Germ warfare
Supergerms are on the rise, but powerful new antibiotics may not be the best solution
I’ve never really been that afraid of germs. As a kid, I went barefoot just about everywhere for as long as the weather (and my mother) would allow. And it wasn’t until relatively recently that I even gave a second thought to how many people before me touched the handle of the shopping cart, gas pump, and cash I take out of the ATM. That’s not to say I haven’t encountered my fair share of infections due to this somewhat cavalier attitude: Impetigo was one of my summer staples growing up, and I’ve had a few nasty bouts with the flu as an adult too. But despite the occasional setback, I don’t like to give germs the upper hand by cowering in the corner while they take over. Unfortunately, the so-called health “authorities” are doing their best to strike fear into the hearts of germ crusaders everywhere.
In fact, I just read an article proclaiming that, unless scientists start whipping up some extra-potent antibiotics on the double, “humans may lose the battle against bacteria.”
If there’s anything positive to come out of this article it’s that it does actually acknowledge the very serious issue of overuse and misuse of the antibiotics we do have available. It’s a problem that has largely contributed to the uprising of the antibiotic- resistant “superbugs” that have even the bravest bacteria-facers turning into born-again germophobes.
But what the article leaves out is that whipping up new batches of super-powerful antibiotics to strong arm the unruly bacteria could cause even more problems than it solves. First of all, even the “regular” antibiotics we have now can wreak havoc in your body, killing off all the good bacteria in your system along with the ones causing illness. The problem here is that those good bacteria help your immune system ward off invaders, so even though you’ve wiped out whatever bug is making you sick, you’ve also lowered your defenses against other bacteria stepping in and starting the vicious cycle all over again. And, remember, this is happening now, with our regular-strength antibiotics: Imagine the devastation the turbo-charged versions the “experts” are calling for could cause in your body.
But aside from the drawbacks of antibiotics themselves, what bothered me even more about this article — and the dozens of others like it I’ve seen over the past few months — is that it completely overlooked the natural bacteria-fighters we have available right now (unlike the next generation antibiotics that are still just theoretical). Many of these natural tools are just as powerful as any antibiotic, if not more so — and they’re all a whole lot easier on your system too.
In fact, in the May issue of Nutrition & Healing Dr. Wright began a two-part series on one of the most effective natural antibacterial treatments, ultraviolet light. In this month’s issue, he finishes up the article with some amazing case studies — some of them dating back to the 1930s — of people whose life-threatening infections were literally cured after just one dose of this therapy. It’s an issue you won’t want to miss, so be on the lookout (and if you’re not already a Nutrition & Healing subscriber, you can learn more about becoming one by visiting www.wrightnewsletter.com).
In the meantime, check out the September 2006 issue of Nutrition & Healing for detailed information on how to use one of the other natural infection-fighting standouts: silver. Subscribers can download the issue for free by visiting the website (listed above) and logging on to the Archives with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent newsletter.
Source:
“Humans may lose battle with bacteria, medicinal chemist’s research shows,” Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com), 4/24/08
