Recently the New
England Journal of Medicine published an article that found taking
Erythromycin, a commonly prescribed antibiotic, increases your risk of dying
from a cardio vascular complication by 250%.
Antibiotics,
also known as antimicrobials or antibacterials, are strong medications that
treat infections caused by germs (certain
parasites and bacteria). Antibiotics do not work against illness caused by
viruses, such as the flu or common cold. Antibiotics also do not work against
fungi such as thrush in the vagina or mouth or against fungal
skin infections.
Antibiotics come in several forms including capsules,
tablets, or liquids, and in certain cases, such as hospitalization due to a
severe infection, they may be administered via injection. For certain skin
infections, antibiotics may be administered in the form of lotions,
ointments, or creams. If antibiotics are not taken the right way, they may
cause more harm than good.
We take antibiotics when we are sick, when
our immune systems weaken. The mycotoxins pharmacies dispense for use as
antibiotics only exacerbate the problem, because the lion's share of these
substances have been shown to be immunosuppressants (CAST Report No. 116.
November 1989.). Not only are they capable of hamstringing our immune systems,
they also destroy the friendly bacteria that guard our intestines. Many of us, including myself, were given antibiotics
as children to treat bronchitis, diphtheria, pneumonia, and ear,
intestine, lung, urinary tract, and skin infections . The downsides of antibiotics weren’t well
understood then, but now we know that it increases your risk of cancer, heart
disease and digestive disorders.
Getting rid of bad bacteria is the main goal, but
prescribed antibiotics kill all bacteria in your body both good and bad. It’s
very similar to using dynamite to get rid of some weeds in your garden. Good
bacteria, known as probiotics, are a large part of your immune system, keeping
you healthy and your digestive system. If your digestive system isn’t working
properly, you aren’t going to be digesting the foods you eat. You’ve heard it
said that you are what you eat, well in this case, you are what you can digest.
If your body doesn’t digest the food you cannot absorb the vitamins and
minerals as well.
These
friendly bacteria include Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidus and Bulgaricus,
supplements for which can be found in any health food store's refrigerated
section. They protect us against pathogens such as Salmonella, yeast, cholera,
and the bad E. coli. They are so potent that, prior a trip abroad, to protect
yourself from traveler's diarrhea you'd do better to skip the usual antibiotics
and instead take acidophilus supplements.
Unfortunately,
these good flora are so vulnerable to antibiotics that, in mice, a "single
injection of streptomycin can eradicate the protective effect of the normal
flora. (Mandell. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases.
2000.)" And, once gone, these friendly bacteria are replaced by hostile
bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Clostridium, and Klebsiella, and by Candida
yeast, a powerful member of the fungi family.
So, we
have the good and the bad regarding our chemical friends known as antibiotics.
They can "save the day" at times, but they have ruined them at others
-- just ask any woman with a yeast
infection or look at any baby who suffers from thrush. You
should know that, even should you just say "no" when your doctor
moves to prescribe antibiotics for you, theoretically speaking you may still be
taking them with every bite of steak and pork you eat.
That's
because more antibiotics per pound are used on livestock than in human
medicine. How much of those antibiotics are passed on is difficult to
determine, but the mere possibility of this kind of thing is certainly a worry.
Our
goal in this book is to educate you and to help you make informed decisions.
Some final, simple tips follow:
1. An ounce of prevention.... Exercise, eat
intelligently and take a few supplements. Avoid alcohol, smoking, and
recreational drugs. Get some rest once in a while. Pray. Despite our best
efforts, most of us will get sick at some point and decide to go see a doctor.
If you are a stubborn, married man, your wife will likely make the appointment
for you.
2. Ask Questions. If your doctor diagnoses you
with an upper respiratory infection, sore throat (in which the strep throat test is
negative), bronchitis,
sinusitis, or ear infection, and you wonder if you really need an antibiotic,
make a point of asking her about it. A lot of physicians would be pleasantly
surprised that one of their patients would even consider trying to recuperate
without antibiotics. Ask if you can treat your condition symptomatically and
come back or call in a couple of days if you are not better. If your
questions annoy your doctor, then get another doctor. After all, you pay the
bills, either directly or out of your paycheck in the form of insurance, and
you deserve adequate treatment. On the other hand, if you feel you, in fact, do
need an antibiotic and your doctor disagrees, try to work a deal in which she
will prescribe an antibiotic for you if you don't feel better in a couple of
days. I learned an important lesson about this kind of disagreement during
college, on a visit to the infirmary. The doctor there refused to give me an
antibiotic for a URI I'd come down with. I had to suppress my anger at what I
saw as arrogance on his part, but lo and behold, he was right. I got better
without the pills I'd been sure I'd needed. I think a lot of people tend to
underestimate their bodies' healing abilities, in much the same way as I did.
That's just one reason why doctors are oftentimes in a better position to make
the call as to whether or not to prescribe.
3. Take an objective look at yourself and your
life-style. If you keep coming down with the same thing, do some research and a
little thinking. Do you drink a lot of soda? Do you smoke? Are you taking
antibiotic after antibiotic and now have a secondary yeast or fungal infection?
How is your spiritual life? Your stress level? The point is, myriad factors
contribute to "wellness."
As far
as chronic sinus infections go, Johns Hopkins researchers are now saying most
such conditions are caused by a fungus. So, if you do have chronic sinusitis,
stop taking antibiotics, get on an antifungal diet, and ask your doctor for
antifungal medications. If your doctor refuses, visit a health food store for
natural, off-the-shelf antifungals such as olive leaf extract, garlic, and
Caprylic acid.
