Antiobiotics
Weaken Immunity
by Jane
Sheppard
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Antiobiotics
Weaken Immunity |
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Antiobiotics
Weaken Immunity
Unfortunately, for a long time now, doctors have been prescribing antibiotics excessively and indiscriminately. The Center for Disease Control estimates that of the 235 million doses of antibiotics given each year, between 20 and 50 percent are unnecessary. These are drugs that can undermine our children’s health and impair their immune systems. If you want your children to stay well with strong immunity, keep them off of antibiotics whenever possible. Antibiotic misuse is most likely to occur in children with ear infections (otitis media), the number one reason a child is brought to a doctor. Antibiotic therapy is the most common treatment of ear infections by doctors in the U.S. A report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ 2000) suggests that children may not always need antibiotics to treat an ear infection. Researchers found that nearly two-thirds of children with uncomplicated ear infections recover from pain and fever within 24 hours of diagnosis without antibiotic treatment. Over 80% recover fully within 1 to 7 days. Other countries do not always treat ear infections with drugs at the first sign of infection. The norm is to watch and see how the infection progresses over the course of a few days (AHRQ 2000). The purpose of antibiotics is to kill harmful bacteria. Otitis media means
middle ear inflammation - not necessarily bacterial infection. Many cases are
caused by viruses or allergies, particularly to milk and dairy products. Of the
cases of otitis media that do not respond to antibiotics, it’s been found that
in up to 70 percent of these cases, there are no harmful bacteria (Schmidt 1990,
Skoner 1988). In these cases, antibiotics are useless and damaging to the immune
system. Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus, is commonly found in the nose and throat. This bacterium is thought to be responsible for many cases of ear infections, which is why antibiotics are prescribed. However, your child can have pneumococcus and not be sick. It usually causes trouble if it gets trapped in the middle ear. Once trapped, the bacteria can reproduce rapidly and become an infection. This scenario could be the result of an allergic reaction to a certain food, which can cause congestion as well as significant pressure changes and obstruction to the eustachian tube of the ear. In the case of an allergy induced ear infection, eliminating the allergen
from a child’s diet or environment will also eliminate the obstruction, allowing
the bacterial fluid to drain. Antibiotics may kill the bacteria and stop the
present infection, but if an allergic child continues to be exposed to the
allergen, repeat ear infections are likely to occur. Some children spend months or even years on antibiotics, with recurring ear infections. Research has shown that when antibiotics are used at the beginning of an ear infection, the frequency of recurrence may be almost three times greater than if antibiotics are delayed or not used (Schmidt 1990, Diamant 1974). A truly disturbing practice is the prescribing of antibiotics by some doctors to treat colds, coughs, runny noses or flu. Most upper respiratory infections are viral. Treating them with antibiotics is clear misuse, since the drugs kill only bacteria and are of no value at all in treating viral infections. There are treatments that can relieve the symptoms of a cold, but there is no drug (over-the-counter or prescription) that will cure a cold. There are, however, natural treatments that work very well by strengthening the immune system to effectively deal with a cold. Antibiotics do not just go after the pathogenic or “bad” bacteria. They also indiscriminately destroy the beneficial or “friendly” bacteria that are necessary and vital to good health. Beneficial bacteria exist in the intestines for the purpose of digestion, manufacturing vitamins, and keeping the pathogenic bacteria in check. Among the more important beneficial bacteria are lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidus. They help protect the body against infection. Depleting these organisms can disrupt the balance of the body and lead to suppressed immunity, bowel problems, poor digestion, poor nutrient absorption, malnutrition, and yeast over-growth diseases such as thrush and vaginitis. In addition to reducing absorption of nutrients, antibiotics can cause important vitamins and minerals to be lost from the body, which can weaken immunity. One of the most common side effects of antibiotics is diarrhea. This can cause a loss of nutrients, especially magnesium and zinc. Some children are on antibiotics for months or even years. Nutritional loss over such a long period of time is debilitating for the body and sets up an environment for more infections. Think twice before accepting antibiotics as treatment for acne. Adolescents treated with long-term antibiotics for acne are prone to poor health during the treatment and later in their teens and 20s. Common health problems from long-term antibiotics include gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, itching, allergies, chronic congestion, bloated abdomen, poor mental concentration and memory, chronic vaginal yeast infections and bladder infections. A very frightening consequence of indiscriminate use of antibiotics is the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These bacteria have “learned” to outsmart the drugs and have reproduced a generation of stronger, more resistant bugs. Consequently, there are some serious infectious diseases that are no longer responding to antibiotics. If an infection does respond, it often requires much more of the drug that used to be effective. In the event of a serious bacterial infection, such as meningitis, a much higher dosage of antibiotic may be required or a doctor may have to try different drugs before finding one that will work. The time this takes can potentially be a matter of life or death, since meningitis can be fatal and needs to be treated immediately. Eating commercially raised meat can increase the risk of drug-resistant infections. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are commonly found in meat since antibiotics are routinely given to chickens, pigs and cattle to prevent illness and to promote growth. Resistant strains of salmonella are common in ground meats (White 2001). After eating meat, drug-resistant bacteria can survive in the human intestine for up to 14 days, where they could multiply and potentially cause drug-resistant infections (Sorensen 2001). What else is your child ingesting with the antibiotic? Sweeteners, dyes, flavorings, and other unnamed additives are found in antibiotics prescribed to children. These may include saccharin, sucrose, red dye #40, FD & C yellow #5 and #6. These dyes are cross-reactive with aspirin and acetaminophen, which are commonly given to a child during an illness (Schmidt 1994). Even tiny amounts of the chemical additives in antibiotics can cause an
allergic reaction in a sensitive child. It’s important to always get a full
disclosure of the contents of the drug being considered if your child has
allergies or environ-mental sensitivity. Ask the pharmacist for the insert that
comes with the medication. Works
Cited © Copyright 2004 Jane Sheppard Jane Sheppard is the editor of Healthy Child Online and the Executive Director of the Holistic Pediatric Association. Jane helps to empower parents with the information they need to make informed choices to protect the health of their children. She is the author of Super Healthy Kids: Strengthening Your Child’s Resistance to Disease, available at www.healthychild.com. For over ten years, Jane has extensively researched childhood vaccinations, strengthening immunity, and holistic health for children. She is raising her daughter naturally and holistically - free from antibiotics and vaccines.is the director of the Ideal Lives Project, "Connecting Advocates with Answers". www.IdealLives.com Sponsor Products:
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Antibiotics have saved many lives over the past 50 years. We are truly
fortunate to have them available for life-threatening bacterial infections.