My personal philosophy when it comes to antibiotics is that they have pros and cons that need to very carefully be understood and considered. To start, I firmly believe in science and western medicine that has discovered the incredible healing effects antibiotics have when you become very sick. That being said, I think there is a time and a place for them, but they should not be frivolously used when they are not really needed. I have had a few situations in my life where I have really needed to use antibiotics and feel grateful they exist and helped me in those situations. First of all, I had a bad case of chronic sphenoid sinusitis in high school that gave me horrible headaches and head pressure along with other uncomfortable symptoms. In this case, surgery and different antibiotics were needed to combat such an infection and I think the benefit of healing took priority over my gut health at the time. Also, I have had two hip surgeries over the past 12 months and know that these surgical scenarios called for antibiotics to avoid any complications or infections in my joint. Lastly, growing up with my dad as a physician has definitely impacted my view on antibiotics. It has helped inform me on the importance of them in critical situations and the importance of knowing there are negative effects, so their use is not a decision to be taken lightly.