In my opinion, antibiotics are not only harmful, but are in place not to prevent disease, but to create it. As you can tell by the following article from Dr Mercola, He doesn't think all that much of them either. And he is a medical doctor.
Antibiotics: A Prescription for Trouble
Under the right circumstances, antibiotics are very effective and necessary. That said, I believe they are vastly overused.
About 95 percent of the time, antibiotic prescriptions are totally unnecessary, and can be harmful.
According to Doug Kaufmann, author of The Fungus Link:
“Simply put, antibiotics are poisons that are used to kill ... I contend that poisons that kill small organisms in small doses—organism-specific varieties notwithstanding — can also kill big organisms, when they are taken in big doses. You, my friend, are a big organism."
Every time you swallow antibiotics, you kill beneficial bacteria in your intestines, upsetting the delicate balance of your intestinal terrain. This can lead to a syndrome called “Leaky Gut Syndrome” whereby your intestinal wall is damaged, interfering with how your body absorbs nutrients and filters out waste and toxins.
Leaky Gut Syndrome can lead to a whole host of illnesses.
However, taking the antibiotics your physician prescribes is not the ONLY way you are getting them. Antibiotics may be the mystery ingredient in your Chicken Kiev and a common and typically vastly underappreciated way in which you can be exposed to them..
Most Antibiotics in the US Used for Farm Animals
As much as 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U. S. are fed to chickens, cattle and hogs — not to treat disease but to make them grow faster. This increases profit margins for livestock producers, but it puts YOUR health at risk.
Animals are fed low doses of antibiotics, killing off some of the animals’ bacteria. Meanwhile, the stronger, more resistant bacteria survive, multiply, and pass on their strength and resistance to future generations.
A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 70 percent of antibiotics used in this country are given to animals for growth promotion and other non-medical uses. This negligent practice is largely responsible for the potent strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria we are seeing today.
According to a 2009 University of Iowa study, 70 percent of hogs and 64 percent of workers in industrial animal confinements tested positive for the antibiotic resistant strain of MRSA. The study pointed out that, once MRSA is introduced, it could spread broadly to other swine and their caretakers, as well as to their families and friends.
Not only are antibiotics embedded in your meats, but they have made their way into your produce as well.
Antibiotics are being transferred, via the manure used as fertilizer, into your corn, lettuce, potatoes, and other crops.
Eating organically may not entirely alleviate this problem, since organic crops, which cannot be fertilized with synthetic fertilizers, are the ones most often fertilized with manure.
As it stands, manure that contains antibiotics is still allowed under the organic label. So it all depends on where the organic farmer gets his manure from. Some organic crop farmers may be getting their manure from organic cattle farms, but there’s no guarantee that’s taking place.
The only way to find out is to ask the farmer first-hand. Taking all of these factors into consideration, is it any wonder that the ratio of good-bacteria-to-bad is upside down in most people in our society?
Government Agencies Finally Taking a Stand — Sort of ...
The rise of antibiotic-resistance in livestock is so alarming that government officials have finally admitted you can become infected when you eat or simply handle infected meat. In a remarkable move by the current administration, the FDA is proposing to phase out antibiotics used to promote animals’ growth.
They also warn that the microbes can contaminate kitchen counters, utensils and other food.
Even the USDA, which usually defends agribusiness interests, proclaimed at a congressional hearing that there is indeed a link between antibiotic use in animals and drug resistance in humans.
But the FDA hasn’t gone far enough.
The FDA has “recommended” that producers limit use of these drugs to medically necessary instances, under the guidance of a veterinarian, but they haven’t issued stricter regulations.
Do you really want to rely on “the honor system” with regard to how industry grows your food?
Do you really think industrial lobbyists are going to take the high road here?
Unlikely!
We need to implement measures to ensure antibiotics are used responsibly — and that needs to go beyond mere suggestion. An overhaul of regulation is in order.
This sort of revamping is not unprecedented — Denmark did it in1998.
The Danish Experiment: A Success Story about Antibiotic-Free Farming
Denmark took the bull by the horns in a bold maneuver that 17,000 Danish farmers proudly call the “Danish Experiment.”
In 1998, after European studies showed a link between antibiotic-fed livestock and antibiotic-resistant infections in humans, Denmark launched a ban on the use of routine antibiotics in farming. Antibiotics were reserved for animals that were actually sick.
Since the ban, the Danish pork industry has grown by 43 percent, making them one of the top pork exporters in the world.
The rest of Europe followed suit in 2006.
But, not so with the American Pork Industry, which was spooked by the potential increased cost of raising a pig. They calculated that it would cost $5 more for every 100 pounds of pork brought to market without the use of antibiotics, and this $5 was not worth it to Big Porky.
