Antibiotic Abuse

You probably know that “superbugs” – those nasty little germs that are resistant to antibiotics – pose a major and ever-increasing threat to our health. They already cause 700,000 deaths a year and the latest estimate is that they’re expected to kill more people than cancer by the year 2050 – unless we do something about it.

So what can we do?

First, only take antibiotics when absolutely necessary and then only to treat bacterial infections – never for a viral infection such as a cold or stomach flu. When you absolutely do need to take them, follow the instructions carefully and finish the entire course – stopping when you feel better only makes those superbugs more resistant.

Watch your diet

Taking prescription antibiotics kills off the bad bacteria that can make you sick, but also destroys your good bacteria as well. So avoiding unnecessary antibiotics makes sense, but your diet is important too.

Probiotics

Probiotics are the “friendly” bacterial flora living inside of our digestive tracts that help us break down our foods and absorb immune-boosting nutrients that feed our cells. In fact, these bacteria (or what are also really types of yeasts and molds) make up a whopping 70 percent to 85 percent of our immune system! This is why a healthier gut environment is associated with less illness.

Natural Probiotics

Taking probiotics and eating probiotic foods such as apple cider vinegar, cultured dairy products (kefir, goat’s or sheep’s milk yogurt or cultured probiotic yogurt), fermented vegetables (sauerkraut and kimchi) and probiotic drinks (kombucha and coconut kefir) help reduce resistant and harmful microbes in your gut while simultaneously rebuilding your gut environment and boosting your immune system by repopulating with friendly bacteria. These things play a vital role in avoiding antibiotic resistance.

Luckily, these healing foods are becoming easier to find in major grocery stores as knowledge about the many benefits of probiotics for gut health gain attention in the mainstream media. Many you can even make yourself with a little time and patience!

Supplementing probiotics

Taking a high-quality probiotic supplement regularly is a good idea, but especially important if you’ve recently been on antibiotics.

Prebiotics

Aside from eating probiotic-rich foods, also make sure to get enough gut-building foods with “prebiotics.” These include things like onions, asparagus, raw chicory root, raw Jerusalem artichokes and dandelion greens. Also try to consume natural antibacterial foods such as onions, mushrooms, turmeric, Manuka honey and raw garlic.