How to heal my gut after antibiotics?

[Wake Up]

I had meningitis and had strong antibiotics for two weeks. My doctor suggested that I eat sauerkraut and pickled vegetables and pickled fruit or natural made real yogurt. They are full of cultures and probiotics. He said the store bought yogurt is not very good and over hyped. It has lots of suger and few live cultures make it from factory to shelve to your home to your stomach. Also the over the counter probiotics and prebiotics in his opinion are not good, unregulated, and too many cons in that business including the big suppliers. I love sauerkraut now but it is expensive in Bangkok. I started eating some pickled Thai foods purchased from the talaat and they make me and my stomach feel great. 

[Bonobojt]

2 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

I know one guy that had that. Sorry stuff. It took him six months to get over it.

I am on antibiotics now, have an ulcer that is nasty and major stomach problems. I have to get a scope yearly now (front and back) to keep an eye on things. 

Stomach bacteria takes a while to come back and kick in after heavy drugs. I have been constipated for several days now, not pass a stool on average for four days when on antibiotics. I have to say, every time I get handed a script, I feel sick as I know what I am going to go through via my stomach.

My wife makes Kimchi. The yogurt here is expensive and just does not cut it Kombucha and Kefir work well. I need to know a supplier of Kefir in Chiang Mai now. Most probiotics do not make it to your stomach intact. My doctor told me they needed to be cold or in an, an extremely hard casing (on once again not in a hot environment) that won't disintegrate on the way down. I tried probiotics from iHerb.

It never made any difference.

In general, my specialist tells me Kimchi, Kombucha, and Kefir with a well-balanced diet of green veggies, three prunes a day and a small serving of red rice is good for your gut. 

I have at least another week of pain a head of me now. I need to find some Kefir.

 

Best of luck

Sorry you have to take antibiotics, yeah Kefir keeps getting mentioned on here, so I'll have to buy some, hard part is buying good quality Kefir with billions of bacteria. 

Thanks for the tips, never thought prunes could help but they are known for cleaning out your intestines, prune juice or prunes, not sure which is more effective. 

[lvr181]

Get rid of your Giardia FIRST!

[DUNROAMIN]

Had problems myself with gut, eat a small tube of yoghurt every night and have a hot ginger drink (Hotta or Ginsing) as well, works for me, also improved my sleeping.

[Mansell]

Take the full seven days of the antibiotic for it to work correctly. How did you get Giardia? Usually from drinking from rivers or lakes.

[lvr181]

There is more 'culture' in the Arctic than in most yoghurts!

[totally thaied up]

Will go do that now

 

So I precisely need to leave it overnight and the next day I just put it in the fridge and can rinse and repeat nightly?

 

If it is simple as that, wow... going to be in yogurt heaven.

 

Your advice is always good. I read up on what you wrote on Lithium a few years ago. I buy it now across the road from Suan Dok and it saves me a packet. I still have to get tested every few months, but I was being so overcharged; it was crazy.

 

Only if I could find cheap Seroquel XR or Risperdal. 

 

Many thanks....

[lvr181]

From: https://www.healthline.com/health/kefir#side-effects

 

Since kefir is safe to consume as a food, it may have fewer side effects than other probiotic supplements. It’s also more nutritionally dense than other probiotic supplements. There is current research that focuses on many other benefits of a healthy gut biome with diverse bacteria.

SUMMARYKefir and yogurt share a lot in common but also have many differences. They differ in consistency, nutrient content, and how they’re made. Kefir is nutrient rich with many vitamins and minerals. It’s also packed with protein and probiotics. Kefir has fewer side effects than other probiotic supplements because it’s a food.

 

 

 

Side effects of kefir

While kefir has plenty of great health benefits, it also has some side effects. These include constipation and abdominal cramping. These side effects are most common when you first start taking kefir.

Kefir is considered to be safe for children between 1 and 5 years of age, but ask their pediatrician first if you have concerns. Children under 1 year of age should not have cows’ milk products, but breast milk is high in natural probiotics.

You should consult your doctor before drinking kefir if you have AIDS or other conditions that weaken the immune system. People with autoimmune diseases should also talk to their doctor before using kefir. While the bacteria in kefir is beneficial for people with strong immune systems, it may increase infections or exacerbations of conditions in those whose immune systems are out of balance.

Kefir is made with caseins, which some people eliminate from their diet. If you have eliminated caseins from your diet, it may be best to skip kefir and try another probiotic instead.

