Supporting Your Gut Health during Antibiotic Treatment

Recently, my daughter and I were bit by ticks and began having Lyme symptoms. As a GAPS Coach who is also a GAPS person myself, I always prioritize supporting the body as best I can. I am utilizing many tools in my wellness toolbox including the most common conventional treatment for Lyme, which is a course of strong antibiotics. This may seem completely antithetical to all things GAPS, and even cause people to fear that all their progress on GAPS will be destroyed. I am here to say, fear not! I am not a medical doctor, nor am I giving medical advice. In this post I will share what Dr Natasha says in case you find yourself in a situation where antibiotic usage is necessary and what you can do to support your body during and after.

If you have read Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ or Gut and Physiology Syndrome™ by Dr Natasha Campbell McBride, you will gain a good understanding of how the digestive system functions, what it needs to be healthy, and what aspects of our daily life can be helpful or harmful to our overall health. Dr Natasha specifically talks about the overuse of antibiotics and how it alters the state of our gut health even through the generations. Antibiotics don't just target pathogenic bacteria that make us sick, they also wipe out the good bacteria that keep us healthy. If we are not intentional about building up our good bacteria, we can end up in an even worse state. Since 80% of our immune system is located in our gut, it is very important to be aware of the effects of antibiotic usage.

While I am not a huge fan of antibiotics, there are times where they may be necessary and even life-saving. There are some occasions that Dr. Natasha recommends antibiotic treatment such as a Strep infection or a recent tick bite. You can read her thoughts on these topics in the FAQ section of her gaps.me website under the Strep Throat and Lyme Disease headings.

Here are the suggestions she shares there on how to support your body if you find yourself in a situation where antibiotics are necessary:

1) "Take all the essential steps to boost your immunity." For GAPS people: follow the Introduction Diet to repair the gut lining and restore the gut flora. If Intro is too difficult, start with the Full GAPS Diet. Dr Natasha states that "the GAPS diet or the WAPF-type diet will restore your immune system long-term." We do a lot of this through food! Consuming Meat Stock daily is an important part of the GAPS protocol to repair a damaged gut and boost the immune system.

2) Consume a good quality probiotic. She advises to "Open a capsule of a probiotic and pour the powder on your child's tongue after every meal and at bedtime. This will help to populate your child's throat with beneficial bacteria... this will keep streptococci under control and prevent any new infections in the future." Consuming plenty of probiotic foods daily is an important part of the GAPS protocol to build healthy microbes which strengthens our immune response.

The good news is that we can repair damage to our gut with proper foods that support our immunity whether we have had past antibiotic usage or we find ourselves needing antibiotic treatment in the future! The general probiotic guideline I am following for my family during our Lyme treatment is high quality commercial probiotics + probiotic foods: upon waking, before bedtime, and with every meal (at least 2 hours after each dose of antibiotic during treatment.)

The GAPS books are a wonderful resource that outlines how to support healthy digestive health for overall health. I highly recommend you read them and reference them often!

Blessings,

Kyla