Did You Know…that for the first time ever a superbug resistant to the last resort in antibiotics has made its way to America?
The media has told us time and time again: those antibiotics we’ve come to know and depend on are no longer reliable, as more and more infectious superbugs are mutating into antibiotic-resistant and deadly strains. The alarm bells are sounding, as a Pennsylvania woman has been diagnosed with the nation’s first case of a bacteria resistant to antibiotics of last resort.
In response, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned, “It is the end of the road for antibiotics unless we act urgently.”
Colistin: The End of an Antibiotic Era
Colistin is an older antibiotic that is only used in last resort scenarios because the side effects are numerous and dreadful. But when infections arise that are resistant to a class of antibiotics called carbapenems, doctors typically try to eradicate the superbug with colistin. When a superbug proves resistant to carbapenems and colistin, then very few treatment options remain.
Bacteria carrying the colistin-resistant gene have been found in people and animals in Canada, China, and Europe, but never in the United States… until now.
Colistin-resistant bacteria emerged in the urine of a woman infected with a form of E. coli bacteria, one of the most common types of bacteria. The woman was treated with a different antibiotic, but the presence of the colistin-resistant gene has alarmed doctors and researchers. The concern is that this mutation can easily spread to bacteria already resistant to all other antibiotics.
Health officials attribute the spread of colistin-resistant bacteria to the use of the colistin antibiotic in Chinese livestock. The bacteria is thought to have mutated into a resistant strain and transferred from livestock to human microbes through food, according to Yohei Doi, an infectious-disease doctor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Researchers are working with the woman to determine how she contracted the colistin-resistant bacteria. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services found a sample of colistin-resistant bacteria in a pig intestine in the United States, taken from hundreds of tested samples. It looks like the United States definitely has another bacterial invader on the loose.
Natural Antibiotics to Strengthen Your Defense
Before pharmaceutical antibiotics were developed in the 1940s, doctors fought infections with remedies from Mother Nature’s medicine cabinet. Strengthen your immunity and defeat infectious bacteria with the following natural antibiotics.
Honey: Manuka honey from New Zealand contains the richest concentration of antioxidants. An enzyme in honey emits hydrogen peroxide, which helps defend against infections and suppresses the spread of bacteria.
Garlic: when crushed or chewed, garlic releases a compound called allicin, which mimics the properties of penicillin.
Grapefruit Seed Extract: According to a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, grapefruit seed extract can help fight against more than 800 viruses and bacteria, 100 types of fungus, and many kinds of parasites.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This natural antibiotic and antiseptic alkalizes your system for perfect pH alignment, and is even touted as an anti-cancer aid!
Oil of Oregano: The essential oil that kicks infections to the curb, oil of oregano is high in flavonoids and phenols that strengthen the immune system.
Other herbs that help keep infections at bay include:
 Thyme Allspice Turmeric Cayenne Chili Peppers Ginger |
Anise Mustard Seed Fennel Cinnamon Basil Rosemary |
