Antibiotics: "Like TNT for the body's microbiome" and linked with kidney stones, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects

Since 70 to 80% of the immune system is in the gut, damage to gut health is damage to immune health. Review curated research + alternatives and considerations.

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Evidence of Harm

3. Antimicrobial Resistance, Globally

4. Alternatives & Considerations

5. Context: See how this subject fits in the bigger picture, and get links to related topics

Introduction

Antibiotics include Aminoglycosides, Amoxicillin, Amoxil, Augmentin, Avelox, Azithromycin, Bactrim, Carbapenems, Cephalexin, Cephalosporins, Cipro, Ciprofloxacin, Cleocin, Clavulanate, Clindamycin, Doxycycline, Flagyl, Glycopeptides, Keflex, Levaquin, Levofloxacin, Lincomycins, Macrlides, Metronidazole, Penicillins, Quinolones, Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfonamides, Tetracyclines, Trimethoprim, and Zithromax. [source]

Poor medical practice has led to dire outcomes. Here we’ve curated reports on the effects from decades of irrational over-prescription of antibiotics.

As you review impacts on the gut microbiome, keep in mind that since 70 to 80% of the immune system is in the gut, damage to gut health is damage to immune health.[source]

Over the past forty years there has been an increasing usage of antibiotics including the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for viral infections. Viruses are not susceptible to the killing actions of antibiotics and the use of preventative courses of antibiotics in case of secondary bacterial infections is generally not good medical practice. The widespread prescription of antibiotics is regarded by microbiologists as potentially very dangerous. The development of resistant strains of bacteria to antibiotics is… likely [due to] greater exposure to these chemicals. However, even more sinister in the short-term are the effects that antibiotics have on the health of the individual. Antibiotics are synthetic or xenobiotic chemicals that require detoxification and place a load on the detoxifying mechanisms of the body. Because of their foreign nature, these antibiotics may also stimulate an allergic immune response to them. In doing so, these allergic reactions often spread to include other similar chemicals that appear in the food chain. Antibiotics are also known to induce liver enzymes and thus unnecessarily distress this organ. Probably the most damaging effects of antibiotics — especially the broad spectrum type — are the destruction of the healthy microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract…

– Dr. Ian Brighthope, 1990 link

Evidence of Harm

Dr. Makary says that antibiotics are like TNT for the body’s microbiome, the delicate ecosystem of bacteria in the gut that is vital for digestion, immune function, and even mental health. In particular, overprescription in children has been linked to serious long-term health issues. Makery points to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings that found children who received antibiotics before the age of two were significantly more likely to develop combinations of asthma, obesity, and either atopic dermatitis or ADHD.

- Sheramy Tsai and Dr. Marty Makary link

1. Antibiotics Damage Healthy Gut Microbes and “May Directly Damage Gut Barrier, Increase IBD Risk” — “Often used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, antibiotics may be causing the very condition that they are prescribed to heal.” See also: The Alarming Rise of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Among US Youth; Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is another name for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which are serious autoimmune diseases. “Antibiotic overuse significantly increases IBD risk, with individuals receiving five or more antibiotic prescriptions experiencing a 236% higher likelihood of developing the condition… Strategic approaches to gut health include eliminating mitochondrial toxins, supporting beneficial bacteria through targeted supplementation and maintaining optimal vitamin D levels.” See also: Protecting Your Gut Health While Taking Antibiotics “Probiotics can be instrumental in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea and offsetting damage caused by the death of healthy microbes due to antibiotic use, sometimes called dysbiosis. These changes in our gut flora—both in the species present and in the population sizes of various species—could also lead to a variety of diseases.” See also: They Lied to Us; “Does your gut microbiome ever recover from antibiotics? If you understood what antibiotics really do to gut health, you might think twice about taking them.”

2. “Life-Threatening Skin Reactions Linked to Commonly Prescribed Antibiotics” — “According to a large, two-decade-long study of older adults, commonly prescribed oral antibiotics are linked to skin reactions known as cutaneous adverse drug reactions (cADRs), which can be life-threatening…. Authors… said the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)… ‘underscores the importance of judicious prescribing, with preferential use of antibiotics associated with a lower risk…'”

3. “Antibiotics Fuel Kidney Stones by Skewing Microbiome Balance” — “Antibiotics disrupt your kidney’s microbiota, reducing beneficial Lactobacillus species and promoting the growth of harmful Enterobacteriaceae, which are linked to kidney stone formation.”

4. A Number of Antibiotics Were Found in a Study by UPenn to be Among the “17 Drugs Most Potentially Toxic to the Liver” — “A new method enabled researchers to more accurately determine the potential hepatotoxicity of various drugs.”

