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Homeopathy, probiotics and immune defense
- Question
- Hello,
My 3-year-old daughter has antibiotic cures (15 days) with no symptoms other than a cough that you can not get rid of (no Pseudomonas aeruginosa or other bacteria). Pharmacists often advise to take (at the end of the treatment) a cure of probiotics in order to rebalance her intestinal flora.
When I spoke with my general practitioner, he seemed very skeptical. Have studies shown an interest and above all an efficiency for the organism?
Same with Homeopathy: is its "preventive effectiveness" proven, especially before facing the fall?
Thank you for your answers or links.
Cordially - Answer
- Hello,
The frequent use of antibiotics can actually create an imbalance of the intestinal flora, microorganisms playing an important role in the transformation of sugars, amino acids, immune system development, and synthesis of certain vitamins, such as vitamin K.
The use of probiotics (live microorganism, bacteria or yeast, colonizing the intestine, such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus or Saccharomyces boulardii) has been the subject of numerous non-cystic fibrosis studies, which seem to confirm their interest, in particular in treatment of infectious diarrhea and in prevention of diarrhea induced by antibiotic therapies.
The publications in CF patients are recent, and concern small cohorts over short periods of use. The results seem promising on both the digestive and pulmonary levels. They need to be supported by further studies.
About homeopathy: to my knowledge, there are no efficacy studies in CF patients.
Best regards
Dr. Michèle Gérardin - 05.12.2016