Increase in the Rate of antibiotic-resistant Infections vs. Effective Herbal Antibiotics

During the Second World War, the invention of “penicillin” was revolutionary in modern medicine. But the excessive use of antibiotics over time has led to development of many powerful antibiotic resistant bacteria and infections.

Every year just about 1.7 million people are affected by infections and over 100,000 people die in the US alone because of infections they acquired in hospitals and health clinics. In fact, hospital-acquired resistant infections are the fourth leading cause of death in the US. In fact, in many cases where people are hospitalized for heart disease, cancer or accidents, these individuals end up dying from infections acquired at the hospital as a result of the increase of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. This applies to both patients in US as well as patients in other countries. As a matter of fact, Marc Lappe, the researcher and pathologist in his book “when antibiotics fail” points out that “the period once called the Age of Miracle Drug is now dead”.

What causes the increase in bacterial resistance?

After the WW2, the use of antibiotics became very common and every day newer and stronger antibiotics were discovered. Some scientists and researchers among them the founder of penicillin, Alexander Fleming in an article in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology pointed out that numerous bacteria were already resistant to penicillin. Additionally, Fleming in his interview with the New York Times in 1945 pointed out that improper use of penicillin will eventually result in development of new bacteria and pathogens.

Few years later, Fleming prophecy about the development of new antibiotic-resistant bacteria came true. During his interview, only 14% of bacteria were resistant to penicillin, few years later by 1953, 60-80% of bacteria had already become resistant and in 1995, almost 95% of staph bacteria were resistant to penicillin. With the increase in the rate of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, scientists continued to invent stronger antibiotics such as beta-lactam and methicillin that were effective against bacteria strains that were already resistant to penicillin. But unfortunately this did not last long and by1999 the first new staph strain resistant to all commercial antibiotics was discovered.

Within the first few decades after the invention of “penicillin, many biologists had estimated that the evolution in bacteria happens at a very low rate from unstable, unpredictable mutations. To them the idea that only within 60 years since the introduction of antibiotics, bacteria could become significantly resistant to antibiotics sounded ridiculous. But not anymore. Scientists are now well-aware that bacteria can mutate radically and quickly and therefore unaffected by antibiotics, in a very short period of time.

What’s making it even worse?

Among many threats, bacteria organisms have had to protect themselves against antibacterial substances that had already existed in nature, long before human beings ever existed. And the antibiotics discovered by scientists came originally from fungi, which themselves were among the very first few antibacterial substances that bacteria organism had already encountered. If we could restrain the use of antibiotics, maybe the problem wouldn’t have become uncontrollable.

But the fact is that antibiotics are much more prescribed today by doctors than 15 years ago. The reason for this is that many patients ask their doctors to give them antibiotics while having cold or other infections that are virus based. Viruses are very different than bacteria. Antibiotics work against bacteria but not viruses and are in fact totally ineffective against viruses. Patients however often request antibiotics and their doctors, who know that antibiotics do not help against the common cold or other viruses, are willing to oblige and prescribe antibiotics.

This leads to the excessive use of antibiotics and hence reduction of its effectiveness over time. But inappropriate prescription is not the only place where our bodies are exposed to antibiotics. In the past decade, Monsanto’s rBGH growth hormones are injected into cattle and other livestock for the purpose of increasing both meat and dairy production. This often causes painful udder infections in most cows. In order to ease the pain of udder infection, the livestock are injected with antibiotics. People who consume rBGH hormone and antibiotics injected meats or dairy develop resistance to antibiotics. This in effect reduce their immune system in addition to the fact that rBGH growth hormones have also been linked to breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

Are all bacteria organisms the same?

Herbal Antibiotics

More and more people are becoming aware to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. Using herbal medicines can heal and prevent many diseases and the following information can help you to treat an infection with effective herbal antibiotics. In fact Stephen Harrod Buhner, the author of “herbal medicine” has divided the antibacterial herbs into three main categories:

Systemic antibacterial:

Non-Systemic or Localized Herbs:

Facilitative or Synergistic Herbs: