Sir Alexander Fleming, on his chance discovery of penicillin in 1928 once said, “One sometimes finds what one is not looking for.” He was granted the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his discovery that revolutionized medicine.1. Eighty-seven years later, our understanding of infectious disease and treatment has advanced beyond measure as well as our understanding of how antibiotics affect other aspects of health both during and after treatment of the infection. It is now known that antibiotics not only kill the disease causing bacteria, but also kill many of the host microorganisms that are naturally found in a healthy digestive system. The resulting imbalance is responsible for many of the side effects associated with antibiotic therapy, including mild to severe diarrhea and Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections. Multiple quality scientific studies have concluded that using probiotic therapy during and after a course of antibiotic therapy effectively prevents antibiotic-associated diarrhea and other side effects.
“The advantages of probiotic therapy include multiple mechanisms of action against pathogens, the ability to interact with the host’s natural defense systems, survival to the target organ and a good risk to benefit ratio. Disadvantages of probiotics include lack of standardization for clinical trial designs, variations in regulatory standards, poor quality control for some products and infrequent serious adverse reactions.” 2.
ABx Support by Klaire Labs is a professional quality probiotic, meaning its manufacturing standards and ingredients are guaranteed by a third party analysis. Each capsule of ABx Support contains 10 billion beneficial microorganisms in a vegetarian capsule, making it suitable for those who choose not to consume gelatin. The species include the beneficial yeast Sacchromyces boulardii, which has been evidenced to support digestive integrity in conjunction with antibiotic use, as well as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and two species of Bifidobacterium. Read the full product details here.
This product is designed to be taken twice daily for 14 to 30 days during and after a course of antibiotics. Since antibiotics can potentially disrupt all bacterial activity, it is best to take your antibiotic medication away from your probiotic by at least three hours. Probiotics can be taken with or without food. If you are on continual antibiotic therapy, we highly recommend concurrent continual probiotic therapy.
Science is just starting to understand the complex interrelationship between the microorganisms that live within our body. The study of this is called the microbiome, and the effects the microbiome has on our health are ever expanding like ripples in water. Maintaining your intestinal biodiversity before, during and after antibiotic therapy will help ensure you don’t end up with something you aren’t looking for – like side effects – so that you do end up with improved health and wellness post treatment.
References:
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Explorable.com (Feb 14, 2010). History of Antibiotics. Retrieved Jun 15, 2015 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/history-of-antibiotics
- Hickson, Mary. “Probiotics in the Prevention of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhoea and Clostridium Difficile infection.” Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology 4.3 (2011): 185–197. PMC. Web. 15 June 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3105609
- Hempel S, Newberry SJ, Maher AR, et al. Probiotics for the Prevention and Treatment of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2012;307(18):1959-1969. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.3507. Accessed June 15 2015
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Coastal Pharmacy & Wellness Staff
