Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Will this be the end of antibiotics?

For the last 60 years or so, we’ve been increasingly relying on the fact that there’s always “a pill for every ill” and if we happen to feel not-so-great, relief is just a tablet away.

Got a headache? Pop some aspirin or ibuprofen!

Chest on fire with heartburn? Put out the flames with antacids or acid reducers.

Constipated? A laxative will take care of that fast.

Feeling down? An antidepressant can help turn that around.

Unfortunately, this way of thinking has come back to bite us you-know-where, with many of the medications ultimately creating far more problems than they solve.

And nowhere is this truer than with antibiotics!

Here’s why:

The antibiotic cascade—too much of a good thing
Antibiotics were “born” when Sir Alexander Fleming discovered back in 1928 that the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus could be destroyed by the mold Penicillium notatum.

They became a part of mainstream medicine in the early 1950’s, and truly seemed to be the “wonder drug,” wiping out all kinds of infections and causing few or no side effects.

But then somewhere along the way we started to become careless with them and the cascade started.

People began requesting them more often and they began to be prescribed in increasing numbers--even when the particular illness in question was actually VIRAL and not an infection.

At that time, the common thought process was that if the illness WAS an infection, giving the antibiotics would be a good "head start" on treatment...and if not, no biggie. They won't do any harm.

Well, as we would later find out, that’s not true.

Far from it.

In addition, antibiotics also began to be prescribed prophylactically (on a preventative basis) to help prevent and control conditions like ear infections, sinus infections and even acne.

That further darkened our fate, as we would soon see.

But the cascade continued far beyond our doctors’ offices…because antibiotics began showing up in our food supply—specifically in meat and milk.

As a matter of fact, agriculture accounts for about 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the US! 24.6 million pounds of antibiotics are administered to livestock in the US every year for purposes other than treating disease!

That’s right. Instead antibiotics are given to cows to make them grow bigger faster. And the residue from those antibiotics ends up in the meat and milk from the animals, and hence on your table and in your body.

The dark price of antibiotic cascade
Antibiotics work by destroying dangerous infection-causing bacteria in your system.

But unfortunately, they’re not the sharpest pencils in the box…because while they’re on their killing spree, they also kill your body’s beneficial bacteria too.

And that happens to be where 70 percent of your immune system resides.

Now you may ask, “Well, won’t my friendly flora just grow back after I’m done with the medication?

Not necessarily.

You see, when antibiotics wipe out a good portion of your intestinal good guys, this gives any dangerous microbes inside of you the “upper hand.” At that point the bad guys can overpower your struggling good guys, beating them out for nourishment and space along your intestinal wall.

The result of that is that you can get sick again. And AGAIN. And A-G-A-I-N!

That’s why some people (maybe even you?) are on repeated courses of antibiotics but can’t seem to get better.

Plus this flora-killing action has also been implicated as a cause of Crohn’s disease. Scientists have observed a parallel rise between cases of Crohn’s and the number of antibiotic prescriptions being written over the last several decades.

But that’s not all.

The price of antibiotic cascade gets worse because now we’re faced with…

The rise of the Superbugs
One thing that we’ve failed to acknowledge throughout our antibiotic cascade is that bacteria are extremely intelligent.

As such, they can change and evolve and become resistant to the action of antibiotics!

Up until recently, we’ve poo-poo’d that problem away by creating STRONGER antibiotics.

The problem is, we’re losing the race. Bacteria are evolving faster than we are and causing deadly infections that even our most potent powerhouse antibiotics can’t even touch!

Thus far, Nature has found a way around every antibiotic we’ve come up with, and we’re quickly running out of answers.

And there’s a dear price to pay.

According to the “Antibiotic Resistance Threat Report” published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), two million adults and children in the US become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, and at least 23,000 of them die as a direct result.

Plus even more die from secondary complications.

Fight the battle—and WIN!
The glimmer of hope in this scary world of antibiotic overuse and Superbugs is that you CAN fight the battle against dangerous infections and illnesses and WIN!

How?

By relying on and nurturing the illness protection provided by Mother Nature, my friend.