No, $5 was too much to invest for improved public health, safer foods, and fewer drug resistant infections in people.
And it isn’t just the American Pork Industry that lists your health last on its list of priorities.
FDA Picks on Cherries While Drug Manufacturers Get Away With Murder
Since 2009, there have been FOUR bills introduced that would end or severely limit your access to food supplements!
So, at the same time as Big Pharma is resisting the movement to rid the livestock industry of the inappropriate use of antibiotic drugs, some members of Congress are trying to restrict your access to the things that will actually protect your health—vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other natural agents.
This is complete nonsense since food supplements used appropriately are not causing deaths, whereas more than 100,000 people are killed every year by pharmaceutical drugs taken legally and correctly prescribed.
In fact, pharmaceutical drugs are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (April 15, 1998). NSAIDS alone cause more than 16,000 deaths each year, yet the FDA continues to protect NSAID manufacturers and even allows ads on television offering free samples for the taking.
Instead of the FDA hauling NSAID-makers out to the woodshed, they are spending their time threatening cherry growers for mentioning peer-reviewed studies about how cherries are far better than NSAIDS in controlling pain and inflammation.
How many people do you know who’ve been harmed or killed by cherries?
This issue is nicely summarized by the Dr. Rath Health Foundation:
“The survival of the pharmaceutical industry is dependent on the elimination by any means of effective natural health therapies. These natural and non-patentable therapies have become the treatment of choice for millions of people, despite the combined economic, political and media opposition of the world’s largest investment industry.”
I wholeheartedly agree.
What You Can Do
Of the four pieces of legislation mentioned above, only the “Food Safety Bill” remains an immediate threat.
The other three bills were defeated BY YOU!
Here are two specific actions you can take to light a fire under government officials on these issues:
1.Food Democracy Now! has created a petition against the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production. If you care about this issue, I suggest you use this petition to make your voice heard. In the same way numerous prior bills have been shot out of the water as a direct result of public outcry, your action can put the kibosh on this one as well.
Tell the FDA and the White House to stand up for human health by changing their policies about the reckless use of antibiotics in animal feed.
2.The Alliance for Natural Health USA has put together a letter addressed to Congress in an effort to educate them that “supplements should not be regulated like drugs, and that the regulations already in place are completely sufficient.” All that is required of you is to fill out your contact information and click “send.”
For the purpose of supporting your own health, you might want to consider adding a high quality probiotic to your dietary regimen. There are a number of good ones on the market. I suggest you ask your local health food store for a recommendation. I also offer an excellent probiotic on my site, in addition to information about what to look for in all probiotic supplements.
Certified Therapeutic Quality Aromatherapy Available Here
Showing posts with label antibiotics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antibiotics. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Herb Turmeric
This Potent Spice Taken as Little as Once a Week Can Fight Dementia
Curry spice, turmeric, curcumin. New research shows that eating curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The key reason is curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric.
Curcumin prevents the spread of amyloid protein plaques, which are thought to cause dementia. Amyloid plaques, along with tangles of nerve fibers, contribute to the degradation of the wiring in brain cells.
There is evidence that people who eat a curry meal two or three times a week have a lower risk of dementia. Researchers are currently testing the impact of higher doses, such as the equivalent of going on a curry spree for a week, to see if they can maximize the effect.
Sources:
BBC News June 3, 2009
Royal College of Psychiatrists' Annual Meeting, Liverpool, UK, June 2-5, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments( http://www.mercola.com )
I know many outstanding clinicians and health experts and it is amazing how the vast majority of them are in complete agreement that the active ingredient of turmeric, curcumin, the pigment that gives spicy turmeric its yellow-orange color, may be one of the most useful spices for health out there.
For years now turmeric, with its active ingredient curcumin, has shown powerful benefits to your brain health. One of the ways that it works, similar to vitamin D, is modulating large numbers of your genes.
The potential healing power of this spice, which is an important part of Eastern cultural traditions including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, perhaps first came about when it was noticed that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease among older adults in India is more than four times less than the rate in the United States.
Why such a significant difference?
Some researchers believe the answer for this drastic disparity in Alzheimer's patients is a direct result of curcumin.
The researchers in this most recent study said curcumin appears to prevent the spread of amyloid protein plaques, which are thought to cause dementia in your brain.
In 2004, meanwhile, a study involving genetically engineered mice suggested that curcumin could inhibit the accumulation of destructive beta amyloids -- a component of the neurofibrillary tangles and plaques attributed to Alzheimer's disease -- in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, as well as break up existing plaques.
