The Antibiotic Problem: What 23 Extra Years of Life Cost Your Gut

Dr. Rasha Kuran is an infectious disease specialist at Kern Medical Center and UCLA and serves as director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program. Her clinical and research interests include valley fever genetics, antibiotic stewardship, and the intersection of hormones, nutrition, and infection risk. She completed her residency at UCI and credits Dr. Royce Johnson as the mentor who brought her into the specialty.Topics Covered00:00 Opening hook00:17 Welcome to Next Phase Human and meet Dr. Rasha Kuran01:00 What infectious disease actually covers and why the name is a misnomer01:40 The mentor who changed her career path02:20 Why healthy people still get infections03:00 Valley fever, genetics, and ancestry04:00 Modern life: healthier or more susceptible?06:00 The antibiotic tradeoff: 23 years of life06:50 The Z-Pak problem and viral vs. bacterial infections08:00 Patient expectations and prescribing pressure09:00 Valley fever presenting as bacterial pneumonia10:00 Climate change and valley fever spreading beyond the Central Valley11:00 What parents should ask for: strep, flu, and COVID testing12:00 Antibiotic resistance and increasingly complex infections13:00 MRSA explained: gyms, doorknobs, and community spread16:00 Antibiotics in livestock and downstream human resistance17:00 C. diff and how you can get it without ever entering a hospital18:00 Cross contamination and why the CDC advises against washing chicken19:00 What antibiotics do to the gut microbiome20:00 One course, one year of recovery21:00 C-section vs. vaginal birth and microbiome transfer22:00 The fecal transplant experiment that transferred obesity24:00 Post-menopausal UTIs and the estrogen connection27:00 Rebuilding the gut: prebiotics, soluble fiber, and cooking from scratch28:00 High fructose liquid sugar as the biggest offender29:00 Fermented foods and daily servings30:00 Probiotics: which ones have randomized trial evidence32:00 Kids and antibiotic overexposure: asthma, allergies, obesity33:00 When it is safe for parents to wait34:00 COVID in hindsight: the lesson learned36:00 What we would do differently today39:00 Long COVID and the lasting immune scar41:00 Vaccines that prevent cancer: HPV and hepatitis B42:00 Hybrid immunity and how boosters work43:00 Part two preview: valley fever, hormones, and nutritionMentioned in This EpisodeDr. Rasha Kuran | Kern Medical Center | UCLADr. Royce Johnson — mentor and former Chair of the Department of MedicineValley fever (coccidioidomycosis) genetic susceptibility research at Kern MedicalMRSA (methicillin-resistant staph aureus)C. diff (Clostridioides difficile)Fecal microbiota transplantationBio-K Plus probioticStanford fermented foods study (3-5 servings daily)HPV vaccine and hepatitis B vaccineTopical estrogen for recurrent post-menopausal UTIsConnectDr. Rasham SandhuInstagram: @nextphasehumanNext Phase Human PodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033qZ46toArgzpRrRrlpvbApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/next-phase-human-w-dr-sandhu/id1896859526Dr. Rasha KuranKern Medical Center | UCLAInfectious Disease Fellowship ProgramGuest inquiries: [email protected] Cardiovascular Institute | cacvinst.com8337 Brimhall Rd Building 1200, Bakersfield CA 93312