Originally Posted by
sundial
Tony, During the late 60s and early 1970s my GPs were forever prescribing the antibiotic Oxytetracycline for very stubborn acne – in those days it was the recognised and very commonly used remedy. During one very prolonged course when I was taking 250mg oxytetracycline 3x daily for many weeks, I woke up one night feeling as though I was dying - the pain was so severe. Transpired that the long term use of the antibiotic had compromised / destroyed the mucus membrane of my gut. Remedying same took many weeks – requiring copious amounts of antacids. Thereafter I continued to suffer gut problems for years necessitating many hospital out-patient bowel examinations - when the consultants invariably advised, "You have a very thin mucus membrane ..." – which I was already aware of, but in those far off days they offered no real remedy. Remedies for same and preventative measures were not on their radars. The long term use (over years) of oxytetracycline was most likely the main cause of all my subsequent gut problems. Antibiotics can be life-savers – but all too often years ago medical practitioners failed to take into account their short term and long term side effects. The gut's mucus membrane comprises in part, our natural microbiota which collectively form the gut's microbiome, which protects our digestive system and thus prevents, e.g., ulcers. Thus very possible Tony that several courses of antibiotics exacerbated your symptoms by further eroding the mucus membrane. I hope you will soon be a lot better Tony.
EDIT: One alleged remedy for gut microbiota (microbiome) imbalance caused by antibiotics is to take specific types of probiotics, i.e., e.g., live yogurt including kefir type fermented products.
However, the latest research suggests that kefir, kombucha, live yogurts and other live fermented products , should not be taken after courses of antibiotics. To do so risks the surviving live microbes in those fermented drinks / yogurts becoming too dominant in the digestive system – at the expense of other beneficial (but now depleted by the antibiotics) microbiota being compromised / destroyed – thus creating an even worse microbiome imbalance which can further compromise the immune system. After a course of antibiotics, it's far better to achieve a normal microbiome balance by consuming as wide a variety of plant based foods as possible ... which means considering eating the now regularly recommended 30 plus plant foods every week. Those plant based foods all contain prebiotics in the form of e.g., different types of soluble fibres – on which gut microbes 'feed' and thrive. They also contain their own natural probiotics in the form of e.g., a raw fruit's natural microbiome (which is on the fruit's skin) - and which can 'naturally' boost the human body's own microbiome. Variety and diversity is the key and the greater the prebiotic diversity, the greater the resultant diversity of the body's actual microbiota – which form the microbiome and maintain a healthy immune system.
FURTHER EDIT: (because the subject is 'topical'). Visit most supermarkets and you'll see cold cabinets' shelves full of the latest fad foods which the manufacturers' sales and marketing experts and foodie journalists try and convince us are essential to our health and wellbeing. Amongst these are the so called healthy KEFIR fermented products (usually milk based) and whch are allegedly full of a vast range (compared to regular yogurts) of probiotics, i.e. live microbes. However, on inspecting the tubs' and cartons' labels, very few kefir products actually state which types of live microbes are included – but they usually mention something similar to "contains fifteen different live cultures to promote healthy ... " etc etc . Some mention 'thirty' live cultures. Kefir live fermented products appear to be unregulated as regards descriptions of actual ingredients and live cultures (probiotics) therein. Manufacturers are not obliged to mention their 'secrets'. Consumers are bamboozled with claims written by dieticians and foodie journalists regarding the alleged benefits of such products. What the manufacturers and writers and broadcasters do not mention, is that most of the flavoured kefir products (and flavoured yogurts) likely have very few and in many cases, ZERO live microbes present - because the SUGARS in the fruit flavourings destroy the live microbe probiotics. Thus we end up eating dead microbes ... not benefical live microbes / probiotics. Try making a yogurt culture from a 'live' fruit flavoured yogurt or kefir you'll likely not succeed because the original product's live culture has been killed by the sugar. But try making a live culture from a PLAIN live kefir or yogurt and you'll likely succeed – because there is usually no added sugar included in plain unflavoured fermented yogurts / kefirs. However, manufacturers coninue to try and tell us how 'healthy' their fruit flavoured 'live'? fermented products are ... and most consumers appear to believe their sales nonsense.
If you are considering eating any live kefir and yogurt products, the only types likey to contain the beneficial LIVE microbes are the PLAIN varieties.
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