BiotiQuest® Gut Health & Probiotics Blog with Martha Carlin

Every year nearly 15 million Americans undergo a surgical procedure. Surgery is a dramatic transformation for anyone's body, so taking steps to prepare and recover properly will ensure you reap only the benefits of a surgical procedure and hopefully none of the common complications. Probiotics are essential to rebuilding the microbiome, which can especially be impacted by antibiotics commonly administered with surgery aftercare. They also help boost immunity and reduce the risk of infection.

Before understanding the link between probiotics and surgery, it is essential to understand what probiotics are.

Probiotics are live microorganisms introduced to the body that can help restore the gut flora, and in turn benefit your entire body. The overall bacteria in the body is known as the human microbiome, which consists of both good bacteria and bad bacteria. You want to maximize and balance the good bacteria, and minimize the bad, in order to feel your best and reduce the risk for chronic disease.

Surgery and medications often invite more bad bacteria while disrupting the good. This can cause long-term immune damage and health imbalances. It is easier for the gut microbiome to bounce back from some antibiotics than others. Dr, Martin Blaser showed in his research that the gut microbiome never fully recovers from a dose of macrolide antibiotics. It is permanently changed.

Your lifestyle of diet, exercise, stress, and supplements your body experiences before surgery can all impact your recovery. The goal of taking probiotics before surgery is to support the good bacteria in your gut.

Taking probiotics before surgery has many benefits:

• Reduces risk of infection
• Minimizes damage of medications and antibiotics
• Build beneficial bacteria in the gut

Taking probiotics before surgery can support your immune system and help your body recover much faster, since immune health is shaped by the condition of your gut microbiome. Our Ideal Immunity probiotic is specifically designed to increase the production of butyrate to protect the gut lining, fortify mucosal surfaces and adjust pH to give your immune system the boost it’s craving. It targets the way the gut microbiome interacts with the immune system, and increases the production of butyrate, which has been shown to protect the gut lining!

Can You Take Probiotics Before Surgery?

While you always should consult with your doctor about any supplements you plan to take before surgery, probiotics have not only been proven safe but they've also been shown to help people feel stronger and recover easier after their procedures. Many doctors are now recommending that patients take probiotics before surgery to strengthen their immune system.

Do You Have to Stop Taking Probiotics Before Surgery?

Unless your probiotic increases the chance of bleeding due to added ingredients, there is no need to stop probiotics before a surgery. Look for a probiotic with mixed, integrated bacteria strains that work together. You can read more about why unique strains are important here.

The stress of surgery, in addition to antibiotics, can shift the gut flora. Your recovery is challenging enough. You can make it easier with a powerful probiotic that will help rebalance your bacteria.

How Can I Restore My Gut After Surgery?

After a surgery, you’re particularly vulnerable and bad bacteria can sense the stress in the body. This is why your body is so susceptible to infection or sickness after surgery.

To prevent bad bacterial invasion, take a probiotic. But not all probiotics are right for post surgery. Formulas that are high in Lactic acid producing bacteria without a counter balance can actually make it harder to restore your gut. Probiotics can harmonize the bacteria in your gut if you have a formula designed specifically to restore balanced pH and balance flora. This will help replenish the good bacteria and get you back on track.

Can I Take Probiotics After Surgery?

Probiotics can be extremely beneficial after surgery if you take the right formula because they can reduce the chance of complications and illness. In fact, in a study on post-surgical complications, 46% of patients faced complications versus 14% of those on probiotics. Make sure to be consistent with probiotics before and after surgery.

How Long Does It Take To Repopulate the Gut With Good Bacteria?

Repopulation depends on your lifestyle before and after surgery. Generally rebalancing the gut after surgery takes a few months with a focus on gut supporting healthy foods and limited processed foods. However, it can happen faster if you consume probiotics before your surgery and make sure your diet is healthy before and after surgery.

Are Probiotics Any Benefit After Colon Surgery?

Your colon is part of your gastrointestinal (GI) system. Colon surgery impacts your digestion, bowel movements, and abdominal symptoms. Probiotics are essential to help rebuild a healthy GI environment but you will want to consult your surgeon about the timing of adding your probiotic supplement after colon surgery. .

Because the body is depleted and weak after surgery, it is important to find a gentle probiotic formula. Many probiotics are stuffed with preservatives, coloring agents, artificial flavors, or fillers that cause more harm, like silica. Our Antibiotic Antidote is specifically designed to be gentle and easy-to-absorb, making it the best probiotic after antibiotics have been taken. It enables friendly bacteria to flourish again as your body rebuilds its ecosystem and you begin to feel better.

What Is an Antibiotic Antidote?

Sometimes you need to take antibiotics per doctor's orders. After a surgery, antibiotics are used to prevent infection. But they are not without their side effects.

Antibiotics can wreak havoc on your gut. Being proactive with a probiotic is the best step to minimizing these side effects:

• Destruction of good bacteria in the gut
• Autoimmune complications
• Compromise immune system
• Gastrointestinal upset
• Skin irritation
• Upset brain function

Antibiotic Antidote balances the pH in the gut and has eight probiotic bacteria strains. These strains help the body by:

• Producing healthy metabolites
• Rebuilding gut ecosystem
• Fighting against free radicals generated from antibiotics
• Reducing pathogens
• Strengthening mucosal immunity
• Reducing cellular inflammation

Even months after your surgery, your body will benefit from probiotics. Make sure to continue taking a daily probiotic for your best health.

Do Probiotics Help Wound Healing?

Probiotics support glucose homeostasis and reduce inflammation. Both of these factors help support healthy and accelerated wound recovery.

The oral microbiome contains the largest concentration of bacteria after the gut. There are over 700 species of bacteria in the oral cavity. Dentists often recommend antibiotic treatment prior to dental procedures, particularly for patients with certain heart risks.

Antibiotic Antidote is designed to support the microbiome in the gut and oral cavity after antibiotics. It strengthens mucosal immunity with muramyl dipeptides and balanced pH to restore a balanced flora.

Your oral microbiome is directly connected to your systemic body functions. If it is out of balance, it can impact other areas of the body. Taking probiotics may offset the negative impacts of antibiotics on your good oral bacteria.

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By taking a probiotic that produces antibacterial compounds, you can reduce the risk for cavities, inhibit the growth of pathogens and bad bacteria, alter pH, and change the quality of your saliva to improve remineralization of enamel. L. reuteri specifically has been shown to decrease gum bleeding and improve symptoms of gingivitis.

Taking a probiotic such as Antibiotic Antidote before surgery can help prep your body, while continuing probiotics after surgery eases your recovery and reverses damage caused by antibiotics.

It is specially formulated to support restoration of the gute caused by harsh antibiotics. Even outside of surgery prep and aftercare taking a daily probiotic can help with:

• Digestion
• Weight loss
• Bloating
• Skin health
• Dental microbiome
• Mood and anxiety
• General gut health

The benefits of probiotics make them worth incorporating into your daily routine! The market is saturated with probiotic brands. But they are not all created equal.

Check out this video to learn more about what sets BiotiQuest apart.