Troubles after Antibiotics

IN BRIEF

A mother and child both suffer various problems after antibiotic use and are both greatly relieved with a homeopathic remedy made from antibiotics called Polyantibioticum. Mother develops achilles tendon rupture, child shows neurodevelopmental changes months later. 

By Anke Zimmermann, ND, FCAH

A Mother and Son Affected by Antibiotics

This is a real case but names have been changed to protect the individuals' privacy. ​

Michael was eight months old when I first met him on March 6, 2014. His mother whom I shall call Leslie, brought him in for some teething trouble and preventative health care. Then a dramatic story unfolded.

During the pregnancy the family encountered unexpected problems which forced the mother to work 7 days a week. She started to swell with water retention in her 8th month and developed a bacterial vaginal infection, which was treated with Amoxicillin.
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Due to the antibiotic she then developed a severe yeast infection about 6-7 days before her due date which caused blistering of the vulva. The midwife thought it was herpes and advised a C-section which was subsequently carried out although the mother was not in favour and no known history of herpes.

Antibiotics during pregnancy and labour

Then she again received antibiotics during the C-section. The baby developed jaundice and both remained in the hospital for five days. The doctors kept testing the baby’s blood which also was very stressful for the mother. She barely got any sleep as the nurses kept waking her up at night to take her vitals.

The mother felt that she was pressured into an unnecessary C-section. This surgery created a lot of stress and she developed complications, including an allergic reaction to the stitches, which also did not dissolve properly. This interfered with proper wound healing and created continued pain.
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Overall she experienced the birth process as a horrible and very traumatic experience.

Achilles Tendon Rupture due to Antibiotics

13 weeks after the birth Leslie ruptured her left Achilles tendon, a known side effect of some antibiotics. The right Achilles tendon was also affected, but just with weakness. She explained that the rupture happened when she was engaging in high impact exercise but she had engaged in this kind of exercise previously.

Not wanting to blame everything on the antibiotics she also pointed out that she had gained 80 lbs. Both of these may have been contributing factors, however, I have seen other patients with tendon ruptures after antibiotics who did not have these co-factors. She was wearing a protective boot-cast on her left foot and lower leg when I saw her.

Assessment: Left Achilles tendon rupture and right Achilles tendon weakening, likely due to Antibiotics.
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Plan: Polyantibioticum 200CH for mother and some homeopathic teething drops for the baby.

Detox Reaction

The following day I received this email: “Five hours after the Poly-Ab I felt as if my whole throat was burning, like a sensation of stinging nettles. I also had a strange sensation in my tonsil area, as if fiberglass shards were coming out of them. I felt exhausted by evening.

​I feel better today, calmer, and my tendon seems to be slightly more flexible and slightly less sore after my usual morning activities than yesterday. Could it be that antibiotics create micro-tears in our tissues?”

Antibiotics and micro-tears in tissues

I googled it then (yes, I also look things up) and it seems that she was correct and that various antibiotics, especially Flouroquinolones, including Cipro, can indeed create micro tears in various tissues. They can also cause mitochondrial damage. In her case other antibiotics were involved, which is of special interest. Fluoroquinolones already carry a black-box warning that they can cause achilles tendon rupture. Other antibiotics are suspected as well. 
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Plan: Poly-Ab 200CH once a week for three weeks.

FU March 27/14 - two weeks later

Every time Leslie took the Poly-Ab she experienced a reaction, including a sensation as if chlorine was coming out of her throat. With the 4th dose she could not stop crying for three days.

Now she is feeling a lot better. Her tendon feels exceptionally better, a lot stronger. She is starting to feel more normal all around, like she did before 36 weeks of gestation.

Assessment: Good result with detoxification and improvement
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Plan: Poly-Ab 10M, 2 pellets once a week for three weeks. Poly-Ab 30CH, 2 pellets once a week for two weeks for baby Michael.

More Antibiotic Detox for Mother and Baby

Email next day: “This is a harsh reminder of how we must be so careful of what and when we put these pharmaceuticals into our bodies.”

“After the remedy Michael became increasingly hyperactive and frantic and was startled to tears by the rustling of a plastic bag. He kept clawing at the back of his head and his eyes became quite red, glassy and puffy for a number of hours. They are better this morning but he still has some residual effects.”

“I was intensely affected as well. I felt a wave of a sensation of hot sauce, but without the heat, coming up in my throat. It felt like chemicals and it was suffocating. After that I felt a lot of pressure in my head and strange pains in my abdomen and ankles plus itchy skin.”