SUMMARYKefir is extremely safe and has very few side effects. The main side effects include constipation and abdominal cramping. You should talk to your doctor before drinking kefir if you have a condition that weakens your immune system.

Do your research about what others are "preaching".

[Different]

Garlic, garlic, garlic.  Also stop alcohol for a week at least.

Good luck

[Sheryl]

22 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Will go do that now

 

So I precisely need to leave it overnight and the next day I just put it in the fridge and can rinse and repeat nightly?

 

If it is simple as that, wow... going to be in yogurt heaven.

 

 

It does not have to be precisely overnight, but overnight will do it. You can also stick it outside during the day and it will be ready even faster. Basically when it has yogurt-like consistency (runny yogurt) it is done

 

Yes, after that refrigerator and you can keep repeating this. Once you have used up the starter yogurt you bought you van use the new yogurt as starter for other yogurt.

[lvr181]

Someone mentioned Turmeric/Curcumin.

 

How much to take to be effective?

 

If you take too much there are side effects.

 

Do you know the doses? If you do not then don't waste your money until you know the facts.

 

Do not buy a product because some online "health practitioner" who wants to sell some product, claims it is good for you. It may help but ascertain what the effective dosage is and what the limits are.

 

 

[Cheesekraft]

Order some proper probiotics from iherb, shelf stable ones 

[Suradit69]

4 hours ago, laislica said:

Ate loads of lightly stir fried veggies using coconut oil not cheap veggie oils.

I was under the impression that coconut oil was pretty low ranked when it came to healthy oils used for cooking or at least it's controversial.

 

Why not Canola or Flaxseed or Olive?

 

Quote

 

Coconut oil, with its sweet smell of the tropics and its purported claims to cure what ails you, is everywhere. People are using it in their shampoos, skin creams, and even in their smoothies and coffee.

 

Chatter spiked even more recently, after a new science advisory from the American Heart Associationrecommended against ingesting coconut oil.

 

The advisory, an analysis of more than 100 published research studies dating as far back as the 1950s, reaffirmed that saturated fats raise LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. Tropical vegetable oils such as coconut oil contain high levels of saturated fats, and the authors reported that coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol in seven controlled trials.

The paper pointed out there are great benefits to replacing saturated fats – such as coconut oil, butter, beef fat or palm oil – with healthier, polyunsaturated fats. Some studies have even suggested that this could help lower cardiovascular disease risk as much as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, the authors noted.

 

https://news.heart.org/saturated-fats-why-all-the-hubbub-over-coconuts/

[Bonobojt]

1 hour ago, lvr181 said:

Someone mentioned Turmeric/Curcumin.

 

How much to take to be effective?

 

If you take too much there are side effects.

 

Do you know the doses? If you do not then don't waste your money until you know the facts.

 

Do not buy a product because some online "health practitioner" who wants to sell some product, claims it is good for you. It may help but ascertain what the effective dosage is and what the limits are.

 

 

I'm not sure about dosge, but I read that you need to take black pepper with it to activate its benefits, maybe you can buy a capsule turmeric supplement that has the right dosage. Or just sprinkle it on your foods like I do with black pepper. Let's say a teaspoon or tablespoon is safe. 

[Bonobojt]

1 hour ago, Different said:

Garlic, garlic, garlic.  Also stop alcohol for a week at least.

Good luck

Yes just brought some organic garlic supplements today, and I regularly use garlic in my dinner 

[Bonobojt]

2 hours ago, Mansell said:

Take the full seven days of the antibiotic for it to work correctly. How did you get Giardia? Usually from drinking from rivers or lakes.

Actually it says in the instructions for the antibiotic that treatment for Giardia is 400mg 3 times a day for 5 days but my doctor gave me 7 days worth of pills, but yes I prefer to finish the dosage but if the side effects are bad then I'll stop or talk to the pharmacist 

[FracturedRabbit]

2 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

Will go do that now

 

So I precisely need to leave it overnight and the next day I just put it in the fridge and can rinse and repeat nightly?

 

If it is simple as that, wow... going to be in yogurt heaven.

 

Your advice is always good. I read up on what you wrote on Lithium a few years ago. I buy it now across the road from Suan Dok and it saves me a packet. I still have to get tested every few months, but I was being so overcharged; it was crazy.

 

Only if I could find cheap Seroquel XR or Risperdal. 

 

Many thanks....

