Probiotic therapy provides benefits to your health. Antibiotics can kill beneficial as well as harmful bacteria that make you ill. Taking probiotic therapy with antibiotic therapy can provide the benefits of maintaining your digestive tract health and prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea or other complications. Probiotic therapy isn't a quit remedy and has to be taken daily for you to gain the benefits of good bacteria.
Anti-diarrhea
Probiotic therapy can lessen the effects of diarrhea associated with certain antibiotic regimens. According to US Probiotics, using probiotic therapy can decrease the incidence and shorten the duration of diarrhea episodes with antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria, but this also means killing good bacteria found in your digestive tract. Lowering the amount of good bacteria disturbs the balance in your digestive tract, which can lead to stomach distress and diarrhea. Antibiotic therapy doesn't completely wipe out all intestinal bacteria but changes the normal gut function and limits the benefits good bacteria provide. Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are two strains that help restore your normal gut flora faster when taken during your course of antibiotics.
Prevention
Taking probiotics prevents growth of offending bacteria strains that can cause foodborne illnesses and whole-body infections. Specific bacteria strains include E. coli, salmonella, shigella and candida albicans. These bacteria and yeast can attach themselves to your intestinal walls and wreak havoc on your digestive system, eventually spreading to your entire body. Probiotics and disease-causing bacteria compete in your body for nutrients and space in your intestines. Taking probiotics with antibiotics helps maintain the barrier good bacteria provide naturally to protect your health.
Urogenital
Women have been using probiotic therapy and consuming yogurt in an effort to maintain vaginal pH and lessen the frequency of infections. Lactobacilli strains alter the pH of the vagina and create an acidic environment to prevent yeast and bacteria from colonizing, according to the Harvard Medical School Family Medicine Guide. Studies haven't confirmed the usefulness of probiotic therapy in maintaining the urinary tract system.
Decrease Infection Rates
Using probiotics daily can lessen the chance of developing infections. According to US Probiotics, using probiotic therapy as a preventative measure is useful with the growing number of bacteria that are becoming antibiotic-resistant. Probiotics provide a barrier against more virulent bacteria taking hold of your body and causing illness. It's important to balance your body with probiotics and taking antibiotic therapy to maintain the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria.
