Antibiotics: The Abused Drug
The Drug Mentality
We have a culture addicted to drugs, over the counter drugs. At least half of all Americans take one prescription drug. One in six Americans are taking three or more medications (according to the Department of Health and Human Services). When patients go to a doctor they expect to get some sort of drug to solve their health problem. Some times this is necessary, but most of the time it is not. Drugs are abused. Antibiotics are one of those abused drugs.
Bacteria Killer
There is no doubt that antibiotics have saved many lives over the years. When they are used properly, antibiotics are crucial to stopping infections in our bodies. The problem is they have become like a crutch. They are prescribed for almost every disease as sort of a precautionary measure, even when it is not needed. What’s the problem with this? First you need to understand what antibiotics do. Antibiotics kill all bacteria, good or bad. Good bacteria? Yes, if it weren’t for the good bacteria we get from eating natural foods our body wouldn’t be able to function properly.
The Atomic Bomb
Think of antibiotics kind of like an atomic bomb. Let’s say your body is a fortress, a strong well-defended fortress. The good bacteria in your body are like the people inside the fortress defending the fortress as well as carrying on the everyday business of keeping a fortress clean and healthy. The men on the watchtower see an enemy force approaching, let’s call this the bad bacteria which causes disease and infection. At the first sign of attack, the commander decides to deploy the secret weapon – the atomic bomb (antibiotic). So they drop a nuke on the whole fortress. This kills all of the invaders, but sadly it killed all the people inside the fortress too. So we’re left with an empty fortress. True, it is still a fortress but an empty one. That’s what happens when you take an antibiotic. You kill all the bacteria in your body. That means you kill even the good bacteria which is performing necessary functions in your body. Sometimes these measures are needed so that your body can survive. But most of the time these antibiotics are used even when they are unnecessary, killing everything. In addition to this, bacteria has the ability to adapt, and every time an antibiotic is used the bad bacteria adapts to overcome it. So more powerful antibiotics are invented which kill even more. This becomes a vicious cycle.
Misuses of Antibiotics
Here are the main misuses of antibiotics.
• Colds and Viruses - antibiotics kill bacterial infections not viral infections
• Long-term therapy for skin problems – most of the time this doesn’t cure the problem, it just prolongs it
In most cases, it is healthier to let your body heal itself. Abusing antibiotics just lowers your defenses for the next attack. But by letting your body fight off the bad bacteria you get stronger defenses and immunity.
Food is Medicine
So if antibiotics are so bad what can you do to fight off bad bacteria? There are foods and supplements which are prebiotic, which means they support the growth of the good bacteria which will fight off the bad. In this way you are adding more defenders instead of killing everything in sight. This will give you a well-defended, balanced body. So when you feel an illness coming on, take high doses of things like,
• Garlic
• Lemon
• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• Cumin
• Cayenne Pepper
• Onions
You must realize that these might take a little longer to cure you. The reason for this is that your body is fighting off the virus or bacteria but is also becoming stronger and more immune to it. Essentially what you’re doing by taking antibiotics is weakening your body and strengthening the bacterial strains. Wouldn’t you rather be strengthening your body’s defense by eating the right foods?
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