Based on the findings, researchers determined:
• Curcumin is more effective in inhibiting the formation of the protein fragments than many other potential Alzheimer's treatments
• The low molecular weight and polar structure of curcumin allows it to penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively and bind to beta amyloid
• Alzheimer's symptoms caused by inflammation and oxidation are eased by curcumin's powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
It seems, too, that even eating curry just a couple of times a year may offer some benefit. In one study that tested the brain power of more than 1,000 Asian people, those who ate curry even just once every six months had better results than those who said they "never or rarely" ate it!
Further, UCLA researchers tested the effect of curcumin on isolated cells called macrophages (part of your body's immune system that eliminates waste products like the disease-causing amyloid beta) in blood samples taken from a half-dozen Alzheimer's patients for a day.
The blood samples from three Alzheimer's patients improved dramatically after being treated with curcumin, improving the digestion of the amyloid beta cells by the macrophages, present from birth in your body's innate immune system.
One important fact: Blood samples from younger patients responded better to curcumin, meaning the earlier Alzheimer's is recognized, the better the curry chemical appears to work.
“Holy Powder’s” Benefits Reach Far Beyond Your Brain
People in India refer to turmeric as “holy powder” because it has such a broad range of health effects. In fact, curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, with benefits that include:
• Strengthening and improving your digestion
• Supporting healthy liver function and detoxification
• Purifying your blood
• Fighting cancer and arthritis
• Anti-inflammatory properties
Further, evidence suggests turmeric may play a beneficial role in the following diseases:
• Cystic fibrosis
• Type 2 diabetes
• Crohn’s disease
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Cataracts
• Gallstones
• Muscle regeneration
• Inflammatory bowel disease
To take advantage of some of these benefits you can absolutely use turmeric in your cooking, and in case you haven’t tried it, it has a warm, peppery flavor. However, be sure to choose a pure turmeric powder rather than a curry powder, as at least one study has found curry powders tend to contain very little curcumin compared to turmeric powder.
Be sure to listen to your body as always. If you love curry then feel free to indulge in it often. But if turmeric is a spice you do not enjoy it may be a sign that it’s not right for your body. If you are not one who enjoys the flavor of curry, you can also get the benefits of turmeric by taking it in a high-quality, organic supplement form.
Ten Important Ways to Avoid the Coming Alzheimer’s Epidemic
By 2010 there will be 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed each year, so NOW is the time to start taking action. Fortunately, your lifestyle can make a major difference in your risk of this disease. The tips that follow will bolster your brain health and keep your mind in top working order even as you get older.
1. Optimize your vitamin D levels through safe sun exposure, a safe tanning bed and/or vitamin D supplements.
2. Eat a nutritious diet with plenty of vegetables based on your nutritional type, and pay special attention to avoiding sugar.
3. Eat plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats in the form of krill oil. Avoid most fish (high in omega-3, but often contaminated with mercury).
4. Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of mercury, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in Take Control of Your Health, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a qualified biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
(Be sure to only use a high-quality biologically trained dentist who is familiar with the removal of amalgam fillings or your health could get ruined.)
5. Avoid aluminum, such as in antiperspirants, cookware, etc.
6. Exercise for three to five hours per week. According to one study, the odds of developing Alzheimer's were nearly quadrupled in people who were less active during their leisure time, between the ages of 20 and 60, compared with their peers.
7. Avoid flu vaccinations as they contain both mercury and aluminum!
8. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.
9. Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, such as traveling, learning to play an instrument or doing crossword puzzles, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
10. Avoid fluoride, which is another powerful neurotoxin. The most common sources would be in your water and toothpaste. But it is also a part of some antibiotics (like Cipro), soy protein, and pesticides, so seek to have as much of your food organically grown as possible.
DVD's Of All Flavors
Dave Kazda
Health Educator/Healer
Aromatologist
Herbalist
Quantum Touch Therapist
Member: SelfGrowth.com
knowledge_quest2002@yahoo.com
Curry spice, turmeric, curcumin. New research shows that eating curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The key reason is curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric.
Curcumin prevents the spread of amyloid protein plaques, which are thought to cause dementia. Amyloid plaques, along with tangles of nerve fibers, contribute to the degradation of the wiring in brain cells.
There is evidence that people who eat a curry meal two or three times a week have a lower risk of dementia. Researchers are currently testing the impact of higher doses, such as the equivalent of going on a curry spree for a week, to see if they can maximize the effect.
Sources:
BBC News June 3, 2009
Royal College of Psychiatrists' Annual Meeting, Liverpool, UK, June 2-5, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments( http://www.mercola.com )
I know many outstanding clinicians and health experts and it is amazing how the vast majority of them are in complete agreement that the active ingredient of turmeric, curcumin, the pigment that gives spicy turmeric its yellow-orange color, may be one of the most useful spices for health out there.
