What's Wrong with AntiBiotics?

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What's Wrong with AntiBiotics?

http://www.nutriteam.com/antib.htm

 

The head of the Central Public Health Laboratory in London recently reported

on a new drug-resistant strain of Salmonella typhrimurium(DT104) which

infected 4,000 people last year in Great Britain. While this strain is not

one of the most virulent, it is resistant to 98.8% of all antibiotics.

Salmonella, Staph, E.coli, and other common pathogens have the ability to

pass along to other strains their drug-resistant genes. As more dangerous

salmonella strains adopt the drug-resistance of this new strain(DT104), the

potential for deadly infection is rapidly increasing.

 

There is " Good News and Bad News " , according to Internet Science Daily.

 

Mutant strains of bacteria and viruses are posing a severe threat to the

health of people around the world, not just in " third-world " countries.

Areas of London and New York, for example, have a higher incidence of

Tuberculosis(TB) than many developing countries. To make matters worse,

although TB can usually be treated with about $11 worth of drugs over a six

to eight month period, most patients never complete the program. Not

completing the program strengthens the remaining microbes and has allowed

the emergence of drug-resistant forms of TB. Worldwide, it is estimated that

over 50 million people are infected with drug-resistant strains of the

bacteria. Treating drug-resistant TB can cost as much as $250,000 per

patient, but, tragically, most will go untreated, which further strengthens

the drug-resistant strains and the number of people exposed to them.

 

New report links European travel to U.S. drug-resistant strains.

 

Drug-resistant strains of Malaria are found in Thailand, Cambodia, Burma,

and Vietnam. Drug-resistant E.coli is found in Japan, the U.S., and Korea.

The existance of these mutated pathogens, and others, are explained to a

large degree by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Especially is this

true in the wealthier countries like the U.S., where healthy chickens and

cattle are routinely fed antibiotics, and both children and adults are

routinely prescribed antibiotics for the common cold or flu. Hospitals have

become home to several " SuperBugs " See report on VRE. Is it a coincidence

that Hospitals routinely prescribe antibiotics for surgery patients, hoping

to fend off a post-surgical infection?

 

In the healthy intestinal tract, dozens of different species of bacteria

compete for nutrients. The ability of beneficial bacteria to maintain their

positive balance of power over more harmful strains results in proper

digestion and good health. Antibiotic use upsets this balance. Antibiotics

destroy both good and bad bacteria. And it is almost impossible to destroy

100 percent of the pathogenic variety without long-term exposure to

antibiotics, which many patients are unwilling to complete. Leaving behind

even 1 percent or less of the harmful pathogens can have disastrous effects.

Now, without competition, these resistant mutants double in population every

few minutes, causing re-infection with a " SuperStrain " of bacteria.

In January of 1999, the FDA finally proposed limiting the use of antibiotics

in animals and poultry. We'll see.

 

Report on Kidney Infection treatment failures.

 

Much of the bacterial problem could be corrected by limiting antibiotic use

and introducing beneficial forms of bacteria, yeast, and other natural,

biological agents like garlic, into the system.

 

In one study, probiotic yeast (Saccharymyces boulardii) was added to the

feed of half of a test group of chickens. All the chickens were then

inoculated with salmonella orally. Salmonella colonization occurred in only

5 percent of those fed the yeast, compared to 70 percent of those chickens

not given the probiotic yeast. In other studies, garlic extract and powder

have produced similar results. Grapefruit Seed Extract is also an effective

alternative to antibiotics. There are no known cases of pathogens developing

resistance to GSE, although different microbes are inhibited(killed) at

different concentrations. There are no known contraindications, nor any

known drug interactions with GSE. GSE does not interfere with beneficial

bacteria at normal dosages. It is not know precisely why this is so, but the

theory is that the low pH of GSE may be an important factor.

 

Military actions, international commerce and travel, compromised food

sources, and antibiotic misuse will no doubt continue to present new strains

of pathogens to the people of the world. The monetary value of symptomatic

relief rather than prevention will no doubt continue to fuel the search for

more potent antibiotics, rather than a focus on prevention. But there is

much that individuals can do to protect themselves and their families and

friends.