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Better Health Update #1 - Monte Kline, Clinical Nutritionist

Antibiotic Dangers

Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed and taken medications. I am amazed at the rather nonchalant attitude most of my clients have regarding having recently taken an antibiotic for some infection - it's kind of like that's just what you do when you have a sinus infection or whatever, like doesn't everybody do this?

Well, as a matter of fact everybody doesn't take antibiotics everytime they get an infection. I probably last had an antibiotic when I was college and didn't know any better. As my clients learn the dangers of antibiotics and the natural medicine alternatives to taking them, they too find at least the routine usage of antibiotics to become a thing of the past.

WHAT ARE ANTIBIOTICS?

Antibiotics are drugs that kill or inhibit infectious organisms. Originally they were organic compounds made from bacteria or molds, though today most are synthetic. Louis Pasteur is credited with discovering the "antibiotic effect" during the 19th century. However, most people associate the beginning of antibiotic therapy with Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin in 1928. Difficulties in purification and other technical aspects of making antibiotics caused them to not come into routine usage until the 1950's. The post World War II generations have largely grown up with antibiotics.

Types of antibiotics include the penicillins (ampicillin, amoxicillin), cephalosporin, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides (erythromysin), and sulfonamides.

BENEFITS OF ANTIBIOTICS

I would be the last one to deny that antibiotic drugs have saved many lives, and thus been a wonderful medical discovery. Diseases that once ravaged the population, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia, have signifcantly less mortality today because of antibiotics. For life-threatening infections, antibiotics are highly appropriate.

PROBLEMS OF ANTIBIOTICS

The basic problem with antibiotics is summed up in the etymology of the word itself - "antibiotic" means "anti-life." Antibiotics not only kill the "bad" bacteria, but also the "good" bacteria in our digestive tracts that comprise an integral part of our immune systems. While the antibiotic is seemingly "solving" your current infection, in reality it is setting you up for repeated infections, which your compromised immune system will have greater difficulty handling.

Think of it this way: Imagine yourself the general of an army, facing an opposing army in battle. Your advisors tell you that you can quickly and simply destroy the opposing army by nuking them. However, there is one slight drawback - you will also destroy a significant percentage of your own army while anniliating the enemy.

Any general that agreed to that strategy would undoubtedly be court-martialed. Yet no one seems to want to "court martial" the medical doctors that routinely use antibiotics, and in so doing destroy their patient's natural immune systems, their own "army," if you will. It becomes a basic, "At what price victory?" question.

THE SCOURGE OF CANDIDIASIS

Perhaps the most common health problem created by antibiotic usage is systemic candidiasis. overgrowth of the common yeast organism Candida albicans. The primary reason for candidiasis is usage of antibiotic drugs. The antibiotics have killed off the beneficial acidophilus bacteria which would normally prevent yeast from overgrowing. With that aspect of the immune system knocked out, candida yeast organisms can proliferate, producing their toxic by-products.

Candidiasis symptoms include fatigue, increased allergic sensitivities, depressed immunity, craving for sweets, sensitivity to chemical odors, and a host of others. Systemic candidiasis goes way beyond just having localized yeast infections, such as a vaginal candidiasis or oral thrush, but those are likewise yeast problems typically caused by taking antibiotic drugs. Without a doubt, candidiasis is the most common toxicity problem we find in our testing at the clinic, with probably half of the women and one-fourth of the men testing positive.

ENTER "SUPER GERMS"

More and more bacteria have become "antibiotic resistant." The indiscriminate usage of antibiotics has caused the germs to be less and less affected by them. Think of it this way: the antibiotics kill a lot of bacteria, but not all of them. Now which bacteria do you think will escape annialation by the antibiotics? The really strong ones, right? You bet! And then it is those "super germs" that go on to multiply, being , of course, antibiotic-resistant. So, when we take antibiotics, we're basically encouraging a selective breeding program for super germs. In the long run, the more antibiotics you take, the weaker your immune system becomes.

As a result of the overuse of antibiotics resulting in production of these "super germs", over 15,000 people per year die of hospital-caused infections. According to Dr. Robert Mendelsohn in his book, Confessions of a Medical Heretic, your chances of getting an infection while hospitalized are 1 in 20.

OTHER ANTIBIOTIC SIDE-EFFECTS

Candidiasis is not the only possible side-effect of using antibiotics. The possible side-effects of using Amoxicillin, for example, include:

stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore mouth, sore throat, fever, easy bruising or bleeding

Allergic reactions may involve:

difficulty breathing, skin rash, hives, or itching

GERMS ARE NOT THE REAL ENEMY!

The whole emphasis in conventional medicine on using antibiotics is based on a false presupposition - namely, that the "germs" are the problem and therefore killing them is the solution. As I discuss at the SICK & TIRED SEMINARTM, it is not germs that are the root cause of disease, but rather the "terrain," the environment the body provides for those germs. If you have a stagnant, toxic body, you're going to have bacteria coming to make a home there.

What really is the function of bacteria? Basically, they are "garbage collectors." If you have enough garbage in your body, you will attract germs like manure attracts flies. Get rid of the manure, and you won't have the flies. Detoxify the body and you'll seldom have bacterial infections.

Disease is not really an "invasion" from without. Rather, it's a mop-up operation, a cleansing, from within. Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg of Germany, who developed the Theory of Homotoxicology I discuss at my seminars said that all disease is a goal-oriented process designed to bring the body back into balance.

Germs are not the enemy - germs are the "garbage collectors." Don't fire your garbage collectors, lest your body really become an even more foul, toxic mess!

THE RIGHT TIME FOR ANTIBIOTICS

As I said earlier, antibiotics are wonderful provided they're used discriminately. If you have a serious, life-threatening infection, that's the time to use antibiotics and be very thankful that they are available. However, most of us have never had a life-threatening infection and probably never will. Ordinary sinusitus and bronchitis, in my experience, do not require courses of antibiotics to resolve. Natural remedies will suffice . . . and those natural remedies won't give you candidiasis, a weakened immune system, or other side-effects such as those listed above.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR INFECTION

Individual testing at the clinic is, of course, the best way to determine which natural remedies are appropriate. But here are some possibilities:

1. Acidophilus - Instead of anti-biotic, this is "pro-biotic," putting in the beneficial bacteria required for a strong immune system.
2. Emulsified Vitamin A - A potent infection fighter that enhances immunity, helps epithelial tissues, acts an an anti-oxidant, and slows the aging process.
3. Buffered Vitamin C - One of the most effective infection fighters and immune system stimulants.
4. Garlic - A natural "antibiotic" herb without the side-effects of drugs.
5. Echinacea - An herbal antibiotic, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. Good for the immune and lymphatic systems.
6. Zinc Lozenges - This essential nutrient for the immune system is often helpful in the lozenge form for warding off colds and sore throats.
7. Taheebo - Also known as Pau d'Arco, this South American herb used in teas and extracts is known for its antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.
8. Homeopathic Remedies - Specific homeopathic formulas can be tested for sinusitis, bronchitis, colds, flu, and other infections. In my experience these have often been the single most helpful formulas.

Beware of using natural medicine the same way you previously used conventional medicine - as a symptom treatment. You don't choose to "treat" say a sinus infection with vitamin C and vitamin A instead of taking an antibiotic. The point of any of the natural remedies is to cleanse and nourish your body so that it can heal itself. Provide your body with the right ingredients for health and you will rarely experience infections. Then, antibiotic drugs can assume their more legitimate role of life saving for only the most acute, extreme situations.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment. Rather, this material is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems. Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.