For years now turmeric, with its active ingredient curcumin, has shown powerful benefits to your brain health. One of the ways that it works, similar to vitamin D, is modulating large numbers of your genes.
The potential healing power of this spice, which is an important part of Eastern cultural traditions including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, perhaps first came about when it was noticed that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease among older adults in India is more than four times less than the rate in the United States.
Why such a significant difference?
Some researchers believe the answer for this drastic disparity in Alzheimer's patients is a direct result of curcumin.
The researchers in this most recent study said curcumin appears to prevent the spread of amyloid protein plaques, which are thought to cause dementia in your brain.
In 2004, meanwhile, a study involving genetically engineered mice suggested that curcumin could inhibit the accumulation of destructive beta amyloids -- a component of the neurofibrillary tangles and plaques attributed to Alzheimer's disease -- in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, as well as break up existing plaques.
Based on the findings, researchers determined:
• Curcumin is more effective in inhibiting the formation of the protein fragments than many other potential Alzheimer's treatments
• The low molecular weight and polar structure of curcumin allows it to penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively and bind to beta amyloid
• Alzheimer's symptoms caused by inflammation and oxidation are eased by curcumin's powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
It seems, too, that even eating curry just a couple of times a year may offer some benefit. In one study that tested the brain power of more than 1,000 Asian people, those who ate curry even just once every six months had better results than those who said they "never or rarely" ate it!
Further, UCLA researchers tested the effect of curcumin on isolated cells called macrophages (part of your body's immune system that eliminates waste products like the disease-causing amyloid beta) in blood samples taken from a half-dozen Alzheimer's patients for a day.
The blood samples from three Alzheimer's patients improved dramatically after being treated with curcumin, improving the digestion of the amyloid beta cells by the macrophages, present from birth in your body's innate immune system.
One important fact: Blood samples from younger patients responded better to curcumin, meaning the earlier Alzheimer's is recognized, the better the curry chemical appears to work.
“Holy Powder’s” Benefits Reach Far Beyond Your Brain
People in India refer to turmeric as “holy powder” because it has such a broad range of health effects. In fact, curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, with benefits that include:
• Strengthening and improving your digestion
• Supporting healthy liver function and detoxification
• Purifying your blood
• Fighting cancer and arthritis
• Anti-inflammatory properties
Further, evidence suggests turmeric may play a beneficial role in the following diseases:
• Cystic fibrosis
• Type 2 diabetes
• Crohn’s disease
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Cataracts
• Gallstones
• Muscle regeneration
• Inflammatory bowel disease
To take advantage of some of these benefits you can absolutely use turmeric in your cooking, and in case you haven’t tried it, it has a warm, peppery flavor. However, be sure to choose a pure turmeric powder rather than a curry powder, as at least one study has found curry powders tend to contain very little curcumin compared to turmeric powder.
Be sure to listen to your body as always. If you love curry then feel free to indulge in it often. But if turmeric is a spice you do not enjoy it may be a sign that it’s not right for your body. If you are not one who enjoys the flavor of curry, you can also get the benefits of turmeric by taking it in a high-quality, organic supplement form.
Ten Important Ways to Avoid the Coming Alzheimer’s Epidemic
By 2010 there will be 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed each year, so NOW is the time to start taking action. Fortunately, your lifestyle can make a major difference in your risk of this disease. The tips that follow will bolster your brain health and keep your mind in top working order even as you get older.
1. Optimize your vitamin D levels through safe sun exposure, a safe tanning bed and/or vitamin D supplements.
2. Eat a nutritious diet with plenty of vegetables based on your nutritional type, and pay special attention to avoiding sugar.
3. Eat plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats in the form of krill oil. Avoid most fish (high in omega-3, but often contaminated with mercury).
4. Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of mercury, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in Take Control of Your Health, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a qualified biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
(Be sure to only use a high-quality biologically trained dentist who is familiar with the removal of amalgam fillings or your health could get ruined.)
5. Avoid aluminum, such as in antiperspirants, cookware, etc.
6. Exercise for three to five hours per week. According to one study, the odds of developing Alzheimer's were nearly quadrupled in people who were less active during their leisure time, between the ages of 20 and 60, compared with their peers.
7. Avoid flu vaccinations as they contain both mercury and aluminum!
8. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.
9. Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, such as traveling, learning to play an instrument or doing crossword puzzles, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
10. Avoid fluoride, which is another powerful neurotoxin. The most common sources would be in your water and toothpaste. But it is also a part of some antibiotics (like Cipro), soy protein, and pesticides, so seek to have as much of your food organically grown as possible.
DVD's Of All Flavors
Dave Kazda
Health Educator/Healer
Aromatologist
Herbalist
Quantum Touch Therapist
Member: SelfGrowth.com
knowledge_quest2002@yahoo.com
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