From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   Antibiotics !   
   The discovery of penicillin in 1928 ushered in one of the greatest changes in   
   modern medical history - the antibiotic era. The apparent results brought   
   about by this new drug, and those that followed, thoroughly convinced   
   physicians that infectious    
   diseases might someday be wiped out. Indeed, antibiotics were dubbed "magic   
   bullets" because of their seemingly precise action on the bacterial invaders   
   that contributed to so much disease. But realities of the human condition   
   coupled with the tenacity    
   of the microbes has tempered such enthusiasm. The promise of antibiotics is   
   fading as problems surface on a variety of fronts. Resistant bacteria, immune   
   suppression, yeast colonization, superinfection, overuse and misapplication of   
   antibiotics (   
   including antibiotics ingested in meat and poultry), and the reemergence of   
   diseases such as tuberculosis (once nearly iradicated from industrialized   
   countries), have caused doctors to take a new look at these "miracle" drugs.   
   Inappropriate use of Antibiotics :   
      
   Destruction of Friendly Bacteria.   
      
   The human body is home to hundreds of billions of bacteria, many of which are   
   vital for optimum health. It is a delicately balanced system much like the   
   rain forests of this planet. Bifidobacteria in the large intestine, and   
   acidophilus in the small    
   intestine and vagina protect against infection by yeast and bacteria.   
   Likewise, "friendly" bacteria found on the skin protect against bacterial,   
   yeast and fungal infections. Overuse of antibiotics, especially broad-spectrum   
   antibiotics as well as steroid    
   drugs (such as "the pill"), can seriously disrupt the normal ecology of the   
   body and render anyone more susceptible to subsequent bacterial, yeast, viral   
   and parasitic infection.   
      
   Yeast Overgrowth   
      
   Yeast overgrowth is a common side effect of antibiotic use. Women who use   
   antibiotics often develop bowel and vaginal yeast infections. Children treated   
   repeatedly with antibiotics for ear infections often develop yeast and fungal   
   infections of the    
   middle ear.   
      
   Nutrient Loss   
      
   Antibiotics can contribute to nutrient loss. By disrupting the population of   
   beneficial bacteria in the gut, antibiotics can adversely influence the   
   availability of Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Vitamin A, and Folic Acid. Zinc   
   and magnesium can also be    
   lost. When antibiotics cause diarrhea, the loss of these nutrients can be   
   significant.   
      
   Immune Suppression   
      
   Antibiotics can, in some cases, hinder the immune response. For example,   
   children given amoxicillin for chronic earaches suffer two to six times the   
   rate of recurrent middle ear effusion than children who took a placebo.   
   According to Carol Jessop, MD,    
   Clinical Professor at the University of California at San Francisco, 80% of   
   her patients who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (or chronic fatigue   
   immunodeficiency syndrome) had a history of recurrent antibiotics treatment as   
   a child, adolescent or    
   adult.   
      
   Development of Food Allergies   
      
   Antibiotics can contribute to the development of food intolerance. According   
   to Leo Galland, MD, " It's no accident that the most allergic generation in   
   history has been raised on antibiotics. Several times a week I see a new   
   patient whose allergies    
   appeared or became much worse after a course of antibiotics."   
      
   Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria   
      
   Bacteria resistant to antibiotics is a rapidly emerging problem with   
   potentially disastrous consequences. In 1941, only 40,000 units per day of   
   penicillin for four days was required to "cure" pneumococcal pneumonia.   
   "Today, a patient could receive 24    
   million units of penicillin a day and die of pneumococcal meningitis." Strains   
   of Streptococcus pneumoniae that are resistant to penicillin also have   
   decreased susceptibility to broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotics.   
      
   A similar situation exists with regard to other antibiotics. Haemophilus   
   influenzae is a bacterium responsible for ear infections, sinusitis,   
   epiglottitis, and meningitis. In 1986, roughly 32 % of the strains of this   
   bacterium were resistant to    
   ampicillin, the drug most commonly used against it. In Barcelona, Spain, 50 %   
   of H. influenzae type B are resistant to five or more antibiotics, including   
   chloralphenicol and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, the most commonly used   
   alternatives to    
   ampicillin.   
      
   Antibiotic resistance also knows no age boundaries. The bacterium E. coli is a   
   common cause of bladder infection in men and women. In the United States,   
   roughly 40 % of the strains of E. coli isolated from the urine of geriatric   
   units were resistant to    
   trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. In a recent outbreak of pneumococcal pneumonia   
   in a day care center, carriers of a penicillin-resistant strain of the   
   bacteria were more likely to have received preventive antibiotics for   
   recurrent ear infections.   
      
   Overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics have led to the current crisis.   
   According to Michell L. Cohen of the Centers for Disease Control, "Unless   
   currently effective antimicrobial agents can be successfully preserved and the   
   transmission of drug-   
   resistant organisims curtailed, the post antibiotic era may be rapidly   
   approaching in which infectious disease wards housing untreatable conditions   
   will again be seen.   
      
   There are many ways to improve immune function so that the use of antibiotics   
   can be reduced or eliminated. By addressing diet, nutritional status,   
   lifestyle, hygene, genetic uniqueness, environmental and psychological   
   factors, such as mood and stress,    
   one can improve resistance to disease and minimize the chance that invading   
   microbes will gain a foothold.   
      
   Enhancing Immune Function :   
      
   The immune system is a barometer of health - and any return to a healthy state   
   should involve immune enhancement. There are many influences on this defense   
   mechanism.   
      
   Diet and Nutrition   
      
   In 1991, 104 children with chronic ear infections were tested for allergies to   
   foods. Seventy eight percent tested positive for one or more foods. After   
   removing the offending foods for eleven weeks, 70 of the 81 children   
   experienced significant    
   improvement.   
      
   Children with severe measles are susceptible to complications such as   
   pneumonia, ear infections, croup, diarrhea (all commonly treated with   
   antibiotics), and death. When such children were supplemented with Vitamin A,   
   the rate of complications was cut in    
   half.   
      
   Environment   
      
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)