Antibiotics: The surprising truth about probiotics and what to do instead

My mother almost died from C-diff. After a course of vancomycin, I fed her kefir and Saccharomyces boulardii (antagonist and the kefir seems to give it a foothold) Any time she has even the vaguest symptoms I give it again - she’s 102 now. Go mom.

0:00: 🔬 Dr. B explains the antibiotic clindamycin and its potential impact on the gut microbiome. 6:02: 💊 Clindamycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that can treat a range of bacteria, including anaerobes, but it also destroys the beneficial bacteria in our gut. 16:34: 🦠 The speaker recommends taking a specific probiotic, saccharomyces boulardii, at a specific dose to protect against developing diarrhea and C diff infection while on antibiotics. 17:59: 🔬 Probiotics may negatively affect gut recovery after antibiotics, based on a study with mouse models and limited human data. 23:55: 😮 The speaker took antibiotics and tested their gut health before and after, finding that the antibiotics had a significant negative impact on their gut microbiome. 29:58: 🦠 The speaker discusses the importance of live fermented foods in improving gut health. 34:41: 😔 Taking antibiotics can cause a shift towards an unbalanced microbiome, allowing bad bacteria to flourish. 40:20: 🔑 Recovery time from antibiotic use varies among individuals, and personalized advice based on microbiome data could be beneficial in the future. 45:42: 🔑 The use of antibiotics in healthcare is widespread and often unnecessary, leading to negative effects on the gut microbiome. 50:48: ✅ Taking care of your gut health in the long term involves consuming lots of fiber, practicing time-restricted eating, getting enough sleep and exercise, and being mindful of the impact of antibiotics. Recap by

My mother died from a C-Diff infection that she contracted after a couple of courses of broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat a respiratory infection. Since then, I've refused several antibiotics in favor of ones that had less of a C-Diff risk. I also had a suspected allergy to penicillin after I got a rash when taking it as a child. My doctor recommended I be tested to see if I truly was allergic. I went to an allergist who determined that I wasn't allergic to penicillin after all. Thanks for discussing this very important topic. Great podcast.

2 months ago I had 4 courses of antibiotics due to a severe tooth infection and feared the worst for my gut microbiome as I felt I'd been poisoned. I'd not had antibiotics for more years than I can remember. I'm over 80 and never take ultra processed foods and have been on an organic diet for 40 years to avoid taking antibiotics in meat. Very useful information in this podcast about what to do next. I will increase time restricted eating and take more fibre, kimchi, kefir, kambucha etc and hope my good bugs win the battle! All Zoe podcasts are SO useful. Thank you.

I suffered food poisoning and ended up with bad bacteria in my small intestine. Broccoli sprouts saved me from possibly a lifetime of ibs. I am amazed at the effectiveness of these sprouts to heal my gut.

A suggested beginner instruction to making sauerkraut at home: - get a cabbage (or grow one) - slice it finely or coarsly or however you would like to eat it - weigh it and measure out 2% salt (my preferred ratio but do your own research, they say to use salt without iodine) - mix the salt into your chopped cabbage and give it a nice massage - this is a little workout. -let the cabbage-salt mix sit for a couple hours and come back and massage it a little more. It should be releasing some water by now. - sterilize some jars (boil them for some minutes) - the jars/containers should let gas out but not air in, so maybe you need some fermenting lids or other fermenting systems. Or make your own invention!! - stuff the cabbage into your jar(s) and press it down properly, preferably the water should cover the cabbage. If you have it, use a fermenting weight or make your own. (Research) - Let it sit in the jars at room temp for at least a week. Some leave it veeeeeery long (months) some shorter. - When you think it is good you can store it in the fridge, it’s still alive just fermenting slower so the jar can rupture if the lid situation is absolutely sealed. - Enjoy P.S . The internet is filled with great tips on how to do this besides my suggestion. Have fun!!

As some one who suffers from anxiety and gut problems I recognise that Jonathan may be in the same boat. His body language kinda screamed that. We live in very stressfull world so no judgment and probably just talking about what happened could also be really anxiety inducing. Anyway working on stress reduction is super important for our gut health. For me walks in nature listening to music help. Saying no to people is also really good. I cant exactly preach too much because Im watching this video for a reason haha.

With the injury Jonathan had the main reason to give broad spectrum antibiotics [not mentioned in the podcast] is to prevent osteomyelitis [bone infection]. Broken skin + broken bone = high risk of bone infection. If they put a wire into the bone to fix it, the risk is even higher. Once bone infection takes hold, it can require long-term [even 6 months or longer], and often a combination of antibiotics to get rid of. So the surgeon was quite right to prescribe antibiotics to prevent this.

A very good podcast. Back in the 60s I was given large doses of Tetracycline for acute acne. Neither I nor my doctors made the connection between this treatment and the years of subsequent suffering I had from what was thought to be IBS. The impact was both physically and mentally tough.

