Healthnotes Newswire (August 23, 2007)—Treatment with antibiotics frequently causes the unpleasant side effect of diarrhea, most likely because antibiotics disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in a person’s intestines. A new study in the British Medical Journal suggests that drinking a probiotic yogurt drink may help prevent antibiotic-related diarrhea.
Q: I have heard that "bad" bacteria in my stomach may contribute to “weight loss resistance”, so I started taking probiotics (good bacteria). The problem is I continue to gain weight.
"The area that I really am interested in talking more about that’s fascinating and not really well known is this area of gut disbiosis or bacterial overgrowth.
"First of all, our body is made up of cells, but it’s also made up of bacteria. People are often surprised to hear this. And we have more bacteria on our body than we do cells.
"If it’s good bacteria, that’s great. This is our immune defense - our gut’s our big immune defense, so this is good.
"But what happens because of poor diet, because of chronic antibiotic use, because of caffeine or alcohol or stress or low stomach acid that happens due to aging. So you’re hearing all these things and you’re probably going me, me, me. You can start to get too much bad bacteria.
Healthnotes Newswire (June 14, 2007)—While probiotics are usually used to encourage the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine, new research suggests that they can also benefit the stomach, helping people with gastritis and peptic ulcer disease respond better to treatment.
Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that can colonize the stomach, leading to gastritis and peptic ulcer disease in some people. Most people with these conditions are infected with H. pylori.
A combination of two antibiotics and an acid blocker—known as triple therapy—is used to treat gastritis and peptic ulcer disease associated with H. pylori infection. This approach, however, leads to side effects, such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, and has only a modest success rate (about 75%), so the search for other treatments continues.
Healthnotes Newswire (April 5, 2007)—Is your doctor quick to pull out the prescription pad when you come in with a sinus infection? If so, you’re not alone. According to a study in the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, antibiotics are being used too frequently to treat sinus infections, and doctors may not be choosing the most effective drug.
There are two basic types of sinus infections: those that last up to 4 weeks (acute sinusitis) and those that go on for 12 weeks or more (chronic sinusitis). While acute sinusitis is generally caused by an infectious agent—most commonly a virus—chronic sinusitis is usually related to other factors such as frequent upper respiratory infections, smoking, swimming, immune deficiencies, decongestant medication abuse, or anatomical problems like a deviated septum.
Cruising down the beverage aisle, you’ll find a wide variety of bottled water brands in varying shapes and sizes. Some neatly fit into your car’s cup holder. Others have pull-up tops that won’t get lost on the soccer field. The latest wave to hit the shelves is “enhanced” water, which can include flavors, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes.