Otherwise known as your IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Here’s how:

1- Supplement with a high-quality multi-strain probiotic formula
In order to maximize your chances of having a proper flora balance and a sharp functioning immune system, it's important to supplement with a probiotic formula that contains both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species.

You see, Lactobacillus bacteria live in your small intestine, while Bifidobacterium strains hang out in your colon.

So to take a probiotic formula that has just one or the other is selling a portion of your intestinal tract short!

Super Shield probiotic formula and its 13 strains of top-shelf friendly bacteria can help you keep your intestinal flora where it needs to be--from one end to the other!

Super Shield contains a variety of well-studied Lactobacillus AND Bifidobacterium strains, as well as a prebiotic fiber called FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) which is nourishment for those good guys.

2- Have a diet of real foods, with preferably organic meat and milk
You can swallow probiotic supplements by the boatload, but if your diet is loaded with fast or processed foods, refined carbs and soda, you are cutting your own throat and counteracting the helpful action of the supplements.

There's no getting around it--in order to have any degree of healthy intestinal flora, you MUST get the nutrients your body (and especially your gut) so desperately need from REAL foods.

And note that when buying real foods, it’s important to go organic whenever you can—especially to avoid antibiotic-tainted meat and milk!

Plus it’s also crucial to have efficient digestion in order to ABSORB those vital nutrients from your foods and eliminate wastes loaded with harmful bacteria.

And if all that sounds about as exciting to you as watching paint dry, not to worry.

I can help you achieve both of those goals (and love every bite of what you're eating) with the Great Taste No Pain system
or if you're gluten-challenged, Great Taste No Gluten.

Both Great Taste No Pain and Great Taste No Gluten show you what foods to eat (and what foods to pair together) to help keep digestion smooth and nutrient absorption high.

Plus they're loaded with delicious ideas featuring probiotic-nourishing real foods that you'll absolutely LOVE--there are no bland or boring dishes in my recipe books!

3- Eat probiotic-rich foods too
There are a number of delicious foods that have probiotics right in them!

They include the following:
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Black tea, oolong tea
  • Buttermilk
  • Cheese
  • Cottage cheese
  • Dark chocolate (Go easy on this one, though. Remember it also has sugar—which can have the exact opposite effect and nourish the harmful bacteria in your gut.)
  • Fermented vegetables
  • Kefir
  • Kimchi
  • Kombucha
  • Lassi
  • Miso
  • Olives
  • Pickles (brine-cured--not vinegar)
  • Red wine
  • Sauerkraut
  • Sourdough breads
  • Tempeh
  • Yogurt
Plus polyphenols found in green tea, red wine, apples, onions and chocolate and the herb Panax ginseng (which is available at health food and supplement stores) also promote the growth of friendly flora!

4- Stress management
Chronic stress can damage the friendly flora in your gut too (and hence weaken your immune system). That’s why you seem to get sick during periods of high stress—your body can’t fight off illnesses as well.

If you find you’re frequently or constantly stressed, it’s time to do something about it. The following have been shown to be extremely helpful:
  • Don’t over-commit yourself. Learn to say no when your plate is already full, and make some “me-time” for yourself, even if it’s just a warm bath for 20 minutes.
  • If your job causes you stress and it doesn’t seem like it can or will get any better, consider looking for another job.
  • See a skilled therapist or counselor. Note I used the word “skilled”—if you’ve been seeing a therapist and they’re either not helping you or all they want to do is push drugs on you and rush you out the door, find another.
  • Exercise! Exercise is one of the cheapest and most effective forms of stress reduction. Find an exercise buddy to keep you motivated and keep it fun. Be sure to get your doctor’s nod of approval, especially if you haven’t exercised lately.
  • Reach into your inner spiritual side. Deep breathing, meditation, prayer and yoga are all VERY effective stress reducers.
Although the ineffectiveness of antibiotics and the resulting rise of the Superbugs can be a very scary reality that we face, remember you are NOT defenseless against them.

Because the more you concentrate on nourishing your body and strengthening the natural protection of your immune system, the better your overall health can be and the less you will have to worry about illness finding a home in YOU!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

PS: Always be sure to let your doctor or healthcare provider know what supplements you are taking.

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