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Medication

Some Medications May Increase COVID-19 Risk
Certain medications could make you more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and could worsen infection. NSAIDs: You may have already heard that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen and aspirin used to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation) may aggravate coronavirus infection. Because these drugs may affect the immune response, they can potentially elongate the infection time […]
PPIs Increase Viral Infection Risk In Winter
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs – acid blocking medications prescribed for reflux and GERD) are linked to increased rates of acute gastroenteritis in the winter months when enteric viruses are at their peak. In a cohort matched study containing 233,596 patients receiving proton pump therapy and 626,887 not receiving the therapy, researchers found that the PPI […]
Lifestyle Alterations Before Meds – Here’s Why
If you’ve read our newsletter in the past, you’re familiar with our motto of lifestyle interventions first and foremost, and medications as a last resort for treating physical ailments. But even we were shocked to find out that older individuals, on average, are on 15 prescription medications each year. A recent New York Times article […]
Medications & Weight Gain Linked
Could your medication be the cause of your weight gain or inability to lose weight? A recent study presented at the United European Gastroenterology week this year found that commonly prescribed medications significantly alter the gut microbiome, increasing the risk of infection, weight gain, obesity, and a host of other diseases and conditions related to […]
An Alternative Treatment For Crohn’s
Annette is a patient born in Argentina who I saw in consultation for Crohn’s disease. Like most people from that part of the world, she received the bacillus Calmette–Guérin, or BCG, vaccine against tuberculosis as a child. Since the vaccine is prepared from a strain of live tuberculosis that has lost its virulence in humans, […]
Heap of red and pink proibiotics capsule on white
Oral antibiotics are tied to colorectal cancer (CRC). Researchers matched over 28,000 patients with CRC found in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database with controls. Results showed that CRC risk depends on antibiotic type and location in the colon, but overall, CRC risk was dose dependent with any antibiotic use. Antibiotics with anti-anaerobic activity, which […]
Leaky Gut Risk Factors
Hilary didn’t have a history of lots of antibiotic use in the past, but she was a picky eater in childhood who avoided fruits and vegetables like the plague. She was now in her thirties and in good health until a case of severe gastroenteritis, with nausea, vomiting, fever, and dehydration led to a five-day […]
Gut Microbes Determine Our Response to Medication…
…and this can really matter when we’re talking about cancer medication. Immunotherapy is a type of drug therapy used to treat cancer that focuses on boosting the immune system. Without the harmful side effects that come with chemotherapy, immunotherapy is the preferred method to treat many cancers today, yet positive response rates to this type […]
Dr Robynne Chutkan
Dr. Chutkan's Newsletter
Read the latest news and research from Dr. Chutkan’s blog. From the most up to date science on the microbiome, to the best in gut-derived wellness – we are your complete guide to gut health! Sign-up now and receive FREE access to the Gutbliss Food Guide, Meal Plan, & Recipes, which includes all the basics on how to eat to optimize your microbial health.