Surgical Gastroenterologist shares how antibiotics use disrupts gut-brain communication system

Antibiotics are one of the greatest inventions of humankind which have saved uncountable lives. However they should always be taken with caution and on the advice of a doctor. Dr Dr Siddharth Mishra, Consultant, Surgical Gastroenterology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre says, " As a doctor, I consider antibiotics to be one of the most impressive advances in modern medicine. Antibiotics are life-saving drugs that fight serious bacterial infections. Being a strong weapon, however, they must be respected and used wisely. Each time we take antibiotics, especially repeatedly and over longer periods-what we call chronic use-we are not only affecting their primary "bad bug" that made us sick. In fact, we are carpet-bombing a complex ecosystem living in our bodies, which is called our gut microbiome. This is where the problem begins, and it's not just a matter of an upset stomach." The following is Dr Mishra's, take on how antibiotics impact both gut and brain.

Your Gut is Your "Second Brain"

Your gut and your brain are in constant, deep conversation with each other. They are connected along a physical and chemical superhighway-the gut-brain axis. This is not a one-way street; they talk to each other back and forth, all day and every day.
The "messengers" of this conversation are the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut-the microbiome. Here are some of the critical jobs they do:

• Digestion of food.
• Training your immune system.
• Sending signals to your brain.
• Most surprisingly, helping to produce neurotransmitters.
• For example, more than 90% of your body's serotonin - the "happy chemical" involved in regulating mood, sleep and appetite - is produced in your gut, not your brain.

When your gut is balanced and healthy, it sends calm "everything is fine tone indicators" to your brain.


Antibiotics: The "Static" on The Line

Now, consider what happens when you are on antibiotics, especially for multiple courses of treatment.
Antibiotics are marvelous at killing bacteria, but antibiotics do not have a brain. Antibiotics cannot differentiate between bad bacteria that caused your pneumonia and good bacteria which created your serotonin. That is the collateral damage of taking antibiotics repeatedly.

What happens when these "good" bacteria are wiped out?

• Your "messengers" are gone: Your gut cannot send effective messages to your brain. No more "everything is fine signals," or worse yet, alarm signals instead.
• Bad bugs take over: Now that your gut does not have the good bacteria, more aggressive or inflammatory bacteria or fungi (think yeast) can take over the "empty real estate" in your gut.
• Inflammation increases: This new unbalanced gut dysbiosis can become inflamed. This inflammation in turn sends stress signals into the direct superhighway to your brain. Your brain only recognizes the signals as anxiety or stress.

The Human Effect: More Than Digestion
It is not a theory; it naturally has ramifications on how one feels. When that communication breaks down, my patients often report symptoms they wouldn't normally think to link to their gut: "brain fog," or an inability to focus; continued low mood or depression; newfound or unexplainable anxiety and stress; poor sleep quality. They're not making it up-and actually, their "second brain" is in trouble and sending out an SOS to their "first brain." The point is basic: antibiotics save lives, but they aren't free. We have to stop using them for every sniffle (which was probably a virus in any case). As your physician, my charge is not just to clear you of an infection; it is to preserve your whole system. So let it start here: let's treat with respect the powerful, gentle communication always occurring between your gut and your brain.