Should I Take Antibiotics?

As a wee child, from ages 2-4, my poor tiny urinary tract became infected more times than I can count. And during each of these UTI’s I was put on antibiotics. Throughout my childhood, a few times every year, my sister and I would come down with strep throat. Again with the antibiotics. And throughout my 20’s and 30’s, those nasty UTI’s (and even a few kidney infections) came back with a vengeance. I have many patients with similar stories, though sometimes it’s more about sinus or ear infections, or even infections in the lungs (like pneumonia) or intestines (c. diff or food poisoning, for example).

In the last 80 or so years since modern antibiotics have been widely available, the entire medical landscape has changed. Antibiotics were heralded as nothing short of a miracle, as diseases that were regularly killing people could now be eradicated by a simple pill. But it wasn’t long before some of the negative side effects arose. The long term effects of antibiotics on our microbiome. Antibiotic resistance. The overuse of these drugs, and the subsequent seepage into our water and food chain. We’ve now reached a place where new antibiotics need to be developed regularly in order for them to continue working, yet the amount of money it costs to develop new antibiotics is more than the company can make selling them.

There’s no doubt that having access to effective antibiotics when we really need them is lifesaving. But how do you know when you really need them? How can we safely minimize our use of antibiotics, both for our own personal health, and also for the health of our communities and planet?

The answer to these questions is twofold. First, do what you can to get and stay healthy, which strengthens your immune system in the process. The second is to have an arsenal of anti-microbial herbs that can be used as a first line of defense against pathogens that do make it in. If you’ve tried both these options and the bacteria wins, it’s time for the pharmaceutical antibiotics.

She So Basic

The better your overall health is, the stronger your immune system. As the first line of defense against pathogens, the strength of your immune system is directly related to how often you get sick. Yes, the virulence of a pathogen can also affect transmission, but if you’ve ever been around someone who’s sick and not caught it (or vice-versa), you’ve seen this phenomenon in action.

This is one reason it’s so important to take care of yourself. If you’re in fairly good health you can stay that way by tweaking your 4 pillars of health. They are a clean diet, moderate movement, restorative sleep, and stress management. We could go into depth on each of these (and have elsewhere on this site), but that’s not really what we’re here to talk about today.

However, I think it’s important to hit a few of the basics that tie directly into the immune system. When it comes to diet and the immune system, the more anti-inflammatory the better. When you eat things like processed foods and sugars, this causes an inflammatory process in the body. This inflammation is a reaction of your immune system. While it’s busy responding to the all that crap in your diet, it misses the actual enemies invading your body. This logic spills into drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes as well.

Exercise and movement, and the hormone responses that come with it, have a direct effect on the immune system as well. Moderate movement, like hiking, gardening, gentle yoga, etc., relax your nervous system, balance hormones (like cortisol) and enhance immunity. But intense exercise, working out too long, too hard, or too often, has the opposite effect. This actually raises adrenaline and cortisol levels, which in turn lowers immune function. If you’ve ever pushed your body hard for a while, like preparing for a marathon or a big game, you may have noticed that you got run down and sick afterwards. If you feel the need for intense exercise, maybe for mental health or weight loss, be sure to get plenty of rest, build in recovery days, and alternate with more gentle movement.

And if your health is less than ideal, it’s a great idea to see a natural health practitioner, like an acupuncturist, nutritionist, or naturopath, to address underlying issues that could compromise your immunity.

Bang, Bang, You’re Dead 

And sometimes, despite our best efforts, we get sick anyways. Best not to beat yourself up about it (all that extra stress will just make things worse). Plus – this is what herbs are for! The experiences I’ve had with herbal anti-microbials have been some of the most gratifying work I’ve done with herbs. It’s amazing to see such strong, quick acting effects; it’s enough to convince any herb skeptic that these are for real.

