Many of you have been reading about the concern in the medical field in regards to infections that are becoming resistant to antibiotics. There are several books on the subject and the writers and researchers all point to the cause as the misuse or overuse of these drugs. There is another concern with the use of these drugs that hasn't made the press, but has been buried deep in the scientific literature for years. That concern is that antibiotics can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to infections spreading in your system. What I will present today is a research study from a hospital in Glasgow that I read about in the Health Alert Newsletter.

This hospital was having a severe problem with cross infection. (Cross infection is when the infection spreads from one area to another.) The doctors at this hospital decided to discontinue both the preventive and therapeutic use of antibiotics. They made this decision because they feared that the severe infection rate was the result of damage and weakness imparted to the patients via the drugs.

This is what happened when they stopped the antibiotics. There was an immediate decrease in chest and urinary cross infections. Within 30 days the cross infection between these two regions of the body dropped to ZERO. They reported that the incidence of all infections was reduced. Respiratory infection rate fell from 45% to 15%. The urinary infection rate fell from 21% to 8%.

The conclusion of the doctors at that hospital was that the primary cause of many infections most often attributed to germs or other causes was the misuse or overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. This study was done in 1971. There have been many similar studies done in this country and they seem to fall on deaf ears. There has hardly been a woman that I know who hasn't developed a yeast infection after using broad-spectrum antibiotics. How many of you have experienced a chest cold, gotten it treated by an antibiotic, and have then developed a urinary tract infection???

There are four main areas of over-prescribing of antibiotics.

1. Antibiotics for colds and viruses. (Remember, antibiotics destroy bacteria, not viruses.)
2. Long term antibiotic use for skin problems.
3. Prescribing of antibiotics for children with ear infections. (There are dozens of studies in the medical literature that say that this is ineffective, and can even be dangerous in the long run for your childs immune and digestive systems.)
4. The continued practice of prescribing broad-spectrum antibiotics for dental problems, hospitalizations, or surgeries.

Antibiotics are used so regularily in this country that it gives them an aura of safety. It's time to question how safe they really are, and to question the current standards of use of antibiotics. How many of you or your friends or family are prescribed antibiotics three or more times per year? In my opinion, if you or your children are getting prescribed antibiotics more than once every three to five years, then you or your children are either suffering from a compromised immune system, or you and your family need to improve your daily health habits. I have an excellent program to help rebuild your immune system if you feel yours been compromised.