​Later the same day I saw another patient who had ruptured his Achilles tendon after Cipro a few years earlier. I had personally seen yet another patient some years earlier who ruptured both Achilles tendons simultaneously after a course of Cipro, ended up in a wheelchair for weeks on end and ultimately was treated as a psychiatric patient for insisting that the Cipro had caused the tendon ruptures!

Relief

FU April 26/14: “The Poly-Ab 10M was exceedingly helpful. I’m out of my support boots! Yesterday I walked for 5 km. I feel as if the remedy worked like magic. I felt horrible after the first dose of 10M for two days. My husband commented that I was emanating toxicity.”

“Michael again got red and glassy eyes after the next dose of Poly-Ab 30CH. Then he became very restless and was crying as if he was on fire and had a weird poo which smelled toxic and putrid. Then his eyes got bigger and brighter, they filled up more.”
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The mother shared that she had received many other courses of antibiotics in her life. She had suffered an anaphylactic reaction to Erythromycin years ago which caused burning in her gums and lower lip. She felt that the Poly-Ab 10M had released an echo of that experience.

A Traumatic Delivery

She spoke more about the birth experience. It had been like torture for her and she felt that she had been tricked into going to the hospital for the C-section which had been recommended for fear of herpes when it was only a yeast infection. She felt that she had then been held in the hospital against her will and forced to lie on a bed harder than in jail for five days. (She probably needed Arnica at the time.)

“I felt I was being punished. I was so traumatized I could not even stand for three days. It was a huge shock. I felt numb and not in reality. I felt powerless. I wanted all the nurses to go away but could not tell them.”

Assessment: The mother felt intensely traumatized emotionally and physically during labour and delivery.

Plan: Staphysagria 200CH one dose for the suppressed anger, humiliation and shock. Poly-Ab 10M one dose in three days.
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Michael: Repeat Poly-Ab 30CH once a week for two more weeks.

A Homeopathic Remedy made from Vicryl stitches

FU May 8/14: After the Staphysagria her stitches became inflamed for three days. She felt a lot of sadness and cried on the third day. I had already thought that maybe she would benefit from a remedy made from the stitches she had, which were still troubling her. I contacted Elizabeth Hess of ‘The Alchemist’s Apothecary’ to inquire about a remedy made from Vicryl stitches and she immediately offered to make one just for my patient. That was wonderful news!

I subsequently gave Vicryl 30 CH 2 pellets once a day and also repeated the Staphysagria, this time in a 10M potency.

May 15/14 email update:

“For the first three days after taking the Vicryl remedy my lower belly felt painful, like trapped water was dissipating and indeed water retention in the area has decreased by about 15-20%.

I have begun peeing at completely normal intervals without a sense of urgency which leads me to wonder if the Vicryl had been affecting my kidney function.  I have reduced pain in the area where the stitches are located and the Vicryl has been forced out in a few spots, little specks here and there. The big stitches have not broken apart and are still firmly intact.
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“Also, I was completely cleared by my orthopedic doctor in regards to my Achilles tendon today. He was impressed at the flexibility and strength of my tendon, so thank you very much!”

Staphysagria - Cleansed Emotionally

FU June 20/14:
​After the Stapyhsagria 10M she felt cleansed emotionally and she had some really good sleep as well. Now the feelings of anger and tension have built up a bit again.
She is still being troubled by the stitches; she can feel the internal stitches pulling at her tissues.

She feels as if her Achilles tendons are still healing and she might benefit from another dose of Poly-Ab. This was also confirmed with muscle testing.
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Plan: Staphysagria 10M one dose and repeat in one month. In three days, take Poly-Ab 10M and repeat two weeks later, Vicryl 200CH as needed to help with stitches.

Concerning developments with toe-walking and head banging

FU January 27/15 for both Leslie and Michael:

That day I met mother and son in the lobby of my building and immediately noticed that Michael was toe-walking and looking a bit ashen as well as puffy around the eyes. Red flags!

He was 19 months old now and the mother reported that he had been toe-walking for the last month. He had also been clenching his teeth, growling and developed tantrums over the same time. He was restless in his sleep now. Leslie felt as if he was trying to express some anger, which was interesting, considering the mother’s history.

He was banging his head on his mother on purpose. He was afraid of getting water near his head. He never really liked it but lately it was much worse, in about the same time frame as the other symptoms.

