Should probiotics be taken while on an antibiotic?

June 19, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am taking ampicillin for an infection in my tooth, three times a day. Should I suspend taking my daily probiotic supplement? Will the ampicillin kill the probiotic bacteria?

DEAR READER: Antibiotics are equal opportunity destroyers. They don’t differentiate between the good and the bad bacteria within our systems. As a result, anyone taking an antibiotic is at an increased risk of developing a yeast infection somewhere in the body. This is because bacteria and yeast help keep the other in check ensuring that one doesn’t grow out of control causing infection.

For that reason alone, many physicians and health care professionals urge anyone on antibiotic therapy to increase his or her intake of yogurt and other cultured dairy [Read more...]

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Help for choosing probiotics

May 26, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: In a recent column in the Monterey County (Calif.) Herald, you suggested a woman try an array of products, including probiotics that might help her overcome flatulence. Would you be kind enough to write a column explaining the uses of probiotics, including the way in which a person would select the appropriate product?

The quantity and range of these products is dizzying and confusing, and the “expertise” is limited, at best. Doctors and other practitioners seldom (in my experience) specify what sort of probiotics to buy and merely suggest that we go to a good health-food store. That is not helpful.
[Read more...]

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