It might seem strange to think that by taking antibiotics when you have an infection, you actually compromise your health. But think about it: an antibiotic is meant to kill off the harmful bacteria invading your system. So how does it know which bacteria to kill and which ones to leave alone? The answer is that it doesn’t. Along with taking out the bacterial infection, an antibiotic destroys your usual populations of beneficial bacteria, especially in your gut. That’s part of why, according to the Harvard Medical School, it can take up six weeks for your body to recover from a course of antibiotics – even when you really needed it.

Obviously when you’re sick, you should do whatever it takes to get back to normal – but that doesn’t mean you should ignore everything else you usually do to maintain your wellbeing. Your gut bacteria are what keep your intestines functioning smoothly, but they also serve another function: crowding out other, harmful bacteria. During the six-week recovery period after you wipe out bacterial populations with antibiotics, the way is clear for damaging bacteria like E. coli, H. pylori and Clostridium difficile,as well as the Candida fungus, to establish populations large enough to wreak havoc on your digestion. Once the antibiotic has cleared up the original problem, you can find yourself plagued with diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and irritable bowels.

Your best bet to keep your bowels ticking over when you need to take antibiotics is to also take the opposite: probiotics. You can get these from fermented foods like yoghurt, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut, but a probiotic supplement is your best bet if your bacteria have just taken a hit from an antibiotic. Specific strains like Lactobacillus plantarum can help to guard you against infections from specific spore-forming bacteria; L. plantarum has shown signs that it may help to decrease the risk ofC. difficile infections in hospitalised patients who were treated with antibiotics, as well as reducing other unpleasant gut-related side effects.

If you’re looking for a specific strain of probiotic, the best way to get it is in combination with a crowd of others in a product like Bio-Kult, which contains L. plantarum along with 13 other strains of friendly bacteria. A wide range of supplements gives your internal bacteria the best chance of rebuilding their shattered populations to get you back on the road to optimal health as soon as possible.

However, our bestselling probiotic products are Threelac and its sister product, Fivelac. They both contain three essential active bacterial strains: Bacillus subtillis to help stop harmful bacteria from growing, Enterococcus faecalis which exists naturally in your digestive tract, and Bacillus coagulans to help control digestive problems. Fivelac contains two additional strains:Bifidobacterium longumfor more active guarding against harmful bacteria, and Lactobacillus acidophilusto help improve gastrointestinal function. Both Threelac and Fivelac contain a maximum of 30 parts per million (0.00003%) of casein, which is an ingredient derived from milk, so they are not suitable for strict vegans.

When you’re sick, keep in mind that an antibiotic is not a cure-all. They are meant to fight bacterial infections that your body can’t cope with alone. If what ails you was caused by a virus instead of bacteria, you’re out of luck: antibiotics can’t help you, but they can still demolish your natural gut microbiome and leave you feeling lousier than before. Use antibiotics sparingly and give your body the time and resources it needs to fully recover.

References:

1. Klarin B, Wullt M, Palmquist I, et al. Lactobacillus plantarum 299v reduces colonisation of Clostridium difficile in critically ill patients treated with antibiotics. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2008 Sep;52(8):1096-102. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2008.01758.