Is This the Most
Dangerous Antibiotic of All?
Associated with a number of serious side effects such as potentially
blinding retinal detachment, kidney failure and permanent tendon damage
- many people don't read the warning labels before taking the drug.
Terrifying consequences - don't fall into this trap...
Gut Bacteria Can Affect Fat Absorption, and Act in Accordance to
“Social Structures”
October 01 2012
By Dr. Mercola
Much new research is now emerging on the importance of bacteria –
intestinal bacteria, to be more exact. These are commonly referred
to as probiotics, and are the antithesis to antibiotics, both of
which I'll discuss below.
These microscopic critters are also known as your microbiome.
Around 100 trillion of these beneficial bacterial cells populate
your body, particularly your intestines and other parts of your
digestive system. In fact, 90 percent of the genetic
material in your body is not yours, but rather that of bacteria,
fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that compose your
microflora.
We're now discovering that the composition of this microflora has
a profound impact on your health. For example, we now know
that your intestinal bacteria influence your:
- Genetic expression
- Immune system
- Brain development, mental health, and memory
- Weight, and
- Risk of numerous chronic and acute diseases, from diabetes
to cancer
Certain Gut Microbes Affect Absorption of Dietary Fats
Most recently, a research team that includes Carnegie's Steve
Farber and Juliana Carten has revealed that certain gut microbes
increase the absorption of dietary fats.1
According to the authors:
"Diet-induced alterations in microbiota composition might
influence fat absorption, providing mechanistic insight into how
microbiota-diet interactions regulate host energy balance."
Medical News Today2
recently reported on the findings, stating:
"Previous studies showed gut microbes aid in the
breakdown of complex carbohydrates, but their role in dietary
fat metabolism remained a mystery, until now... 'This study is
the first to demonstrate that microbes can promote the
absorption of dietary fats in the intestine and their subsequent
metabolism in the body,' said senior study author John Rawls of
the University of North Carolina. 'The results underscore the
complex relationship between microbes, diet and host
physiology.'"
The bacteria identified as instrumental in increasing fat
absorption are called Firmicutes, which, incidentally, have
previously been linked to
obesity, as they're found in greater numbers in the guts of
obese subjects. The researchers also found that the abundance of
Firmicutes was influenced by diet. This adds weight to previous
research postulating that gut bacteria can increase your body's
ability to absorb fat, and therefore extract more calories from your
food compared to others who have a different composition of bacteria
in their intestines – even when consuming the same amount of food.
New Research Suggests Bacteria are Social Microorganisms
Three years ago, I posted a TED video featuring Bonnie Bassler,
in which she discusses how
bacteria "talk" to each other using a chemical language that
lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks.
Now, more recent research published in the journal Science3
reveals that bacteria may have "social structures similar to plants
and animals." According to the authors:
"In animals and plants, social structure can reduce
conflict within populations and bias aggression toward competing
populations; however, for bacteria in the wild it remains
unknown whether such population-level organization exists. Here,
we show that environmental bacteria are organized into socially
cohesive units in which antagonism occurs between, rather than
within, ecologically defined populations.
By screening approximately 35,000 possible mutual
interactions among Vibrionaceae isolates from the ocean, we show
that genotypic clusters known to have cohesive habitat
association also act as units in terms of antibiotic production
and resistance.
Genetic analyses show that within populations,
broad-range antibiotics are produced by few genotypes, whereas
all others are resistant, suggesting cooperation between
conspecifics. Natural antibiotics may thus mediate competition
between populations rather than solely increase the success of
individuals."
What this means is that certain bacteria have the ability to
produce chemical compounds that inhibit the growth of other
bacteria, while not harming their own kind or "close relatives."
These chemical compounds or natural antibiotics act as a type of
chemical warfare, allowing the bacteria in question to gain a
competitive edge by killing off the competition. Meanwhile, other
"allies" are spared, as they are resistant to the antibiotic
chemicals produced.
As reported by Medical News Today:4
"'The research has the potential to bridge gaps in our
understanding of the relationships between plants and humans and
their non-disease- and disease-causing bacterial flora,' said
Robert Fleischmann, a program director in the Division of
Biological Infrastructure for the National Science Foundation.
'We use antibiotics to kill pathogenic microbes, which
cause harm to humans and animals,' said Polz. 'As an unfortunate
side effect, this has lead to the widespread buildup of
resistance, particularly in hospitals where pathogens and humans
encounter each other often.'
