The dangers of antibiotics in our modern society cannot be overstated.
Over the last several decades, over-use of antibiotics has reached an all-time high. The result has been drug-resistant bacteria and “superbugs” that evolve faster than scientists can figure out how to fight them.
A future where bacteria are at the top of the food chain is not science fiction. It could very well end up as our reality within the next two decades.
Dangers of Antibiotics Impact Children’s Gut Health
New research from Aalto University in Finland followed more than 1,000 children with the DIABIMMUNE project and tracked their overall gastrointestinal health in relation to antibiotic use. Several universities assisted Aalto with the research including Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital.
“We found that the microbial community of antibiotic-treated children is less stable and less diverse. Children who received multiple antibiotic treatments had many more single-strain species, whereas children who never got any antibiotics had more diverse species,” explained postdoctoral fellow with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Dr. Moran Yassour.
In adults and children, the dangers of antibiotics are drastically changing the crucial gut microbiome balance of healthy bacteria required to keep you healthy. The drugs wipe out the colonization of healthy flora and leave you vulnerable to infections and serious illness.
Professor Mikael Knip with the University of Helsinki stated at some treatments (like antibiotics), “Have an effect on early childhood microbial populations can make children prone to long-term illnesses that manifest themselves later on, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, and obesity.”
The first three years of a child’s life are crucial to developing a strong microbiota community and this is also the time period where many children receive multiple doses of antibiotics.
These helpful gut florae determine immunity, metabolism, and nutrient absorption that children carry with them to adulthood. This increases the risk that populations become more likely to develop and spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“If the intestinal microbiota is healthy, the resistant bacteria are not usually able to multiply because they do not find a niche in the ecology. However, during antibiotic treatment other bacteria are killed and resistant bacteria can proliferate freely,” explained doctoral candidate Tommi Vatanen with Aalto University. “There is also the risk that certain pathogens gain resistance implicating that the diseases caused by them will become very hard to treat. This is what is being referred when people talk of hospital bacteria.”
There’s Another Way
Long before there were pharmaceutical antibiotics (developed in the 1940s), there were foods and herbs that helped guard against infection and disease on a daily basis. Many of these natural defenders are still in use today with holistic healers around the globe.
Don’t wait until you get sick or discover drugs don’t work on whatever strain of virus or disease you have before you start building up your immune system.
These foods and herbs haven’t lost their ability to fight bacteria. Bugs do not become immune or resistant to them. From hundreds of years ago to our modern time, what worked then still works.
Astringent foods naturally cleanse your blood without harmful side effects or upsetting the delicate balance of good bacteria in your body.
Five Natural Antibiotics You Probably Have in Your Kitchen Right Now!
1. Garlic: Raw garlic when crushed or chewed contains a compound called allicin – which has similar properties to penicillin. This superfood member of the onion family is antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal, and antioxidant (mopping up free radicals that have been proven to cause cancer).
2. Honey: An enzyme found in honey releases hydrogen peroxide. This process helps your body fight infection and prevents the growth of bacteria. Soothing to the digestive system, honey removes toxins from the blood and helps your liver operate more efficiently. A great boost to the immune system, consider combining honey with cinnamon to strengthen your white blood cells! Raw, organic honey is the best option since most pasteurization methods kills the antioxidant effects.
3. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV): The far-reaching benefits of daily doses of apple cider vinegar (ACV) include antibiotic and antiseptic properties, naturally alkalizing your system, and can aid you in everything from managing your weight to lowering cholesterol and your risk of cancer. A chemical-free astringent, ACV can be used topically to disinfect and sterilize.
4. Fermented Foods: Probiotics are one of the most incredible discoveries in the last decade. They work to boost and preserve the natural gut flora (good bacteria) found in your digestive system. Research has proven that a balanced gut is one of the keys to overall wellness and cancer prevention. Fermented foods are packed with antioxidants and microorganisms that your body processes far better than supplements. Unpasteurized sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, raw pickles, probiotic yogurt, and kimchi (a Korean cabbage dish) are excellent ways to improve the balance in your intestines.
5. Oil of Oregano: Oil of oregano is considered anti-microbial, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. It can be used internally and externally in the treatment of wounds, respiratory problems, digestive upset, and even the common cold. Packed with antioxidants known as phenols and flavonoids, it heals but also strengthens your immune system. Allspice, thyme, cinnamon, basil, rosemary, turmeric, cayenne, chili peppers, cloves, ginger, anise, mustard seed, and fennel are just a few natural herbs you should consider adding to your daily diet. Some are available in essential oils that increase their healing power.
Prescribed antibiotics are dangerous. They should only be utilized in emergencies – not for every cold or small infection.
They kill all bacteria. The good as well as the bad. This leaves your body stripped of its natural ability to fight infection and ward off illness. In most cases, your body can heal itself if you give it the right tools. By adding these natural food medicines to your life, you can actively work to keep your body healthy and in balance.
Natural antibiotics aren’t for everyone so research and discover the right foods that work for your personal situation. Read your labels and if you’re allergic, don’t include that food item!
Find out more about how you can limit (or eliminate) the dangers of antibiotics from your life and the life of your children. Read my book “How To Survive in a World Without Antibiotics” right now!