He now loved oranges, orange juice, fish, eggs and beans. He also liked to lick lemons.

Neurodevelopmental Symptoms

Assessment: Michael appears to be developing neurodevelopmental symptoms, possibly going towards autism. 

Plan:
Medorrhinum 30CH, 2 pellets on Saturdays for a month. Polyantibioticum 200CH 2 pellets on Mondays and Thursdays for two weeks then Polyantibioticum 1M 2 pellets on Mondays and Thursdays for two weeks. Medorrhinum was a good match for his constitutional symptoms of restlessness in his sleep, love for orange juice and lemons and tantrums.

Mother Exhausted

Leslie is feeling really exhausted. She has gone back to work and is still having issues with the stitches. She thinks they have affected her kidneys and liver and feels her organs are trying to clear plastic from her body.

She is still feeling a lot of anger towards her midwife.

​Plan:
Staphysagria 1M one dose
Vicryl 10 M as needed for stitches

Residual Effects of Antiobiotic Exposure at Birth

Email update next day: “Michael had a really big, foul bowel movement today that was the consistency of blended pea soup and was moss green in colour. It was really weird and completely abnormal.

He was extremely wound up after the Polyantibioticum, tons of head banging and toe walking and did not want to eat. Today he has been agitated and active and the toe walking and head banging have decreased somewhat.

​He didn’t want to eat until later in the day. He still craves oranges and has been sweating from the head at night which is abnormal.

Improvements

I took the first dose of the Staphysagria last night and became really sick with a head cold today. It came on in about half an hour (not normal for me). I have been really angry this evening and feeling victimized and had a 1.5 hour check in with a friend. It’s really an intense reaction this time, so I hope anger is being purged. Anyway, thank you.

Today I did see Michael’s focused, sparkling eyes shine through a few times, so I know he is in there.”

Assessment: Michael had a big aggravation with an increase of autism-like symptoms, including diarrhea, green stools, head banging, tantrums, toe-walking and hyperactivity as well as restless sleep and night sweats.

​Definitely very concerning. I would not be surprised if another child under these circumstances would potentially develop autism. Michael also was never vaccinated, fortunately in this case, which narrowed down his reactions to the antibiotics. It is highly possible that vaccinations might have impacted him even more as his system was already weakened.

Another close call for Autism?

This was another close call for autism, in some ways similar to the case of Freddie and most likely related to the antibiotics the mother was given around the birth as well as throughout her life.

The intense stress the mother had during the pregnancy, labour and delivery may have created additional pressures.

I thought it was notable that Michael developed these autism- or pre-autism like symptoms at 18 months.

This is a time when a lot of parents whose children develop autism first notice symptoms and it makes me think that there is something about that time period developmentally that may bring up old traumas and toxic imprints. In pre-vaccination eras this would have been a time when a child might have first developed childhood infections, perhaps allowing the body an opportunity to clear such imprints with high fevers.

​This is just a speculation, but perhaps not too far off. It is also interesting that Michael was never vaccinated but developed these symptoms from antibiotics. In other words, different substances seem to affect the developing nervous system in similar ways.

Antibiotics and Autism

With homeopathy it can be shown that many substances can contribute to the development of autism and similar conditions. Many parents have reported their child regressing into autism after medications and even vaccines.

Research increasingly suspects environmental factors to be involved in the genesis of autism and other neurdevelopmental conditions. With homeopathy we can help to identify as well as treat the causative factors and help the affected individuals. 

In this case we know that the main problem was the antibiotics the mother received at birth as Michael never had any other medications or vaccines. 
Over the next several years Michael had a couple more relapses which were also successfully treated with polyantibioticum. He is now a happy and very healthy 5-year-old boy. ​

Antibiotics and Chronic Health Issues

As we saw Leslie also not only healed her achilles tendon injuries with with Polyantibioticum, she experienced other deep detox reactions in her throat and emotions, likely linked to a long history of antibiotic use. Antibiotics can be life-saving, but it would be helpful to offer patients detoxification with homeopathy after antibiotic use and to consider antibiotic use as a co-factor in the development of many different pathologies. Pro-biotics and antifungals to restore the normal microflora are also important and recommended, but other toxic properties of antibiotics might effectively  be treated with homeopathy.

Leslie fully recovered and is happy, healthy and thriving five years later. 

Anke Zimmermann, ND, FCAH