Antibiotics

Dr. Martin Blaser, author of the book Missing Microbes, recently penned a thought-provoking editorial in the journal Science, titled, "Antibiotic use and its consequences for the normal microbiome". Dr. Bla...

So much has been written in scientific journals recently about how the loss of microbes in the gut, especially earlier in life, affects the immune system. For example, researcher Marsha Wills-Karp, at the Jo...

I have just finished reviewing what I believe is a seminal research article relating to the gut microbiome. The study, written by researchers in Sweden, is titled The Gut Microbiotia– Masters of Host Develop...

If you’ve been following the microbiome story you are likely aware of the emerging literature that squarely places gut bacteria in a pivotal position as it relates to any number of physiological processes. F...

We Americans seem to be obsessed with hygiene and cleanliness. Whether it’s the hand sanitizer dispenser at the end of virtually every aisle in the grocery store, the plethora of antimicrobial cleaning produ...

Bowel wall permeability, more commonly described these days as “leaky gut,” is now front and center in the news, and is well known as a cause of a large number of common disease entities. The intestinal barr...

Last week, I pointed out the importance of lifestyle changes for health. We discussed that science shows exactly how the choices we make are influential in our health outcomes, which are never set in stone. ...

Frequently, I see members of this community write in with concerns on how taking an antibiotic may be disrupting the balance of their gut microbiome. Certainly, this is a valid concern, as even the word's ro...