A very interesting study has been published that shows that it takes a month for your gut flora to recover from antibiotic treatment, and up to 6 months for a full recovery to the pre-antibiotic state. Our current culture has doctors prescribing antibiotics at a whim (eg, for the common cold, which is caused by a virus), everyone using antibacterial hand soap (hint: soap kills most germs without added antibacterial agents), a new craze for sanitizing every surface in the house with bleach, and paranoia about children getting dirty or sick (eg, vaccinations for the non-lethal chicken pox). On the … Continue reading Effects of Antibiotics on Good Bacteria