If you have been in our office, you have heard my spiel on the deleterious side effects of antibiotics! While we are fortunate to have this powerful weapon in our arsenal for life and death situations, if there were ever a weapon that's been so used that it has almost made itself useless, it is this one.  

The over use and abuse of these powerful medications are leaving people and animals in a sickened state, setting the stage for chronic disease, obesity and cancer. 

If we look at the origin of the word, we can gain deeper insight. The original Latin meaning of ANTI is "against" or "opposed to". The word BIOTIC is derived from the Greek word "bio" which means life, therefore BIOTIC means "of life. 

So the definition of antibiotics : "against or opposed to life or a living organism."

When you look at the meaning of that word, it should be a clear indicator that antibiotics are not something that should be taken lightly. 

One may argue that antibiotics are "opposed to the life" of the bacteria , not our bodies.

However, that is without the understanding that our body or our pet's body is made up of bacteria. 

More bacteria in the body than there are cells?

There are roughly 40 trillion cells of bacteria and only 30 trillion human cells in the body. This means that over 90% of the genetic material is NOT ours or our pets but rather it is from the bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms, i.e. the microflora.

Gut microbes are big in the news lately, as researchers continue to discover the important roles these tiny organisms play in our overall health and well-being.

It is now known that the microflora or gut microbiome influences:

• Genetic expression
• Immune system
• Weight
• Risk of numerous chronic and acute diseases, from diabetes to cancer
• Neurologic function

The Brain and the gut microbiome: 

Most recently, research has shown that a certain set of these microbes may actually influence the activity of genes in the brain – and the parts they play are not small. They may work to manipulate behavior, and memory as well. This is known as the gut-brain connection. 

OBESITY and the gut microbiome: 

"The rise of obesity around the world is coincident with widespread antibiotic use, and our studies provide an experimental linkage. It is possible that early exposure to antibiotics primes children for obesity later in life." - Martin Blaser

So if the gut flora outnumbers the body cells by 10-1 and the collective microbial genome outnumber the human genome by 100-1, we definitely want to steer clear of ANTI-BIOTICS.

This gut flora or microbiome is even hereditary. It can take up to 3 generations to remove the damage done from antibiotic use. I know I've not taken an antibiotic in over 20 years, nor will I administer anti-biotics to my daughter. I feel the same way about my pets and my patients. My dog Zuma lived a full life of 16 years with only 1 round of antibiotics. Poncho will be turning 16 soon and he's only had 1 round of antibiotics as well (An unavoidable life or death situation when I rescued him as a hit by car patient). 

The important role of the gut microbiome during fetal and brain development: 

• "Acquisition of intestinal microbiota in the immediate postnatal period has a defining impact on the development and function of the gastrointestinal, immune, neuroendocrine and metabolic systems. For example, the presence of gut microbiota regulates the set point for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity." - The Guardian

We have got to begin to understand the deleterious affects these antibiotics are having on both our current health and the generations to come. 

We are seeing neuro-endocrine disruptions on ALL bioscans. And while we know that spaying/neutering is partly responsible, we are now seeing that the gut microbiome is also a big contributor. 

When is antibiotic use, abuse? 

I have seen some patients that have been on antibiotics for over 3 years in a row. I've also seen patients that have been on multiple rounds of antibiotics several times a year for their entire lives. It's so hard to explain to clients that what they have been told is "absolutely normal or absolutely necessary" is indeed DEADLY. 

The number one cause of degenerative and chronic disease: 

Hippocrates, often sited as the father of medicine, is quoted for his famous saying that he spoke over 2,500 years ago. 

"ALL DISEASE BEGINS IN THE GUT!"

Antibiotics damage the gut through killing off the healthy bacteria. This in turn allows the dangerous and sometimes deadly bacteria to proliferate. This imbalance then leads to inflammation and separation of intestinal cells which results in leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut then leads to chronic irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, auto immune diseases and worst of all, cancer! Yes, leaky gut is the leading cause of ALL diseases. And we must not forget that  ALL bacterial cells in the body are affected by ANTI-BIOTICS, including the urinary tract, skin, etc.  

I recently shared an article on fecal transplants. These are becoming more and more common since the gut microbiome is being destroyed by the overuse of antibiotics. Unfortunately, we are reaching a place where the microbiome simply cannot recover without a healthy bacteria TRANSPLANT.

