Posted on 04/23/2014 11:22:23 AM PDT by posterchild
LESS THAN A CENTURY AGO, the age-old evolutionary relationship between humans and microbes was transformed not by a gene, but by an idea. The antibiotic revolution inaugurated the era of modern medicine, trivializing once-deadly infections and paving the way for medical breakthroughs: organ transplants and chemotherapy would be impossible without the ability to eliminate harmful bacteria seemingly at will.
But perhaps every revolution contains the seeds for its own undoing, and antibiotics are no exception: antibiotic resistance—the rise of bacteria impervious to the new “cure”—has followed hard on the heels of each miracle drug. Recently, signs have arisen that the ancient relationship between humans and bacteria is ripe for another change. New drugs are scarce, but resistant bacteria are plentiful. Every year, in the United States alone, they cause two million serious illnesses and 23,000 deaths, reflected in an estimated $20 billion in additional medical costs. “For a long time, there have been newspaper stories and covers of magazines that talked about ‘The end of antibiotics, question mark,’” said one official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on PBS’s Frontline last year. “Well, now I would say you can change the title to ‘The end of antibiotics, period.’”
(Excerpt) Read more at harvardmagazine.com ...
Before antibiotics were developed, colloidal sliver was used with great success.
Superbugs will end the sexual revolution.
The first bacteria to die with antibiotics are always the weakest organisms. When you stop taking the antibiotic after a few days, the strongest bacteria are left to survive and thrive.
Please see post 4 for the 1st order reason for this problem.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3147778/posts?page=4#4
Essential oils also kill super bacteria - I’ve used them to fight infections. But yes, I agree people not taking them properly has not helped!
I’ve had lyme disease twice (both times caught before 30 days). The first go around I was placed on some fairly strong antibiotics for 14 days and it cleared me up; but those pills were STRONG and messed my stomach up. The second time, same regimen only this time it was’nt working as effectively so I was placed on stronger meds. Sure enough, cleared up and tested negative but this time I was catching “colds” easier and my stomach didn’t settle down for a couple months. Took me a good three months to “get back to normal”.
Point of the story is if people don’t take their full and complete script they will have to double down with even stronger meds and those meds can clear out the “good” bacteria in us as well as the bad. These days I check for ticks at every turn as I don’t want a third round of lyme.
It’s important to look at fighting pathogens from the point of view of the different techniques that can be used against them.
The focus of medicine for a long time has been to kill pathogens, to the point of ignoring other techniques that are complementary to that.
One of these alternatives is surprising: deny the pathogens the physical space to reproduce. There is a continual “space race” between microorganisms, and if there are enough healthy bacteria to fill the space, the pathogens cannot set up a colony, an infection.
Importantly, a lot of bacteria don’t like competition on their turf, so actively try to drive it off or kill it. So they work on your behalf.
Ratioale for antibiotic resistance is simple. Culture & sensitivity used to be drawn prior to antibiotic treatment. This stopped being standard protocol. So, often wrong/ineffective antibiotic prescribed.
EPIC patient failure!
A ten day prescription may not be enough for some super bugs such as MRSA.
I was hospitalized in Serious condition in August 2009 with a pretty bad case of MRSA that started in my armpit. When I was discharged I was given a ten day supply of antibiotics and I completed the regimen as prescribed. The MRSA came back four times and each time I received a ten day prescription of antibiotics.
Finally, on the fourth recurrence, my Primary Care Physician told me that ten days was not enough. He prescribed three different antibiotics, two of them for 30 days. After the 30 days I was finally clear of the MRSA and have not had a problem since.
What an excellent suggestion - especially after a stressful day ;)
“Superbugs will end the sexual revolution.”
Fair enough, given that the sexual revolution and gay sex, in particular, coupled with the chronically-ill HIV+ perverts, were the primary incubators for the superbugs in the first place.
“We always hear about doctors over-prescribing antibiotics. However, an under-reported, big and dangerous reason for resistant bacterial infections is patient failure to complete the full prescription for 7, 10, or 14 days. People start to feel better after a few days, then save the rest of the pills for next time they feel sick.”
How about eating antibiotic laden meat products for decades.
“Finally, on the fourth recurrence, my Primary Care Physician told me that ten days was not enough. He prescribed three different antibiotics, two of them for 30 days. After the 30 days I was finally clear of the MRSA and have not had a problem since.”
Chances are you still colonize it in your body. Be attentive to when you get very sick with a cold or flu or heavily run down. It can spring up again.
My dad had this issue after heart surgery and was prescribed 5 weeks of daily IV antibiotics for it.
My son had MRSA that required two rounds of hospital grade antibiotics. I never saw pills like this before. A blue horse pill and a red horse pill. Thought I was in the matrix.
One he took for 15 days. The other or 30 days.
There’s always phage therapy.
The discovery of the benefits of colloidal silver was in the early 20’s, and anti-biotics were first developed between 1923 and 1928. Which one do you think would make the inventors more money?
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