Dont Let Your

Sinus Infection
Turn Into a Life
Threatening

http://drangiehealth.com

I often encounter patients with GI

problems after taking antibiotics for
an extended period of time, in
particular after the treatment of a
sinus infection. Most infections are
treated for 3 to 10 days, but sinus
infections are notorious for lingering
on for weeks at a time, despite the
use of powerful antibiotics. In fact,
chronic sinusitis requires treatment
for at least 10 to 14 days, which is
much longer than the treatment
average for other infections such as
urinary tract infections and other

The sinuses are small cavities in the skull that are

filled with air. When the tissue lining of these
cavities becomes inflamed, it causes swelling and
narrowing of the canal, which traps mucus, air,
and bacteria. In turn, this causes pressure, pain,
congestion, and the inability to breathe through
the nose. Sinusitis is a very common problem and
every year it effects over 30 million individuals.

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Modern day medicine has introduced

very powerful broad-spectrum
antibiotics, which are designed to act
against a wide range of diseasecausing bacteria. An example of a
broad-spectrum antibiotic is
Augmentin, the generic name of
which is Amoxicillin/Clavulanate. This
powerful antibiotic has different
indications, but one of the most
useful indications is the treatment of
aggressive or chronic sinus
infections, which require powerful
antibiotics for an extended duration.
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Although broad-spectrum
antibiotics are very powerful and
play an important role in the
treatment of serious chronic
infections, they have serious
potential adverse effects, one of
which is colon infection. The gut
or the intestines are normally
covered with about 100 trillion
microorganisms with important
metabolic activity such as
fermenting unused energy,
preventing the growth of
pathogenic bacteria, and
production of vitamins such as
biotin and Vitamin K. Upon
consumption of antibiotics, the
protective bacteria is eliminated,
leaving the colon susceptible to
infection by pathogenic bacteria
such as Clostridium difficile,
commonly known as C. diff.

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Every year there are about 200,000

new cases of C. diff, which can range
from mild to life threatening. The
bacteria usually overgrows and
produces a toxin that attacks the
lining of the colon, causing
inflammation, which leads to colitis.
Patients with colitis experience
severe abdominal pain, diarrhea,
body stools, and fever. Most of these
patients report having taken
antibiotics within the last three
months of symptom initiation.
Ironically, the treatment ofhttp://drangiehealth.com
C. diff
infection is even more antibiotics.

The first line antibiotic of choice for

the treatment of C. diff is Flagyl, and
the second line therapy is
Vancomycin. These two antibiotics
are generally effective, but due to
recent bacterial resistance, some
patients fail both treatments and
require stool transplantation, which is
the transfer of stool from a healthy
individual into a recipient. Stool
transplantation has a rather
immediate effect and restores the
colonic bacteria, and resolves the
http://drangiehealth.com
infection.

In conclusion, taking
antibiotics to treat various
chronic infections poses a
threat to the natural balance
of gut bacteria and should be
taken seriously. One should
consider taking probiotics
during their course of
antibiotics, plus for another
three months after
completion of antibiotic
therapy.

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Website: http://drangiehealth.com
Dr. Angie Sadeghi, MD
info@drangiehealth.com
949-609-0500

Sources:
http://drangiehealth.com/stomach-pain/d
ont-let-your-sinus-infection-turn-intoa-life-threatening-colon-infection/