Superbug infections, bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, are increasing at alarming rates. The most widely publicized, methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) is on the lips of every hospital administrator and growing in the noses of up to 30% of their staff.
MRSA is not just causing problems in hospitals; daycare centers, schools and sports teams are regularly seeing outbreaks. Primarily an infection on the skin and in the nose, several patients have died when their lungs were overtaken.
Why MRSA and Superbugs?
According to experts, superbugs are the result of prescription antibiotic use. Antibiotics kill bacteria, but usually not completely. The ones that die are the weakest. The surviving germs are the strongest. One survivor is all it takes to reproduce billions of super-strong offspring.
Since shortly after the first antibiotic drug was produced in quantity, during World War II, resistance has been a problem. Recent decades have seen the problem become a crisis. Stronger antibiotics have spread stronger bacteria.
MRSA is only the latest.
Antibiotic Options
Certainly antibiotics are sometimes necessary. The problem is overuse. Because of the superbug problem, national and state medical associations have issued guidelines suggesting that doctors restrict the use of antibiotics. This is particularly true for children who are often given antibiotics for self-limiting infections. Unfortunately, few doctors and patients heed this advice.
My approach to fighting disease is to follow a specific therapeutic order – the wholistic medical model.
First, prevention (diet, exercise, hygiene, various anti-stress practices) and removal of environmental toxins (general detoxification). These actions strengthen the body’s innate immune function.
Second, restoration of balanced function (specific detoxification and supplementation, physical medicine, etc). If an infection begins, use agents that boost immune function and naturally kill invading organisms. Allicin, a natural extract from garlic (AlliUltra, AlliMed) has been proven to kill MRSA organisms.
Lastly, heroic interventions that take over for natural systems (surgery and prescription drugs) For example, lancing of a boil or prescribing an antibiotic.
Winning the War on Superbugs
The side effects of drugs, including antibiotic resistance, would diminish if these wholistic principles were followed. These are not abstract principals, not religious dogma, they are scientifically sound, concrete rules based on thousands of years of traditional medicine and the most whole-systems scientific thinking.
If medicine was practiced according to these principals, MRSA would be less likely to flourish. Good nutrition and lifestyle practices strengthen the immune system. Once infections do set in, natural treatments can eliminate them without causing resistance.
I strongly recommend that my patients resist the temptation to jump to antibiotics as their first choice in fighting infection, but rather to save it for last. Your immune system will thank you and you’ll reduce the spread of MRSA.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: antibiotics, infections, MRSA, resistance, super bugs
By Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Superbug infections, bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, are increasing at alarming rates. The most widely publicized, methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) is on the lips of every hospital administrator and growing in the noses of up to 30% of their staff.
MRSA is not just causing problems in hospitals; daycare centers, schools and sports teams are regularly seeing outbreaks. Primarily an infection on the skin and in the nose, several patients have died when their lungs were overtaken.
Why MRSA and Superbugs?
According to experts, superbugs are the result of prescription antibiotic use. Antibiotics kill bacteria, but usually not completely. The ones that die are the weakest. The surviving germs are the strongest. One survivor is all it takes to reproduce billions of super-strong offspring.
Since shortly after the first antibiotic drug was produced in quantity, during World War II, resistance has been a problem. Recent decades have seen the problem become a crisis. Stronger antibiotics have spread stronger bacteria.
MRSA is only the latest.
Antibiotic Options
Certainly antibiotics are sometimes necessary. The problem is overuse. Because of the superbug problem, national and state medical associations have issued guidelines suggesting that doctors restrict the use of antibiotics. This is particularly true for children who are often given antibiotics for self-limiting infections. Unfortunately, few doctors and patients heed this advice.
My approach to fighting disease is to follow a specific therapeutic order – the wholistic medical model.
Winning the War on Superbugs
The side effects of drugs, including antibiotic resistance, would diminish if these wholistic principles were followed. These are not abstract principals, not religious dogma, they are scientifically sound, concrete rules based on thousands of years of traditional medicine and the most whole-systems scientific thinking.
If medicine was practiced according to these principals, MRSA would be less likely to flourish. Good nutrition and lifestyle practices strengthen the immune system. Once infections do set in, natural treatments can eliminate them without causing resistance.
I strongly recommend that my patients resist the temptation to jump to antibiotics as their first choice in fighting infection, but rather to save it for last. Your immune system will thank you and you’ll reduce the spread of MRSA.
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