Well, this is definitely something that did not surprise me in the least. Researchers are looking at data that is showing people who have been on long term antibiotic treatment for acne with the drug family Tetracycline, and possibly also Accutane and Doxycycline, have an almost double risk of developing bowel diseases. These diseases include serious problems like ulcerative colitis, Chrohns disease, and the most common one found, inflammatory bowel disease.
Of course, there is probably also a higher risk of irritable bowel syndrome as well, although that one was not specifically mentioned in what I heard. The reason that this correlation between acne antibiotics and bowel issues is that antibiotics have long been known to cause imbalance in the intestines and colon in a healthy flora that supports waste elimination called probiotics.
These tiny little organisms are the bacteria that help keep everything running smoothly in the digestive tract. Antibiotics do exactly what they say – they basically kill off probiotics in the digestive system, which leads to problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and discomfort in eliminating, as well as excess gas and bloating, all symptoms of common bowel diseases and disorders.
I was on Tetracycline for years on and off when I was a teenager, and it really messed up my system, I’m convinced. I don’t think that I’d be having the issues with irritable bowel that I do today if I would not have been taking these drugs for so long without taking probiotics. Had I known at the time, I would have considered alternative acne treatments.
But hey, I was a teenaged kid that just wanted to have clear skin. I didn’t really care nor think to ask what the long term implications of being on a drug like this would be. It did work to clear my acne, while I was on it, but as soon as I went off of this antibiotic, my face would flare up again, so it was almost like I had to be on it constantly to get consistent results.
Not only has long term antibiotic use been linked to bowel disease and disorder, but some studies suggest it may be linked to higher rates of breast cancer later in life. This is all a very good reason to seek out natural and herbal alternatives for treating your acne. Drugs may be good for some things, however, you just never know their long term (or sometimes even their short term) effects.
And many natural acne treatments now are so good, that they work just as well, you just have to find the one that works for your skin and your body.
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