Almost 30 years ago the US Surgeon General Testified before congress and said “it is time to close the book on infectious diseases”. Well we declared war on microbes and let me say this. They are winning. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are more and more common. The use of antibiotics has weakened our immune systems.
Why should we use Herbs and other natural remedies to fight infection when modern medicine is doing so well at it?
Antibiotics do not work on Viral or Fungal infections. Sure antibiotics may kill bacteria. But many only work on specific bacteria. They tend to be over used in many cases with little or no benefit.
Many Natural Remedies are antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. They can be effective in many cases where antibiotics are not, such as: Colds and Flu, Sinus and respiratory infections, Sore throats, Ear aches and Bronchitis.
Antibiotics have side effects due largely to the disruption of friendly flora. Herbs and friendly flora get along quite nicely. Bacteria tend to develop resistance to antibiotics. This leads to antibacterial resistant strains of bacteria. This leads to some diseases believed to have been conquered reappearing. Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria and childhood ear infections are now more difficult to treat than they were a few decades ago.
Bacteria are very clever. When exposed to antibiotics that wipe out 90% of their population the remaining 10% adapt and form new colonies that can live in the presence of the antibiotic. (From” Beyond Antibiotics” 2009, Michael A. Schmidt, PhD,North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA)
Harvard professor and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Walter Gilbert most recently warned, “There may be a time down the road when 80 percent to 90 percent of infections will be resistant to all known antibiotics”. Scary to say the least.
Herbs and natural remedies get good grades. Here’s why. Natural remedies are very complex and their chemical nature varies slightly from year to year that they are grown. This prevents microbes from developing resistance to them. Hmmm? That brings up another point. Antibiotics just kill microbes. They do not strengthen your natural immune system. In fact Antibiotics actually weaken your immune system by disrupting the friendly flora.
Don’t get me wrong here. Antibiotics have their place in fighting disease. During cases of serious illness or post-surgical infections they can be very effective. But they do tend to be over used for common illnesses. This is where Herbal Remedies can be used more effectively.
What are some of these antibacterial Herbs and Remedies? Hi-Potency Garlic comes to mind as well as Echinacea/Goldenseal. For viral infections Elderberry D3fense is very good it contains: Elderberry fruit extract, Echinacea purpurea, vitamin D3, Willow Bark extract, olive leaf extract and Royal Jelly.
Pure colloidal silver is an excellent thing to take in liquid form. This is a broad spectrum antibacterial and antiviral agent that supports the immune system. It is Non-toxic (does not accumulate in the kidneys or cause heavy metal contamination) It also does not destroy beneficial bacteria on the colon like many Pharmaceutical Antibiotics. This product is usually also available in a Gel Form for topical use.
I use this on my Dog Toby. He is 12 years old and gets sores and other things on his body. This does a great job!
Another Great Topical antiseptic that also speeds tissue healing is Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil. Great for wounds and injuries to prevent infection.
Remember Microbes are very, very clever. Some strains produce spores that allow them to survive extreme conditions. It’s no wonder health experts call them “superbugs”.
Jack A Erb
