Antibiotics and your body

06 May 2013

The discovery of penicillin is one of the most important medical finds in history. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, people were dying from everyday common colds and treatable diseases. So it comes as no surprise that antibiotics are a preferred mechanism to treat aches, pains and illnesses.

When bacteria find their way into your body in large numbers, they can be deadly. While your body tries its best to fight the infection, it sometimes isn’t strong enough to deal with the strength of the bacteria and your immune system may be overpowered. This is when antibiotics step in.

What are antibiotics?

Antibiotics are drugs used to kill bacteria that are causing an infection or illness in your body. However, it’s important to realise that sometimes antibiotics kill the good bacteria as well, disturbing the delicate balance within your body. This also means that the good bacteria can’t help fight the infection or illness.

According to statistics, on average 22 million prescriptions are filled annually in Australia for hundreds of different types of antibiotics to treat thousands of different infections.

Overuse

While antibiotics are a great invention, you need to be careful that you don’t overuse them. With overuse comes over-reliance and this also means that the bacteria may be able to fight their way through. 

This is especially true for senior members of society. As we grow older, our immune system takes a bit of a beating and our organs may not work as well as they used to. This can mean that our bodies may not be able to handle strong medication.

It is also sometimes the case that doctors over-prescribe medication to patients. Many doctors believe that trying to treat a common cold or virus with an antibiotic (which probably won’t work because antibiotics help bacterial infections not viruses) means that the body may become immune to the treatment when it’s actually needed. 

If your body doesn’t need antibiotics, the drug may actually kill the cells that naturally live in the body. 

There’s also the problem of taking medication that’s not actually prescribed to you. Each antibiotic is used to treat a specific bacterial infection. Taking the wrong antibiotic may train the bacteria to resist medication without helping your symptoms or actually making you feel any better. 

Recovery

Taking antibiotics can wreak havoc with your body. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and an overall feeling of bloating.

While taking any antibiotic, try to make sure you eat foods containing acidophilus or probiotics. The most common natural form of acidophilus is yoghurt. The alternative is taking another pill simultaneously with the antibiotics such as Inner Health Plus. Cheese may also help in this situation, particularly cottage cheese.

An aversion to food is another side effect of antibiotics that you may feel. This is also a symptom of some infections. But don’t be alarmed. Just make sure you continue eating normally with loads of healthy fruit and vegetables to ensure your body is strong enough to fight any infections. 

Make sure you keep yourself constantly hydrated, especially during the course of your antibiotics. This will help with any constipation that you may suffer due to the drugs. 

Another tip is to limit the amount of added sugar that you ingest and slurp plenty of chicken soup to make you feel better.