I would expand the instructions slightly.

 

Get a thermometer and heat the milk to 85 degrees, this removes some bacteria that can hinder the process. Let it simmer for around 5 minutes. Allow the milk to cool to about 45 degrees, transfer to a container and then add the yoghurt, no more than about 2 tablespoons are needed. 

 

The yoghurt needs to "cook" at 42 degrees, so put it in the warmest place in your house and cover with a couple of towels to keep it toasty.  I used a big bottle of full fat milk which produced enough yoghurt to last a week, with Yolida as the starter. Tastes great!

[Justfine]

Sauerkraut and kimchi.

[geisha]

Food mart in Jomtien sells kefir.

[whaleboneman]

11 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Foods:

Yogurt (real yogurt not processed sweetened versions)

Kimchi

 

Take probiotics, can get from Lazada:

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?spm=a2o4m.home.search.1.1125719caol2tf&q=probiotics&_keyori=ss&from=suggest_normal&sugg=probiotics_0_1

 

You will note that the products on the above page include some that are lactobacillus and some that are b. longums, both are important probiotics so if you want to cover your bases get both

We are very lucky to have you on this forum. Thanks for all the good advice Sheryl!

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

Kefir, a slightly sour yoghurt, is very good for the stomach in general, I find. I am not sure how easy it is to locate in Thailand, but you can make your own if you can get the raw ingredients.

There is a specific thread on the Health & Medicine sub forum about kefir.

Can be found in Pattaya area at some of the health oriented supplement shops, one being HealtHut. Also, as you say, once you have the culture easy to make your own.

[Doctorbu]

It’s not my specialty but if your immune system is weak and your taking an antibiotic like flagyl, I would worry about secondary infections like c-diff and the such. It can be a downward spiral if you’re not careful about your diet or you are not properly diagnosed. There is a lot of information you can google as I’m sure you probably have. I would look for some sort of GI specialist to make sure you are being properly treated. Good luck! 

 

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2017-06-26/antibiotics-screwed-up-my-gut-now-what?context=amp

[xylophone]

13 hours ago, Mansell said:

How did you get Giardia? Usually from drinking from rivers or lakes.

More to the point...…….did you have shigella and giardia??

 

If so you need to look closely at what and where you eat and drink.

[Bonobojt]

OK so far I've ordered : 

Vsl 3 probiotics 1 month supply 

L glutamine 

Garlic supplement

Olive Leaf Extract 

Wild Oregano Oil soft gels 

 

I'll start taking these supplements after I've completed the antibiotic course. 

 

Forgot to mention that I'm taking a saccharomyces boulardii supplement (like bioflor) along with the antibiotic. 

 

I'm feeling mostly fine, I don't have diarrhoea, my appetite is good, it's just my tummy that's going to take time to heal, it feels off and is making noises every now and then. 

 

I'll also look into antioxidant rich foods to repair and heal any damage. Maybe add some berries to my morning oatmeal, get some green tea

Drink some green juices occasionally.

[Bonobojt]

Guys I just want to mention, I think people should read this book by Dr Robynne Chutkan, an Expert on the gut microbiome 

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398910-the-microbiome-solution

 

Lots of information, I'm reading it at the moment. 

[Different]

15 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

Yes just brought some organic garlic supplements today, and I regularly use garlic in my dinner 

I buy 1 kilograms Langnese German honey, I add 4-5 chopped garlic cloves.   Keep it in fridge for 3 days then start to take 1 full spoon first thing in the morning 20-30 minutes before breakfast.

 

[Bonobojt]

52 minutes ago, Different said:

I buy 1 kilograms Langnese German honey, I add 4-5 chopped garlic cloves.   Keep it in fridge for 3 days then start to take 1 full spoon first thing in the morning 20-30 minutes before breakfast.

 

Why? Any benefits to doing that?? 

[lvr181]

3 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

Why? Any benefits to doing that?? 

I agree - poster should be looking here:

 

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/manuka-honey-medicinal-uses#1  

[Eaglekott]

On 5/11/2018 at 12:30 PM, Bonobojt said:

I've been on antibiotics on other occasions a bunch of times within the last year or two

Dude, I dont know how many times a "Bunch" is, but try to keep your antibiotics intake to a minimum Antibiotics kills your good well needed bacteria with the bad once. You might also be resistant to antibiotics.

[Different]

4 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

Why? Any benefits to doing that?? 

Never been to hospital since I started using it.