Are Antibiotics Killing You?Written by John Bremner
Are Antibiotics Killing You? by John BremnerThank god for doctors and for antibiotics. They save millions of lives every year, but there is a dark side to use of antibiotics that is not quite so well known. For example, did you know that there is a commonly used antibiotic that can kill, like ecstasy, on very first dose you take? The trouble with antibiotics is that they are just so good at what they do, that we start begging for antibiotics as soon as we get ill, and doctors who are already under huge pressures at work just don’t have time to argue. It’s easier to give in, and as likely as not antibiotic will do job, and not kill you. Side-effects However, most antibiotics have some adverse effects, and side-effects of some commonly used antibiotics can be very dangerous. Plus, bugs that typically affect us are growing more and more resistant to antibiotics, with result that there are now E.coli bugs, like potentially deadly strain, 0157:H7 that are resistant to almost everything medically available, including broad-spectrum antibiotics. If that’s not enough to make you think twice, there is also effect that antibiotics have on your immune system. When your body defeats an attack by a bug it becomes stronger, and will probably always defeat that bug. However, every time you take a course of antibiotics, you are taking away your immune system’s power. The dilemma is that you may need to take them to save your life, for example if your kidney is compromised by a bacterial infection. But once you’ve taken broad-spectrum antibiotics, and they no longer work for you, your options become extremely limited. Doctors end up having to prescribe huge doses of antibiotics with cumulative side-effects so dangerous that you may suffer for rest of your life as a result. Not to mention damage to your immune system. Cost of Treatment and How you are Affected The bugs that affect us mutate so often that no two infections are same. This means that antibiotics should ideally be tested against a laboratory grown culture of your infection to see which will be most effective. Using a targeted antibiotic that has been tested to see if it kills your particular infection is like using a ‘magic bullet’. It will be highly effective, and have fewer side-effects than a broad-spectrum antibiotic. However, this is expensive. It is cheaper for doctor to prescribe an antibiotic that is known to be fairly effective against most typical infections that cause similar symptoms to those you are experiencing. The results won’t be as good as a targeted antibiotic, side-effects will probably be worse, and one in five people will probably still have infection after six weeks because of this strategy, but it’s a less expensive option for NHS than having to pay for detailed lab tests. It’s also faster to treat you this way, so if it works for you, you are one less patient to have to deal with next week. The Dangers As an example of dangers of broad-spectrum treatment, some of side-effects of fluoroquinolene based antibiotics often used against resistant infections include joint pain and tendon tearing, fluorodosis (fluorine poisoning) heart attack, heart murmur, palpitations, angina, cerebral thrombosis, sudden death on first dose, liver failure, jaundice, gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhoea, ulcerative colitis, burst intestine, vomiting, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, anaphylactic shock, skin dying or falling off, dermatitis, vasculitis, angioedema, swelling of lips, eyes, or face, fever, chills, lupus, and going purple. According to Drug Watch, adverse affects are reported by 35% of women using antibiotics. While it’s true that most people don’t have more severe side-effects, if you are one of unlucky ones, you can be permanently damaged. Fluorodosis, for example, causes severe joint pains, as your body tries to deal with excess fluorine in your system by depositing it on your bones and joints. It’s also very difficult to treat, and doctors often mistake symptoms for arthritis.
| | Backing up your healthy lifestyleWritten by Kurt Larsson
For us boomers, back problems seem to be epidemic that it almost seems chic to suffer. Yet, using common sense and a few simple techniques can go a long way towards making you and your back feel better. Below are a few of these ideas and how they helped transform a nasty ski accident into, among other things, a stronger, healthier and more flexible back.A number of years before my skis stopped before I did, I started practicing a form of body work called Body Harmony®. Being an international sales manger with an incredible thirst to understand us humans better, I saw bodywork as a way to go beyond intellectual bottle-neck of our "knowledge based society". Beyond obvious professional benefits of better “buy signal recognition”, I realized I might even get a bit healthier from this learning process. I did! Don McFarland, Body Harmony’s founder, taught us various healing methods based upon little more than compassion, common sense and daring to gently touch a fellow human. Having gotten good grades in High School biology, I already "knew" what he was talking about. Yet, with his “hands-on” demonstrations”, it became apparent that these were viable alternatives to remedies available from local drug store. A gentle, inquisitive touch was a lot longer lasting, non-addictive and a lot more fun to apply! We learned simple breathing techniques; combined them with a compassionate and curious touch that always ended up bringing a smile to our faces and a laugh from our hearts. Upon reflection, I cannot think of one pill or shot I have taken that gave me same healing effect. One day I was skiing down a rather icy slope trying to catch up with some of "the guys" when my skis stopped and I didn't. My head flew straight forward while my feet broke loose from bindings. In sort of a forced forward roll, I landed on my head just past top of my skull and then, as if in slow motion, I heard every piece of cartilage between each vertebrae in my upper back go “pop, pop, pop, pop”! It was incredible how calm it felt for first few milliseconds after I came to rest. Like a good boy scout, I immediately checked my fingers and toes to see if there was movement and, thank heavens, there was. Then I started breathing like I had learned with my bodywork and have yet to stop! Figuring everything was all right and knowing my friends would be waiting for me, I attempted to get up. I hope I never again have to feel kind of pain I felt when I tried to stand up. After a ride on backboard to local infirmary I was given an X-Ray. When slides were developed, there was serious concern about a dark spot on second neck vertebra. In Doctor’s professional opinion, it looked broken. With that concern, I was immediately taken by ambulance to regional hospital 70 miles away. During journey, I was offered morphine and in retrospect it would have been interesting to experience that. It might have even changed my opinion about shots and their ability to produce smiles... But instead, I went back to my breathing and healing techniques plus experiencing where pain was and how it felt. 12 hours after first X-rays were taken second set came back. These no longer showed any signs of dark spot or any breakage at all! Even so, I was bedridden for next six weeks anyway with a very stretched and sore trapezius muscle. I kept practicing my healing techniques. To make a long story short, I now have more movement and flexibility in my shoulders and neck than I had before accident and in process have become keenly aware of how stiff most of us are in this area of our bodies. Funny enough, I now also do not have same stressed feeling about all shoulds and needs in my life. Have you ever thought about that word shoulder comes from word should? I urge you to look around at your fellow man and if you dare, peek in mirror. See if you don't see same connection between stiffness in your upper back and amount of shoulds, musts and have tos in your life.
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