Infections have always been with us and they have caused a lot of suffering and fear. In an attempt to deal with the bacteria which cause some infections medical science has developed antibiotics. The antibiotics were developed without consideration being given to the real underlying reasons why people were developing infections. Problems of hygiene, crowding, sanitation, toxic build up, nutrition, stress, fear, exhaustion, pre-existing diseases, drug therapy and other factors can all play their part in the development of an infection. However, when developing antibiotics the only point considered was the bacteria invading the body. No thought was given to improving and strengthening the body's natural defense mechanisms or dealing with other factors that are a part of the infection picture. The end result was a 'quick fix' in the form of a drug (like so many 'quick fix' answers in our health care system). The antibiotic was hailed as a cure for infections - the consequences of the approach taken to overcome infections were never considered.
The real consequence of antibiotic is that there is a crisis within our health care system. There are more and better hospitals, more high-tech treatments, more highly trained doctors and nurses are graduated every year and research into all aspects of disease causation and treatment continues and yet we are in crisis. Diseases, such as TB, which we thought were history are back and are often untreatable because the bacterial agents which cause the disease have become resistant to the antibiotics that have been used to control them. Antibiotics are no longer working on many extremely dangerous bacteria or they only work in doses that that cause serious side effects. The development of these antibiotic resistant 'superbugs' is in the order of a crisis.
In the years following the introduction of antibiotics they were (and still are) used for the treatment of common colds and flu and other complaints. Antibiotics, such as tetracycline were used (and still are) over long periods of time for the treatment of acne. Ampicillin and Bactrim were used for the wrong reasons and there has been a reliance on antibiotics to treat recurrent bladder infections, chronic ear infections, chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis and non-bacterial sore throats. Relying on antibiotics to treat these conditions does not make sense for two reasons:
- Antibiotics do not provide significant benefits or shorten the length of the illness.
- These conditions can be effectively treated using natural methods.
Effective natural methods of treating common infectious conditions needs to be used widely, so the health crisis that exist does not continue to take hold.
The UK office of health Economics in 1997 (cited in Chaitow) reported the following statistics:
- 5,000 people are being killed every year (in UK hospitals alone) by infections that they caught in hospital.
- A further 15,000 deaths are being contributed to by the infections that they caught in hospital.
- One in 16 patients who goes to hospital for anything will develop a 'hospital acquired infection'.
- Many of the infections acquired involve the difficult to treat 'superbugs'.
- USA figures published more than a decade ago show that 1 in 10 patients develops an infection that they caught in hospital - this involves around 2.5 million people every year.
- Every year 20,000 of these people die from their infections and the deaths of a further 60,000 are contributed to by the hospital acquired infection - a large number of these involve antibiotic resistant 'superbugs'.
This is only the beginning of the story - but a great deal of preventable damage has been done. To put a stop to the damage it is necessary to significantly reduce the use of antibiotics. Fortunately there are alternatives to antibiotics available in natural therapies. It is also possible to improve your immune system - so that you are less likely to develop an infection. The place to start is with a detoxification of your body. Toxins are a major burden on your immune system and while they are in your body it is less able to fight invading micro-organisms. Get your copy of Safe Colon Cleansing and find out how to boost your immunity and reduce your reliance on antibiotics.
Reference
Chaitow, L. 1998, Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics. Thorsons.
Dr Jenny Tylee is an experienced health professional who is passionate about health and wellbeing. She believes that health is not just absence of disease and seeks to actively promote vitality and wellness through empowering others. She encourages people to improve their health by quitting smoking, cleansing their body, taking essential vitamin and mineral supplement and many other methods, including herbal remedies and creative visualization. Visit Dr Jenny's blog and join her newsletter for more quality information.
