Rarely do I go to the doctor…ever! Why?
1) They will tell me something I already know (“you’re sick”, “you have an infection” etc.)
2) The one way they treat a sickness is with antibiotics.
Common bacterial infections are:
• Pneumonia
• Sinus infections (lasting more than 10 days)
• Ear infections
• Acute bronchitis
• Strep throat
…and even the common cold or flu.
Yup, I’ve been there, done that. I listened to my typical family practitioner doctor years back and took that Z-Pack they hand out like candy. Many already are aware antibiotics kill the bad AND the good bacteria in the body. That’s the least of your worries. We can replenish out bodies with good bacteria from high quality cultured yogurt and probiotics, but what other damage can antibiotics do other than kill off bacteria?
Your GUT will suffer…for years!
You know how antibiotics can sometimes get things moving down there a little faster than you’d like? That’s because they’re going to town on all kinds of bacteria – good and bad – totally disrupting the order of command in your intestines. While many see relief after stopping the antibiotic therapy, some people NEVER recover, according to a study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Researchers found that participants who took more than three antibiotics within a 5-year period were 1.5 times more likely to develop IBS (irritable bowel disease, specifically Ulcerative Colitis and/or Crohn’s disease.
Increased waistline
By now, you’re probably already aware there are antibiotics in your meat (hence the fact that they’re are companies that advertise they’re proteins are “antibiotic free”). But did you ever wonder why farmers give animals antibiotics in the first place? Your first thought may be “so I’m not eating a sick animal.” That’s doesn’t make any sense because there are plenty of hormone and antibiotic free options out there that are healthy. So the question still stands: Why are antibiotics fed to animals?
They’re used to fatten them up! (Scientists still aren’t entirely sure why this works, but it does). And they could be doing the same thing to your body. This study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that antibiotic use in childhood not only influences childhood weight gain, but weight gain years later after the antibiotic treatment. On a related note, antibiotics have been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes (obesity is one risk factor leading to diabetes).
Even your brain may be at risk
Yes, there is a gut-brain connection. Ever heard of it? When antibiotics annihilate the bacteria in your gut – good and bad – they’re affecting your mind, too. According to this study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, just a single course of antibiotics may be associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety. And the risks can continue to rise with each subsequent antibiotic course. Researchers found that participants were 50% – Yes,you heard me, 50%! – more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety after five separate courses of penicillin.Luckily, I found out I was allergic to penicillin when I was young (I get severe hives all over my body) so ever since then I was ruled out from that antibiotic option. However, penicillin is of course just one of many options doctors have access to providing and the list can go on and on.
Now, as a disclosure, I can not say “refuse all medication and antibiotics” and must advise you to seek your doctor. However, I do want to point out the risks of antibiotics and complications that arise from taking them. And also the importance of eating antibiotic free proteins.