In addition, the results help scientists make sense of
why closely related bacteria are so diverse in their gene
content. Part of the answer, they say, is that the diversity
allows the bacteria to play different social roles. Social
differentiation, for example, could mitigate the negative
effects of two species competing for the same limiting resource
– food or habitat, for instance – and generate population level
behavior that emerges from the interaction between close
relatives."
Beware of Fluoridated Antibiotics that Can Ruin Your Gut Flora and
Your Health
Your lifestyle can and does influence your gut flora on a daily
basis. All of these common exposures can wreak havoc on the makeup
of bacteria in your gut, but researchers are now increasingly
looking at the cascading ill effects of antibiotic drugs in
particular. For example, your gut bacteria are extremely sensitive
to:
- Antibiotics
- Chlorinated water
- Antibacterial soap
- Agricultural chemicals
- Pollution
Antibiotics are severely overused – not just in medicine, but
also in food production. In fact, about 80 percent of all the
antibiotics produced are used in agriculture – not only to fight
infection, but to promote unhealthy (though profitable) weight
gain in the animals. Hence, if you want to avoid overexposure
to antibiotics, it's also crucial to avoid conventionally-raised
meats.
That said, certain antibiotics prescribed in medicine are so
harmful they probably shouldn't be used at all. Medications such as
Avelox, Cipro, and Levaquin have been named in over 2,000 drug
injury lawsuits.5
These are all fluoroquinolones, a class of fluoridated
antibiotics associated with a number of serious side effects, such
as potentially blinding retinal detachment, kidney failure, and
permanent tendon damage. Fluoroquinolones do carry a black box
warning for tendonitis, ruptured tendons, and its potentially
detrimental effect on neuromuscular activity, but many patients
simply do not read the warning labels before taking the drug. Other
serious injuries linked to fluoroquinolones include:
Injury to central nervous system |
Injury to your heart |
Liver problems |
Gastrointestinal problems |
Injury to musculoskeletal system |
Injury to renal system |
Injury to visual and/or auditory system |
Altered blood sugar metabolism |
Depression |
Psychotic reactions and hallucinations |
Phototoxicity |
Disfiguring rashes |
Staphylococcus aureus infection |
C. difficile infection |
Severe diarrhea |
Learn More about the Dangers of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics
Shockingly, despite all these risks, fluoroquinolones are one of
the most commonly prescribed classes of antibiotics in the world.
John Fratti, who was hired by the FDA in a part-time position as an
FDA Patient Representative for drug safety, is on a quest to raise
awareness on the dangers of fluoroguinolone toxicity. He filed a
Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the FDA on two of the top
fluoroquinolones, Levaquin and Cipro, and learned that they are
associated with over 2,500 deaths.
Fratti has established a non-profit organization called
Quinolone Vigilance Foundation to spread awareness of the
dangers associated with this class of drugs, and the Foundation's
website contains both information and support for those injured by
these drugs. Fortunately, fluoroquinolones have started getting some
well-deserved media attention as of late.
According to a recent article in The New York Times:6
"A half-dozen fluoroquinolones have been taken off the
market because of unjustifiable risks of adverse effects. Those
that remain are undeniably important drugs, when used
appropriately. But doctors at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention have expressed concern that too often
fluoroquinolones are prescribed unnecessarily as a 'one size
fits all' remedy without considering their suitability for
different patients.
Experts caution against giving these drugs to certain
patients who face higher than average risks of bad reactions –
children under age 18, adults over 60, and pregnant and nursing
women – unless there is no effective alternative. The risk of
adverse effects is also higher among people with liver disease
and those taking corticosteroids or nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs.
When an antibiotic is prescribed, it is wise to ask what
the drug is and whether it is necessary, what side effects to be
alert for, whether there are effective alternatives, when to
expect the diagnosed condition to resolve, and when to call if
something unexpected happens or recovery seems delayed."
Last year, PBS NewsHour7
aired a segment highlighting the dangers of fluoroquinolones.
Fratti, who is himself a victim of fluoroquinolone toxicity, was
interviewed. He was prescribed Levaquin a few years ago for a minor
bacterial infection. The drug caused nerve damage, tendon damage and
damage to his central nervous system.
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