Other destructive forces of healthy bacteria include:

• Chlorinated water
• Antibacterial soap, HAND SANITIZERS
• Agricultural chemicals
• Pollution
• Chemotherapeutic drugs
• Anti-inflammatories
• Steroids

As a perspective of the magnitude of gut bacteria, one author writes this: 

"In a healthy colon there are on average anywhere from 100 billion to 1,000 billion beneficial bacteria per milliliter or 1/5 of a teaspoon. In a typical American colon, the beneficial bacteria count may be as low as 4 or 5 per milliliter! How can the body remain healthy? It doesn’t. Many researchers believe that declining levels of friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract can mark the onset of chronic degenerative disease." 

Remember, this beneficial bacteria is not only found in the colon but throughout THE WHOLE BODY!

While the primary areas of bacterial colonization are: 

• Large Intestine/Colon
• Urinary Tract
• Skin

Over 10,000 scientific articles have been published on probiotics since this century began.  Research shows that each person hosts around 160 microbial species.

The two most common strains: 

• Lactobacillus acidophilus - with branch strains
• Bifidobacterium - with branch strains

• Produce a number of compounds to kill off bad bacteria such as staphylococci - this can be found in any region of the body but mostly in the skin and urinary tract. Probiotics act like anti-biotics! 
• Consume fecal matter in the large intestine,  protect against tumor development and autoimmune diseases by enhancing acquired immunity and inhibiting inflammatory mediators  (remember 70% of the immune system is in the gut!)  
• Produce enzymes to digest and metabolize proteins and carbohydrates. 
• Help make vitamin K and vitamin B (90% of patients that have bioscan testing are deficient in both of these vitamin groups)
• Break down bile salts
• Help lower cholesterol
• Reduce irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal permeability (prevents leaky gut) 
• Relieve constipation and others help prevent or stop diarrhea
• Reduce anxiety, depression and improve memory

What can you do to ensure you and your pet have a healthy gut flora? 

• There are excellent alternatives to antibiotics, we have Chinese herbs that are specific for infections in areas such as the gut or the bladder or the blood or central nervous system, etc. We have general anti biotic alternatives that also act as anti-viral agents. Some of these include:
• Echinacea C
• Herbal ABX
• Berberine Intrinsic
• Bee Pollen
• Yin Qiao 

1. Buy organic and/or local :Eighty percent of antibiotics produced are used in agriculture and feed lot animals. This is one reason why we encourage free range, grass fed or local meats when possible.
2. Feed a species appropriate diet. One that is based correctly on your pet's constitution. 
3. Make sure your pet is not eating allergen stimulating foods. When we or our pets eat foods we are allergic to, this wreaks havoc on the intestinal tract. Chronic inflammation leads to leaky gut syndrome and ph imbalances which worsen bad bacterial overgrowth. 
4. Prepare the gut for re-population of healthy bacteria. We do this by using gut acidifiers such as healthy yeasts. 
5. Support proper digestion with enzymes. Enzymes also help to reduce alkalinity in the gut. When the pH is alkaline, yeast and bad bacteria thrive. We recommend Sugar Starch Digestion if your pet is on a kibble diet, V1 enzymes for raw or fresh foods, Similase enzymes if your pet's bioscan has indicated specific enzyme deficiencies. 
6. Heal the gut lining. Use formulas containing aloe, glutamine, DGL, berberine, slippery elm, arabinogalactans, growth factors just to name a few. We recommend Liver GI detox, Colostrum, Glutamine Complex and/or Arabinex. 
7. Repopulate with a probiotic. Choosing an effective probiotic is key. Every company on the planet makes a probiotic supplement. We have spent hours studying, reviewing and educating ourselves on the best probiotics for our patients. We recommend Prosynbiotic, Flora Syntropy, Sacchromyces Boulardi, RxBiotic, Probiotic 123, Probiotic 50B. 
8. Yogurt is NOT the answer. Unless you have access to RAW yogurt, we do not recommend this as a source of probiotics. All yogurt that is processed has been heated which creates phlegm in the body when digested. Phelgm leads to inflammation and leaky gut. Yogurt also contains sugar and unfortunately this feeds the bad yeast and changes the proper pH of the gut.