Every once in a while, I come across an article or bit of information about a prescription medication, OTC product or dietary supplement and it gives me an “ah ha moment” of appreciation for what is in front of me. Phages are one of those things and here is why.

Phage is short for bacteriophage, and they are viruses. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek word (phagein), "to devour" and means to devour bacteria. We typically think of virus as being bad or harmful to our bodies. In the case of a phage, that thought couldn’t be more wrong. The main purpose of a phages is to kill bad bacteria. Phages are composed of proteins. They interject themselves into the body of the bacteria, replicate and destroy the bacteria.

Phages are among the most common and diverse entities in the biosphere and are found wherever bacteria exist. It is estimated there are more than 1031 phages on the planet, more than every other organism on earth, including all bacteria, combined. One of the densest natural sources for phages and other viruses is seawater as up to 70% of marine bacteria may be infected by phages.

In 1896, Ernest Hankin reported that something in the waters of the Ganges river in India had a marked antibacterial action against cholera In 1915, British bacteriologist Frederick Twort discovered a small agent that infected and killed bacteria. Each of these scientists were unable to explain what was going on but they both knew that there was a beneficial affect towards bacteria.

Phages have been used since the late 19th century as an alternative to antibiotics in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. They are seen as a possible therapy against multi-drug-resistant strains of many bacteria. The country of Georgia has a phage institute that was thriving prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union. Most of the worldwide research was at this facility and when war broke out, much of the information was lost.

Think about the potential for these viruses in the realm of antibiotic resistance. If we can find phages that are resistant to specific bacteria, they could be taken orally or infused via IV infusion to attack those bacteria that are causing the illness in question.

I have previously discussed the microbiome, or bacteria that litter your intestinal tract, to be similar to the trees in a rain forest. The antibiotics that we take are like a forest fire wiping out all of the trees in the forest. We know that it can many decades for the forest to return to its previous state and the same can be said about the gut as it may take up to 6 months for your microbiome to recover from the insult received from taking an antibiotic. Often times we have no choice but to take an antibiotic to help clear up an infection but what we can do, to help restore the balance of bacteria is completely your choice.

Phages are unlike traditional probiotics which we use to rebalance the bacteria in our gut. Phages, however, selectively target unwanted bacteria while leaving beneficial “good” bacteria alone to thrive in your gut. They also colonize or multiply better and are not sensitive to heat. Phages are considered an intelligent bug, meaning they multiply at the site of interest to support healthy immune function.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating for phage therapy instead of probiotics, but to consider taking a phage containing probiotic. My go to product is Spore Probio by Nutridyn. It incorporates phages in conjunction with digestive enzymes as well as pre- and probiotics, these increase the effectiveness of the phages. This combination of ingredients is the right choice when you are confronted with being put on an antibiotic. The phages in the Spore Probio are specific to E. Coli which makes this a great product not only for regular use but to take when traveling abroad.

We also need to keep in mind that all probiotics are not the same. Taking a probiotic along with an antibiotic has benefits but you run the risk of killing off the good bacteria that you are trying to replace in that process. It is important to separate the probiotic from the antibiotic by at least 2-3 hours. You can take this concept a step further by taking a spore base probiotic. This type of probiotic is derived from yeast and is not killed off by antibiotics. They are a really good option for patients being treated for C. Dif., a bacterium that causes rampant diarrhea and is treated with antibiotics used to completely wipe out all bacteria from the gut.

Patients will often times inform me that they eat yogurt and get good bacteria from that source. I think it is great that they are eating yogurt but we need to make sure it is not loaded with artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners and that it has active bacteria as part of its makeup. The flip side is that you need to be eating 10 cartons of yogurt per day to get the probiotic count you receive in a quality probiotic. This, my friends, is not feasible or cost effective. I am a huge advocate of making your own yogurt or eating probiotic rich fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and other foods.

Antibiotics do a fantastic job of killing off bacteria and can be life saving in many instances. Just being informed of the affect that antibiotics can have on the microbiome in our gut is important information for you in your health journey. Making sure your immune system is in top shape should be one of our main concerns in this journey. A healthy immune system will help your body defend itself from the onslaught of insults that are lurking around every corner

My staff and I would be honored to help you out with questions about phages and probiotics, so stop by the pharmacy or call to schedule a consultation. Until next time, be vigilant about your health!!