Antibiotics, Gut Health, and Your Child’s Nervous System Explained
Overuse of antibiotics is a growing concern for kids’ health. 🚨 While life-saving in the right moments, frequent use disrupts the gut microbiome, weakens immune strength, and creates stress patterns in the nervous system. In this video, Dr. Drake explains the gut-brain axis connection 🧠🦠 and why addressing the nervous system is key to building lasting resilience. Want to learn more about how we use INSiGHT scans and gentle chiropractic care to help kids thrive? Click the link to schedule a visit today.
Hi everyone, Dr. Drake here. Today I want to unpack an important topic for families—the overuse of antibiotics and how it impacts kids’ microbiome and nervous system.
First, let me be clear—antibiotics save lives. They are absolutely essential in certain situations, like serious infections. But research shows that in pediatrics, antibiotics are often prescribed for conditions that don’t truly require them—like viral infections. And when that happens repeatedly, kids pay the price in ways we don’t always connect right away.
Inside your child’s gut lives trillions of bacteria—this is their microbiome. A healthy microbiome helps with digestion, nutrient absorption, and even the production of neurotransmitters that regulate mood and sleep. It also plays a massive role in immune system resilience.
But when antibiotics are used too frequently, they wipe out not just the “bad” bacteria, but also the “good” bacteria. That loss of microbial diversity can weaken the immune system and disrupt gut function.
Now here’s where it gets even more interesting—the microbiome is directly connected to the nervous system through what’s called the gut-brain axis. That means gut imbalance often leads to nervous system stress. Kids may start experiencing recurring infections, constipation or diarrhea, disrupted sleep, emotional outbursts, or even focus and attention struggles.
So where does chiropractic care come in? Well, while we don’t prescribe or treat with antibiotics, we focus on the health of the nervous system. With INSiGHT scans, we can measure how well your child’s nervous system is adapting and regulating. If stress patterns or subluxations are present, we use gentle adjustments to restore communication between the brain and body.
When that communication improves, the body functions better—digestion, immune response, sleep, and emotional regulation all start to improve naturally.
So if your child has had multiple rounds of antibiotics and you’re noticing health challenges that just won’t go away, it may be time to look deeper. Instead of only chasing symptoms, let’s address the root cause—how the nervous system is functioning.
We’d love to help your family build resilience naturally. Click the link in the description to schedule an appointment or learn more about what we do here at Innate Family Chiropractic.