Once
you improve, make sure you go back and let your doctor know how things worked
out. Chances are she is neither experienced nor comfortable with prescribing
antifungal medication. Your story may convince her to do her own research, the
first step to changing her treatment philosophy.
It
shouldn't be too difficult to convince your doctor to let you try a
prescription of nystatin. As one of the better gut antifungals, nystatin is
also remarkably safe and free of side effects.
If
you've decided to go ahead and take an antibiotic:
1. Get the facts. Ask your doctor how many days
you must take the antibiotic and if you, in fact, do need the latest, most
powerful one on the market. Simple urinary tract infections are now treated
with only three days of antibiotics. Sinus infections, bronchitis, and ear
infections in children over two years of age can be treated with as few as five
days of antibiotics, new or old, generic or name brand. This may not be
possible, however, if you have other medical conditions or if you smoke.
2. Build trust. Commit to the full course of the
antibiotic unless you experience significant side effects or an allergic
reaction. You sought medical advice and agreed to the prescription. You will
build trust with your doctor if you work as a team. This trust will be very
important once you see number 3 below.
3. Take an antifungal with the antibiotic. For
example, you could ask your doctor for a prescription of nystatin to take
during the course of your antibiotic. Many dermatologists do this when prescribing
long-term antibiotic courses for acne. I suggest adults take two tablets twice
a day -- 1 cc of suspension twice a day for children -- to prevent yeast
overgrowth in your intestines. Most cases of upset stomach or diarrhea that
kick in a few days of beginning a round of antibiotics can be cured with a
single dose of the drug. Diarrhea after a two-week round of antibiotics is
likely caused by a different bug altogether -- be sure to bring that to your
doctor's attention. I should tell you that, in my clinical practice years, many
of my patients made great strides against acne through taking nystatin and a
change in diet alone, without the antibiotics.
4. Supplement your intake. Take an antioxidant
supplement, one that includes vitamin E, zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin
A, among others. According to A.V. Costantini, all antioxidants are antifungal.
(Costantini. 1998.)
5. Keep your bowels moving. If antibiotics kill
off your friendly, intestinal bacteria, once you cease taking antibiotics
you'll run a higher risk of infection by other, more hostile bacteria. These
bacteria will be quick to find and exploit pockets of debris that could be
collecting and putrefying in your intestines if you happen to become
constipated. So, be sure to keep your digestive tract as clear as possible
until you can repopulate it with friendly bacteria. Psyllium hulls fiber from
your local health food store is the best, bulk fiber to use, as long as you
don't have a history of intestinal obstruction. Psyllium not only relieves constipation.
It also slows diarrhea by absorbing excess water.
6. Replace the good bacteria in your intestines.
Supplement with an acidophilus supplement for a few weeks following any course
of antibiotics. Do not take these simultaneously with your antibiotic, or you
will simply end up with a lot of very dead, albeit still friendly bacteria in
your intestines. At the very most, take acidophilus supplements either in
between antibiotic doses or after you have completely finished your
prescription.
7. Look back at why you became ill to begin
with. I once suffered from strep throat after indulging in half a box of
chocolates. That should have come as no surprise. Who wouldn't be crippled by
that amount of garbage? More than likely, you have your own experience regarding
similar binges. My point is, diet plays at least as much a role as actual
exposure to germs as to whether we get sick -- when we are healthy and eating
correctly, our bodies are amazingly resistant to infection.
One,
last note: Please ignore advertisements that recommend guzzling orange juice
for the vitamin C it contains. A big dose of sugar is what you'd actually be
getting. I have heard more than a few patients note that once they felt they
were coming down with something, they immediately began downing glass after
glass of orange juice, only to get even sicker. They concluded that they must
not have caught the illness in time, which couldn't have been any further from
the truth.
The
truth is, they simply fueled the fire of their infections with lots of sugar,
all because they trusted a corporation's advertisement to educate them about
proper healing strategies. If you want that much vitamin C, you will be
perfectly fine taking it in the 1,000 mg pill form a few times a day. As far as
fluid requirements are concerned, your body is 70 percent water -- and that is
exactly what it needs!
Dr.
Mercola's Comment
The
information above is a two-part article taken directly from Doug Kaufmann and
Dave Holland, MD's book, "The Fungus Link, Volume 2." Inside this first
follow-up to the original Fungus Link, published in 2000, you'll learn about
the dangers of antibiotics and the ins and outs of natural and prescriptive
antifungals. Additionally, Doug and Dave share with you the role fungi and
their mycotoxins play in what are unfortunately everyday diseases such as
prostatitis, ear-nose-throat disorders, weight problems (including obesity and
anorexia), autoimmune diseases, hormonal disorders, neurologic diseases, hair
loss, and eye problems.
There
is also now "The Fungus Link Volume 3 ," published in 2008.
Antibiotic
overuse has spurred a vicious cycle. If you take antibiotics,
you can develop drug resistance that lasts up to a year. The more antibiotics
are prescribed for coughs and flu-like illnessesand the more antibiotics are
fed to livestock,
the more bacteria become resistant in an endless cycle. And in most cases of
human upper respiratory infections, antibiotics are of no use in the first
place because the infections are most often fungal in origin—not bacterial.
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