Probiotic vs antibiotic? What’s the difference between the two and how can they be used in tandem? You can guess by their prefix that they serve opposite functions, but somehow both are beneficial to your health and well-being.
Keep reading to find out what each one does and when they should be administered.
What Are Antibiotics?
Antibiotics are a medicine designed to fight bacterial infections. Although penicillin was the first antibiotic and was discovered over a hundred years ago, it is still frequently used today. Antibiotics work by targeting and killing harmful bacteria that enter the body.
You should only take antibiotics when a doctor has prescribed them. Taking antibiotics for viral infections such as a cold, stomach flu, or bronchitis will not help improve your health or prevent you from passing the virus to others.
Self-medicating with antibiotics is not recommended. It can lead to side effects such as nausea, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, and yeast infections.
Overuse of antibiotics can also result in antibiotic resistance when the bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are helpful bacteria that live in every person’s gut (intestines). Probiotics promote nutrient absorption and digestive health by combating constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and lactose intolerance.
Probiotics can be found in fermented food like kombucha, sauerkraut, Greek yogurt, and fresh pickles. You can also find supplements that advertise probiotics. However, because microbial testing (the process of determining the quantity and quality of probiotics) is still being perfected in these supplements, it’s best to use food sources with naturally occurring probiotics.
It’s good to consistently include foods with probiotics in your diet. Ingesting too many probiotic foods at once to make up for lost time can result in painful gas and bloating.
When to Use Both
When you have been prescribed antibiotics, the medicine goes through your system and fights off the infection by targeting bacteria; unfortunately, the antibiotic wins in a round of probiotic vs antibiotic. Antibiotics can’t discriminate between harmful and helpful bacteria, and your gut flora gets caught in the crossfire.
For this reason, it’s important to take probiotics to replace the ones killed off. If you don’t replace those probiotics killed off during a round of antibiotics, you may experience nausea and diarrhea.
Probiotics vs Antibiotics: Working Together
When you look at probiotics vs antibiotics, it’s easy to see why both are important. They may have very opposing functions, but they each help you stay healthy.
So stock up on your favorite yogurt, cheeses, and pickles if you want to promote healthy probiotic growth. Always follow your doctor’s recommendations when it comes to antibiotics.
For more information about how to look and feel your best, check out our health section. We provide you with plenty of helpful advice on living your best.
