Are Antibiotics Killing You?

Written by John Bremner


Are Antibiotics Killing You? by John Bremner

Thank god for doctors and for antibiotics. They save millions of lives every year, but there is a dark side torepparttar 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, onrepparttar 115302 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 haverepparttar 115303 time to argue. It’s easier to give in, and as likely as notrepparttar 115304 antibiotic will dorepparttar 115305 job, and not kill you.

Side-effects However, most antibiotics have some adverse effects, andrepparttar 115306 side-effects of some commonly used antibiotics can be very dangerous. Plus,repparttar 115307 bugs that typically affect us are growing more and more resistant to antibiotics, withrepparttar 115308 result that there are now E.coli bugs, likerepparttar 115309 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 alsorepparttar 115310 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 forrepparttar 115311 rest of your life as a result. Not to mentionrepparttar 115312 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 arerepparttar 115313 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 forrepparttar 115314 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,repparttar 115315 side-effects will probably be worse, and one in five people will probably still haverepparttar 115316 infection after six weeks because of this strategy, but it’s a less expensive option forrepparttar 115317 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 ofrepparttar 115318 dangers of broad-spectrum treatment, some ofrepparttar 115319 side-effects ofrepparttar 115320 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 ofrepparttar 115321 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 haverepparttar 115322 more severe side-effects, if you are one ofrepparttar 115323 unlucky ones, you can be permanently damaged. Fluorodosis, for example, causes severe joint pains, as your body tries to deal withrepparttar 115324 excess fluorine in your system by depositing it on your bones and joints. It’s also very difficult to treat, and doctors often mistakerepparttar 115325 symptoms for arthritis.

Backing up your healthy lifestyle

Written 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 beyondrepparttar intellectual bottle-neck of our "knowledge based society". Beyondrepparttar 115301 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 torepparttar 115302 remedies available fromrepparttar 115303 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 merepparttar 115304 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 fromrepparttar 115305 bindings. In sort of a forced forward roll, I landed on my head just pastrepparttar 115306 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 forrepparttar 115307 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 feelrepparttar 115308 kind of pain I felt when I tried to stand up.

After a ride onrepparttar 115309 backboard torepparttar 115310 local infirmary I was given an X-Ray. Whenrepparttar 115311 slides were developed, there was serious concern about a dark spot onrepparttar 115312 second neck vertebra. Inrepparttar 115313 Doctor’s professional opinion, it looked broken. With that concern, I was immediately taken by ambulance torepparttar 115314 regional hospital 70 miles away. Duringrepparttar 115315 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 whererepparttar 115316 pain was and how it felt.

12 hours afterrepparttar 115317 first X-rays were takenrepparttar 115318 second set came back. These no longer showed any signs ofrepparttar 115319 dark spot or any breakage at all! Even so, I was bedridden forrepparttar 115320 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 beforerepparttar 115321 accident and inrepparttar 115322 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 haverepparttar 115323 same stressed feeling about allrepparttar 115324 shoulds and needs in my life. Have you ever thought about thatrepparttar 115325 word shoulder comes fromrepparttar 115326 word should? I urge you to look around at your fellow man and if you dare, peek inrepparttar 115327 mirror. See if you don't seerepparttar 115328 same connection betweenrepparttar 115329 stiffness in your upper back andrepparttar 115330 amount of shoulds, musts and have tos in your life.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use