5. Preconception Antibiotic Exposure Linked with Infertility, Miscarriage, and Birth Defects — “A systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that preconception exposure to certain antibiotic classes increases the risk of infertility, miscarriage, and congenital anomalies, researchers reported last week in eClinicalMedicine.“

6. Over-Prescription of Antibiotics Causes “Substantial Harm” — “We…[reviewed] 51 million patient encounters… From our analysis, 62% of the population received antibiotics [for an acute upper respiratory infection]… We find substantial iatrogenic harm [harm caused by doctors] associated with prescribing antibiotics in acute upper respiratory tract infection [runny nose, cough, sore throat].” This study confirms yet again that unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics contribute to antibiotic resistance, while also showing significant harm, with one in 300 antibiotic prescriptions leading to significant adverse effects (including hospitalization and death). Commenting on the study, functional medicine practitioner Chris Kresser noted, “Antibiotics are overprescribed in 50% of upper respiratory infections, which are often caused by viruses and would thus not respond to antibiotics. While antibiotics are sometimes necessary and life-saving, we need to be smart about how we use them—or we risk them losing their effectiveness or causing severe side effects, including death. See my article Antibiotics: Risks and Alternatives for more on this topic.” See also: Not Just Cholesterol: 4 Health Myths That Persist Despite Evidence, Says Johns Hopkins Professor; “… overuse has led to unintended consequences. Makary says that antibiotics are like TNT for the body’s microbiome, the delicate ecosystem of bacteria in the gut that is vital for digestion, immune function, and even mental health. In particular, overprescription in children has been linked to serious long-term health issues. Makery points to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings that found children who received antibiotics before the age of two were significantly more likely to develop combinations of asthma, obesity, and either atopic dermatitis or ADHD.”

7. Because Antibiotics Damage the Health of the Gut Microbiome, Actions are Required to Restore and Protect this Vital Component of the Immune System — “I take great pride in cultivating a rich and diverse gut microbiome. So when I received the news that a round of antibiotics was the best path forward for a recent health concern, I knew it was time to double down on tactics to protect my microbiome from the impending storm. Because while necessary and life-saving in some cases, antibiotics can wreak havoc on gut health by killing off both bad and good bacteria. Luckily, several science-backed dietary changes can help support gut health during and after a round of them.” See also: Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain for Life; “The [gut]… represents 70 to 80 percent of your body’s total immune system.”

8. Antimicrobial Resistance Due to Overuse of Antibiotics Causing Deaths — “The Lancet has forecast that 39.1 million deaths will be directly caused by antimicrobial resistance between 2025 and 2050. “When antibiotics were first marketed, they were a game-changer in treating infectious disease, saving countless lives. Yet, over time, bacterial strains have increasingly mutated, so they are no longer susceptible to the drugs’ eradicating effects,” West writes. Antibiotic overuse also impacts quality of life. A recent animal study I reported on showed how antibiotics may directly erode the mucosal barrier of the intestinal wall. The study supports existing evidence of how antibiotics are linked to chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease.” See also: Antibiotic emergency ‘could claim 40 million lives in next 25 years’; “Medical misuse of antibiotics is not the only route by which resistance spreads…. About 70% of all antibiotics are given to livestock, creating a pool of animals in which resistance can evolve… “If you’ve got intensive farming where a lot of antibiotics are used or a busy hospital that has a poor sewage system, resistant bacteria can get into waterways,” added Davies. “Winds blow over these patches of contaminated land or water and pick up bacteria and genes with resistance in them, then let them rain down in other places.'”

Antimicrobial Resistance, Globally

1. “Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a Major Global Concern” — “AMR is a major global concern as more and more pathogens become resistant — even to last ditch antimicrobials.”

2. “The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.” [World Health Organization] — “AMR is one of the top global public health and development threats. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.” See also: Deaths From Drug-Resistant Infections Set to Spike by 2050, New Report Warns; “Lack of prevention strategies and new drug development along with overuse of antibiotics are factors in the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.”

3. “Common infections will kill millions if drug resistance through misuse of antibiotics is not curbed, says England’s ex-chief medical officer” — “AMR means that some infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can no longer be treated with available medicines. Exposure to drugs allows the bugs to evolve the ability to resist them, and overuse of drugs such as antibiotics accelerates that process.”

4. “Superbugs… [are] strains of bacteria or pathogens that have become resistant to antibiotics” — “Superbugs directly cause some 7,600 U.K. deaths each year and contribute to around 35,200 more.”

Alternatives & Considerations

1. “Colloidal silver, a suspension of silver particles in water, has broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties against bacteria and viruses, including antibiotic-resistant strains, making it a good alternative to conventional antibiotic treatments.” — “Studies have demonstrated colloidal silver’s effectiveness in eradicating bacterial biofilms, combating multidrug-resistant bacteria and inhibiting viruses like influenza and HIV Colloidal silver disrupts bacterial functions by releasing silver ions that bind to proteins and enzymes on bacterial cell surfaces, impairing essential functions and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage the cells.”

