficial to continue DAILY use of a high strength, high quality probiotic for one month AFTER the last antibiotic has been taken. Longer is fine. Overall the continued use of a probiotic supplement even when not taking antibiotics can help boost immunity and aid in digestion ongoing.
The health of our intestine does not only affect the health of our digestive system, but increasingly we are becoming aware that it has a significant impact on the health of all our body systems.
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