Antibiotics: Friend or foe? Part II

Germs are becoming increasingly more resistant to our antibiotics, and as a result, stronger, more potentially dangerous antibiotics are necessitated. Keep in mind that any drug, whether by prescription or over the counter (OTC) has potentially serious side effects, and should be utilized only after researching the risks, including toxicity as a result of its consumption. Antibiotics - and OTC's, because they're given out like candy - often miss the scrutiny given to other medications by wise consumers, but pose potentially serious side effects when misused.

Antibiotics are prescriptive medications for good reasons. They are designed to kill. It is generally recognized that poisons designed to kill small organisms in small doses, can also kill large organisms in larger doses. Humans are larger organisms. Antonio V. Costantini, M.D. is the head of the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), a retired Clinical Professor at UC San Francisco, and author of the book "Fungalbionics." He said (citing the works of Bernstein and Ross) that after two or more months of penicillin and other antibiotic treatment, they saw "significantly increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in humans."

In "Clinical Evidence," 2000, research into the effectiveness of antibiotics for ear infections showed that kids taking antibiotics had twice the rate of adverse effects as the children who took placebos. Furthermore, the difference in outcome between the two study groups was nearly negligible. Meaning, the group taking the antibiotics and the group not taking them recovered at about the same rate. So the antibiotic group suffered unnecessary side effects! With so many alternatives to treating ear infections without side effects, why risk it?

Of the most common reasons for seeking medical help is for upper respiratory infections (URI's). These infections account for more than 70 percent of all antibiotic prescriptions, according to the "Annals of Internal Medicine," March 20, 2001. Not only are antibiotic prescriptions not effective for most acute onset sinus infections, because they are generally not bacterial (though later may become so), but, as Carol A. Kauffman, M.D., Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School points out, URI's are more fungal in nature. She is also Chief of the Infectious Diseases Section at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and considered a BioMed expert specializing in the treatment of serious mycoses and the epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant organisms.

While antibiotics don't work on fungal diseases, but are frequently given for that purpose, they contribute to yeast overgrowth. Dr. Kauffman in her works "There is Fungus Among Us" states the epidemiological trends in fungal infections: "Candidiasis [yeast infection] remains the leading fungal infection, but shifts in the species causing infection have occurred [making them more virile]; and increasing numbers of immunosuppressed patients are developing mold infections." These infections are showing up in the sinuses, bladder, vaginally, in the mouth and ears, and on the skin. Antibiotics not only are ineffective in treating mold/yeast/fungus infections, but also contribute to them, or at very least help them to proliferate within our bodies.

While there is an appropriate time and place for antibiotics, in Part III we will cover what antibiotics can potentially do to your body.

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 35 years of experience. She is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic. Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about her, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.