2. “Zinc May Help Combat Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria: Study” — “The scale of the AMR crisis is substantial. Nearly 3 million Americans are diagnosed with AMR infections annually, according to the CDC… The study highlights zinc’s role in preventing the transfer of AMR plasmids—circular DNA molecules that carry antibiotic-resistance genes—between bacteria.”

3. “Bee Propolis has a wide range of antibacterial properties. It is also has anti-fungal and anti-viral powers.” — “In one animal study, applying a propolis solution to wounds helped speed healing in diabetic rats. In children, propolis has been found to: Prevent respiratory tract infections; Remedy symptoms of the common cold; Prevent middle ear infections.”

4. “Lab tests have shown Manuka honey to be a powerful inhibitor of bacteria that develop on medical devices such as catheters, of which 100 million are sold worldwide every year.” — “Manuka honey (scientific name Leptospermum scoparium)… [has] been used for millennia as a remedy for inflammation and bacterial infections… A study at the University of Southampton in the U.K. reported that the honey from Down Under could be useful for decreasing the risk of infections and helping to prevent pathogenic bacterial colonies known as biofilm from developing on catheters and other medical devices… Manuka honey has proven to be powerful against E. coli, even when diluted to 3.3%. Unlike other “therapeutic” compounds doctors prescribe, bacteria have not yet developed a resistance to Manuka honey.”

5. “15 Natural Antibiotic Alternatives” — “Are you looking for natural antibiotic alternatives that will fight off the nasty bugs without destroying your immune system in the process? Be sure to check out “The Miracle of Garlic”… which explains how garlic can be used to fight common infections. But garlic isn’t the only natural antibiotic available. I’ve put together this list of 15 natural antibiotic alternatives you can try if you need to boost your immune function, eliminate infection, or recover from an illness.”

Context, Organized Curation

This article is part of a vast resource curation centered on the corruption and betrayal of establishment medicine. See here for the entire collation, or select links below to focus on an individual subject.

The subject matter above is an excerpt from Cause of Harm. Antibiotics are one of multiple types of tests and drugs covered there.

1. Failed Health Outcomes — The U.S. spends nearly twice the per-capita amount on healthcare than the next highest spender, yet Americans are the most chronically ill, and rank 48th in life expectancy, among other countries. In addition, medical misdiagnosis causes permanent harm and death to 795,000 people every year.

2. Verifiably Corrupt — Establishment medicine as a system* is verifiably corrupt, and structured to serve the interests of industry — not health. (*Obviously, not every individual working in establishment medicine is unethical. Rather, the system that educated / indoctrinated them, and that sets policy, hires, pays, and promotes them is verifiably corrupted.)

3. Not Evidence/Science-Based — The bulk of establishment medicine’s standard of care is not based on unbiased, reproducible science. (We prove it here.)

4. Regulatory & Professional Betrayal — Government agencies entrusted to regulate the field of medicine fail to do so. The majority of influential professional organizations such as the American Medical Association are corrupted by industry.

5. Cause of Harm: Evidence by Drug, Treatment, and Test — Establishment medicine providers routinely utilize diagnostic testing and “treatments” that have harmful (“adverse”, “side”) effects, some of which have a high risk of severe consequences. Get verifiable evidence of the harms, organized by drug, treatment, or test (mammograms, CT scans, antibiotics, statins, benzos, etc).

6. Drug & Vaccine Harms: Organized by Illness or Symptom — Review an illness or symptom of interest, and quickly identify drugs and vaccines that may have caused it (e.g. depression, infertility, kidney issues, nervous system disorder, seizure, etc).

7. Failed Strategies; Suppressing Symptoms vs. Resolving Cause — The philosophies and strategies used by establishment medicine are dysfunctional and irrational, including a focus on suppressing symptoms rather than understanding them. Providers do not seek to identify and resolve root causes of illness. Diagnosis is simply an exercise in naming groupings of symptoms, disconnected from their purpose and message.

8. Stifling Treatments That Don’t Enrich Industry — Healing modalities that don’t benefit industry are underutilized, suppressed, disparaged and attacked. Providers who are perceived as a threat to establishment dictates are intimidated and condemned.

9. Suppressed Cancer Treatments — Cancer treatments that don’t benefit establishment medicine are ignored and disparaged. This curation of more than 150 clinical studies and testimonials provides quick access to documented cancer reversal and recovery successes.

10. The Significance of Legal Precedent — Legal precedent, breach of duty, and “standard of care” are significant factors in the state of the medical industry.

11. Alternatives & Considerations — Alternatives, considerations, and what you can do.