52:28 Thanks for a very interesting and valuable discussion. Tim - in a bit of a throwaway line you said something like “ the residual small quantities of good bugs you might still have after a course of broad spectrum antibiotics might be curled up ‘hiding’ eg in the appendix”. This reminded me that some months ago I read a paper about possible impacts of appendix removal, which is a not much studied issue. It occurred to me that given your large database of individuals in Zoe it might be interesting to research whether there were noticeable differences in gut health or recovery post antibiotic treatment in those who still had their appendix and those who had it removed (maybe decades earlier).

Antibiotic resistant is another big topic to discuss, PHAGES is a important alternative tratment to that bugs and they do not damage your gut

The reason for clindamycin is that no other general antibiotic has better bone concentration. Reaching the toes with a systemic antibiotic carries far more challenge than reaching the gut. Let's talk about why there is a risk of infection and what can result from it. The injury was a crush injury, so bone was broken, exposing it to greater risk of infection from any old bacterium that might be floating around in the blood and stopping in the fracture hematoma, whether it came from skin or gut or anywhere else. Blood flow in this case is further impeded by the fact that this is a crushing injury to soft tissues, including blood vessels, around, to and from the bone. And no bones except toe bones are further from the heart, with more delicate blood supply -- nor closer to the ground's supply of germs, nor farther from our eyes, which direct conscious attention. If even one toe became infected, that might have resulted in amputation. Toes are not ornaments. They function in balance, stability, strength for walking and running, and that applies more than double to the big toes. Lose them, and you will be shocked by how much you miss them. Now, add that history of difficulty with blood sugar control -- prediabetes, if you will. When a diabetic gets a foot infection, it tends to be a mixture of multiple bacteria, hence the prophylactic use of a general antibiotic. When a diabetic undergoes ampution, even of part of a single toe on only one foot, the risk of further infection and amputation up that lower extremity grows. This leads to what is known as serial amputations. Even if only one lower extremity is initially affected, protecting it so it might heal means putting extra stress on the other lower extremity, and when that starts to undergo serial amputions, it is a steady creep toward an early death. As a residency trained surgical podiatrist who then became a residency trained orthopaedic surgeon, this is why I would have put consideration of the gut microbiome below the risk of foot infection. Sure, I would have kept a keen eye out for C.diff colitis, but in a patient with PCN history, I would have been afraid to risk anaphylaxis, because even if it is so rare for cases in which the history is that old, it is deadly enough that it would kill far faster than C.diff.

The best way to be sure of the efficacy of kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt, etc., is to make your own. It isn't difficult and tastes much better than store bought.

Haven't watched video throught yet. But when I was 16 i got so fed up with my acne. Was breaking down crying etc. I was wanting to use natural treatments but mother wasn't prepared to spend money at the time. She persuaded me to use antibiotics against my instincts. I used them for 2 years straight! My ance inproved but then came back with a vengance. I remember having diorhoea every day whilst on them. Very much wished I was more stubborn. Or used them for shorter period.

I required surgery for two dental absences back in 2021 and was also prescribed Clindamycin. This led to dysbiosis, and two lengthy terms in hospital, having developed Clostridium Difficile. After leaving the hospital, I found I couldn't digest certain types of food, and importantly had to significantly reduce portion size for a year or so due to irritability. If anyone is reading this and has similar problems with a sensitive colon and a compromised gut, supplementing with butyrate capsules proved extremely useful for me. I still supplement to keep my good bacteria fed. My quality of life has improved substantially, largely because of changes in diet and supplementation.

This explains my life! I am 29. In my mid teens, I was repeatedly prescribed antibiotics by my (very well meaning) family doctor. Since than, my gut has been destroyed. Despite having a healthier lifestyle than everyone around me, I struggle with general health. I now know a big focus needs to be on restoring my gut. Engaging new age content from the world's leading experts. You all are saviours. 🙏

My daughter was put on antibiotics for cat scratch fever. I didn’t want to do it but it’s life threatening. I immediately got her on pro/prebiotics. Plus kefir. Sometimes you have to choose the hard things. But with God and prayer she wouldn’t be injured by the antibiotics is the way to go.

Wonderful information …my daughter in law was recently hospitalized and they gave her two rounds in an iv in a weeks time…wish I could remember the diagnosis which was Not discovered initially and just before leaving was actually what she was tested for when she was first hospitalized…a crazy system of cat and mouse where she was …I introduced the fermentation process of sauerkraut as well as the container so she could make her own…luckily I had some going which is a regular in my kitchen..yes it’s late but never TOO LATE to learn more…thank God she loves it and is more than willing coming from a long line of childhood antibiotics with all of their side effects and serious gut problems…thank you for sharing and stay BLESSED!

Most Doctors do not explain the side effects of their prescriptions unless you quiz them.most times i have to google the medication myself and the consequences or now with podcasts like Zoe and other medical professionals who advocate metabolic lifestyle there is hope. Thank you all for your dedication to better health and research.

I'm so blessed by your channel. I was so confused before. I finished my antibiotics last night; I was not sure what to do now because I have had colitis since my colonoscopy on June 10. It's in 2 small parts of my colon. Thank you for this video, I'm ready and hopeful in my journey of clearing my body of antibiotics.