Child Health, Antibiotics and Probiotics.

February 1, 2017 admin Naturopathy and Nutrition

Antibiotics or antimicrobial agents are classified as bactericidal (kill bacteria) or bacteriostatic (prevent growth of bacteria). Both types are considered to be therapeutically effective although both types depend on the host organism to eradicate the disease. Many childhood illnesses such as colds, sore throats, upper respiratory tract infections and many cases of otitis (ear infection) start as viral illnesses. A virus is different from a bacteria and consequently is not responsive to antibiotics. Some of the less common, often more serious childhood illnesses associated with bacterial infections include bacterial bronchitis and pneumonia, whooping cough, tonsillitis, suppurative otitis (ear infection with pus) and urinary tract infections. Antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria have the capacity to become our biggest health threat; it is therefore ideal to minimize the use of antibiotics to serious bacterial infections. Many illnesses start as a viral illness and if not resolved may lead to secondary bacterial infections, for example a cold that causes the eustachian tubes (ear canals) to become blocked with mucus provides the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. So the number one trick to reducing your child’s need to use antibiotics is to get onto viral illnesses early with natural remedies and homecare. (1,2)

A helpful attitude to develop towards childhood illness is to see it as a messenger rather than a menace. If our child is frequently experiencing common illnesses such as colds, earaches, sore throats or stomach aches we need to ask ourselves if is there enough rhythm in our child’s life, are they are getting enough rest, are they dressed warmly enough, are their nutritional requirements being met, or do they have an underlying allergy? Initially these seem like simple questions. In todays busy world rhythm and sleep need to be consciously attended to. Children’s jumpers are rarely made of wool and more frequently made from cotton, which draws the heat away from the body, or nylon that causes sweating. Children with gastrointestinal problems or allergies are often fussy eaters or prone to bouts of constipation or diarrhoea which may lead to poor nutrient absorption. Both our physical and emotional health effect and are effected by our gastrointestinal health. (3)

The health of our gastrointestinal tract is dependent on our bowel flora, which is made up of hundreds of bacteria and is therefore vulnerable to antibiotics. Our bowel flora is rather like an unique rainforest that we have inherited from our mother and acquired from the environment we were exposed to in our first year of life. It is currently believed that after the second year bowel flora remains relatively stable for life. If a significant disruption such as poor diet, antibiotic therapy or infectious diarrhoea has occurred to mother’s bowel flora prior to or during conception, or to a child’s bowel flora anytime from birth onwards, an imbalance may have occurred. Like a rain forest if the disrupted environment has lost or has a diminished level of a significant species of tree (in our case commensal/helpful bacteria) and opportunistic weeds (in our case pathogenic/ disease causing bacteria) have become dominant then this may become the stable but less healthy environment. (4)

As we are now a people who have eaten processed food, lived in environments full of chemicals and been exposed to antibiotics for four or more generations, issues with intestinal flora and gastrointestinal mucosa have become very common. Consequently taking care of our bowel flora may require a conscious approach that includes selecting unprocessed foods when ever possible and replacing healthy bacteria after using antibiotics. For children who are experiencing chronic digestive problems, poor immunity or allergies carefully selected probiotics, herbs and/or nutrients and an informed approach to diet may help to bring the intestinal flora back to the state of a beautiful rainforest.

Text References

• Murtagh, Dr J, (2003), General Practice, third edition, McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd.

• http://www.cdc.gov/features/getsmart/, Viewed 06.05.2015, Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Glockler, Dr M, (2003), A Guide to Child Health, third edition, Floris Books, and Edinburgh.

• Campbell-McBride, Dr N, (2010), Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Medinform United Kingdom.

Image

• Physiology for Young People (1884), sourced from Wikicommons 02.02.2017.