After the biologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, it was considered a cure-all measure. Some time later this genial discovery proved to have harmful effects in addition to its ability to save millions of lives. Antibiotics were accused to damage natural microflora and have side effects. Patients should not withdraw from antibiotic therapy when it is obligatory, but nowadays side effects of antibiotic treatment may be prevented.
Are antibiotics harmful?
The harm of antibiotics is similar to other medications, especially if used without being advised by a physician or pharmacist. As soon as we catch cold, we try to find a “magic pill”. The title of the pharmaceutical group itself suggests that antibiotics kill bacteria or inhibit their growth. However, antibiotics are known to kill not only the cause of the disease but all the beneficial microorganisms, which are especially sensitive to antibiotics as well. It goes without saying that improper intake of antibiotics (too short therapy period or small doses) habituate pathogenic agents to the antibiotics. Next time the same pharmaceutical will not be so effective. Nevertheless, this does not mean that we should withdraw from one of the most important inventions of medical sciences. In certain circumstances antibiotic therapy is essential and we should take every effort to minimize its side effects. By killing pathogens, antibiotics attack beneficial bacteria as well (most of them are located in human intestines). This results in reduced quantities of beneficial bacteria, disturbance of the main intestinal functions, reduced immunity, infections and allergic reactions, diarrhea or constipation. Children are extremely sensitive to antibiotic therapy- their disease-exhausted organism becomes prone to other diseases to be cured by antibiotics. Damaged beneficial microflora causes disbacteriosis (various unpleasant symptoms: diarrhea or constipation, flatulence, intestinal pains or unpleasant feeling in abdominal area). And this is a side effect of antibiotics.
Moreover, even the smallest preventive dose of antibiotics before surgery or odontologic intervention may disturb normal balance of microflora. This system is very complicated: 1 ml of intestinal content contains from 100 thousand to 1 million microbes and 90 percent of them are beneficial bacteria.
*Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, which belong to normal human microflora. They are able to locate in human body and have positive effect on human health.