In Chinese herbal medicine, herbs are almost never used individually. Instead, they are combined into formulas to create a synergistic effect. Each formula below combines anti-viral or anti-bacterial herbs with ones that guide to certain places in the body, herbs that strengthen your body’s immune response, as well as others that balance the formula and mitigate symptoms. And since these herbs contain multiple anti-microbial substances, there’s much less likelihood of antibiotic resistance or side effects.

Each of the herbal formulas listed here is available as “patent” medicine, which means that it’s sold in pill form (I know, super confusing use of the word patent, it does not mean that the formula is patented). In China, these patents are sold over the counter, so they are very safe to take as long as you source them well. Mayway and Blue Poppy are a few brands you can find here in the states that are good quality.

It’s important to begin taking these as soon as possible when you feel a little off. It’s helpful to have them on hand if you know you’re prone towards a certain infection, so that you can start immediately. In most cases, follow the dosing on the bottle. Since it’s an acute situation, you can take the herbs more often throughout the day, say 3-5 times instead of 2-3 as the bottle might say. After the first few days, once you’re feeling a little better, go back down to the 2-3x a day, and continue for a week after all symptoms are gone.

The Goods

Yin Qiao San 

This quintessential formula is the first many herbalists go to for colds and flus. It targets viral infections in nose, throat and lungs. There are a few herbs for cough, some for sore throat, and more to activate your immune system. The only formula on the list that’s specifically for what we call “Wind-Heat”, with more viral symptoms as opposed to bacterial.

Ba Zheng San

Frequent, burning urination, an itchy feeling “down there”, pelvic pressure? Sounds like you’re dealing with a urinary tract infection (UTI). Ba Zheng San is a boss at clearing infections from the urinary tract. The trick is to start taking it as soon as you feel any kind of a tickle, and take it up to 6 times a day for the first few days. Once symptoms are manageable, you can go back down to the recommended dosage.

Cang Er Zi San

If you’re the kind of person that gets stuffed up easily, and have a tendency towards sinus infections, you’re gonna want to keep this one on hand at all times. Each herb in the formula directs clearing, drying and antimicrobial healing right into the nose and sinuses. You can start taking it as soon as you see any yellow mucus, the sooner the better.

Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin

This formula is for those times your throat is on fire! It could be strep throat, tonsillitis, or any infection in the general vicinity. There are herbs in here to clear the infection, to soothe dryness, bring down swelling and inflammation, and cool the feelings of heat in the head and neck. 

Long Dan Xie Gan Tang 

What do an ear infection, a shingles outbreak, gallbladder inflammation, pink eye, and vaginal discharge have in common? They can all be treated with this formula! A wide range of symptoms, I know, but the thing that ties them all together is that they are caused by what we call Damp Heat in the Liver and Gallbladder channels. These channels go along the sides of the body, and also to the genitals. So any infection in these areas, especially if there is redness, heat, swelling, or some kind of yellowish pus or discharge, is a perfect fit for these herbs.

Huang Lian Jie Du Tang 

The final formula on this list, Huang Lian Jie Du Tang is a strong, all-purpose anti-bacterial formula. Classically it treats the “stomach flu”, with smelly, burning, possibly mucous-y diarrhea. However, if you have symptoms that include redness, swelling, fever, yellow pus or discharge, acute inflammation (any diagnosis that ends in -itis), you can use this formula. Think of it for gastrointestinal infections, or for any infection that’s not otherwise included in this list.

I want to stress again that while these herbs are effective, quick acting, and less disruptive to your system than pharmaceutical antibiotics, using them doesn’t guarantee that you’ll always be able to avoid taking antibiotics. If you use them for 1-2 days and your symptoms continue to get worse, please just go see your doctor. After all, there’s a reason these drugs exist, and there’s no shame in using them when you really need them.

Author:

Dr. Elizabeth Williams, DACM, LAc, is an acupuncturist, herbalist, and Doctor of Chinese medicine. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Movement, an online community of women dedicated to improving their health naturally. Her work includes reproductive health, gut imbalances, mental health, complex chronic illness, and the ways these interact uniquely in each individual.