My personal philosophy about taking antibiotics stems from advice from doctors that have prescribed me antibiotics in the past. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections that are harmful to an individual’s body. However, according to the mini-lectures from this week’s content, in the process of taking antibiotics, a person’s natural microbiota can be disrupted and certain strains can be almost wiped out. For this reason, I think it’s important for people to have to take antibiotics to also consume probiotics to maintain a healthy gut flora.
Something else that was mentioned in the mini-lectures this week is how, if not taken correctly, antibiotics can cause bacteria to become antibiotic resistant and be unable to be treated with the same antibiotics as before. For this reason, my personal philosophy is that if antibiotics are prescribed to you by a doctor, you should take them as directed and for the amount of time needed to properly clear the infection, not just until you feel better.
