By Dr. Mercola
The frivolous use of antibiotics, not just in medicine but
also in food production, is the root cause of skyrocketing
antibiotic resistance.
Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control1
(ECDC) shows a significant rise of resistance to multiple
antibiotics in Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli
in just the last four years alone, affecting more than one-third
of the EU, and the primary cause for this man-made epidemic is
the widespread misuse of antibiotics.
Between the years of 1993 and 2005, the number of Americans
hospitalized due to the antibiotic-resistant “superbug” MRSA
(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
skyrocketed from about 2,000 to 370,000.
Currently, MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant infections
kill about 60,000 Americans annually, and account for billions
of dollars in health care costs.2
Antibiotic-resistant disease is not the only danger associated
with the misuse of these drugs. Excessive exposure to
antibiotics also takes a heavy toll on your gastrointestinal
health, which can predispose you to virtually any
disease.
Abnormal gut flora may actually be a major contributing
factor to the rise in a wide variety of childhood diseases and
ailments, from bowel disorders and
allergies to
autism.
Agricultural uses of antibiotics account for about 80
percent of all antibiotic use in the US,3
so it's a MAJOR source of human antibiotic consumption. Animals
are often fed antibiotics at low doses for disease prevention
and growth promotion, and those antibiotics are transferred to
you via meat, and even via the manure used as crop fertilizer.
Protecting your gut health and reducing the spread of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria are significant reasons for making
sure you're only eating grass-fed, organically-raised meats and
animal products.
Gut Viruses Confer Antibiotic-Resistance to Bacteria, New
Research Shows
When used properly, in the correct contexts and with
responsibility, antibiotics can and do save lives that are
threatened by bacterial infections. But there is one important
variable that wasn't considered when the widespread use of these
"miracle medicines" began, and that is that bacteria are highly
adaptable.
They are clearly capable of outsmarting antibiotics, and they
are doing so with a vengeance. According to the CDC's National
Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System:4
"Antibiotics kill or inhibit the growth of
susceptible bacteria. Sometimes one of the bacteria survives
because it has the ability to neutralize or evade the effect
of the antibiotic; that one bacteria can then multiply and
replace all the bacteria that were killed off.
Exposure to antibiotics therefore provides selective
pressure, which makes the surviving bacteria more likely to
be resistant. In addition, bacteria that were at one time
susceptible to an antibiotic can acquire resistance through
mutation of their genetic material or by acquiring pieces of
DNA that code for the resistance properties from other
bacteria.
The DNA that codes for resistance can be grouped in a
single easily transferable package. This means that bacteria
can become resistant to many antimicrobial agents because of
the transfer of one piece of DNA."
Interestingly, these bacteria have previously unknown allies
that supply them with the antibiotic-resistant genes necessary
for their survival. Researchers at the Wyss Institute have
discovered that gut viruses known as bacteriophages, a.k.a.
“phages” are actually instrumental in conferring antibacterial
resistance to bacteria.5,
6 Most importantly:
“[Phage] deliver genes that help the bacteria to
survive not just the antibiotic they've been exposed to, but
other types of antibiotics as well... That suggests that
phages in the gut may be partly responsible for the
emergence of dangerous superbugs that withstand multiple
antibiotics, and that drug targeting of phages could offer a
potential new path to mitigate development of antibiotic
resistance,” the Institute’s press release7
states.
Phages are Actually an Important Part of Your Body’s Defense
System
More than 90 percent of the DNA in your body is not yours,
but actually belongs to a wide variety of microbes, and these
findings just go to show how intricately tied your health is to
the microorganisms that live inside you. And, while the word
“virus” brings to mind all things “bad” for you, this is not
necessarily true. Another recent study published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences8
found that many of these viruses (phages) actually serve as
immune helpers—not enemies—and form an important part of
your body’s defense system.9
Wherever bacteria reside, you will also find phages, because
phages depend on bacteria for their survival. Phages specialize
in breaking open and killing certain kinds of bacteria,
hijacking them in order to replicate. Most phages have hollow
heads, which store their DNA and RNA, and tunnel tails designed
for binding to the surface of their bacterial targets. According
to phages.org, once a phage has attached itself to a bacterium:
“The viral DNA is then injected through the tail into
the host cell, where it directs the production of progeny
phages, often over a hundred in half an hour. These 'young'
phages burst from the host cell (killing it) and infect more
bacteria.”
The researchers found evidence that these phages partner with
animals and humans to stave off bacterial infections and control
the composition of
friendly microbes in your body. The researchers speculate
that some phages might protect bacteria that benefit their hosts
(i.e. you), while destroying those that cause harm.
Which brings us back to the featured research, which suggests
that these phages may also play a significant role in the rapid
rise of antibiotic resistance... In essence, it would appear our
zealous overuse of antibiotic drugs is causing these helpful
viruses to boost the survivability of bacteria during the
onslaught of a deadly foe—the antibiotic—only in this case, the
end result is disastrous rather than helpful for the host... On
the upside, these findings may confer new hope for effective
treatments. According to Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., Founding
Director of the Wyss Institute:10
"Antibiotic resistance is as pressing a global health
problem as they come, and to fight it, it's critical to
understand it. [These] novel findings offer a previously
unknown way to approach this problem -- by targeting the
phage that live in our intestine, rather than the pathogens
themselves."
Colloidal Silver Dramatically Boosts Effectiveness of
Antibiotics
The use of silver in the battle against pathogenic bacteria
goes way back into antiquity. Hippocrates was one of the first
to describe its antimicrobial properties in 400 B.C. Over the
past few years, several
studies have demonstrated the fact that
silver is indeed one of the most effective agents in the
battle against antibiotic-resistant super pathogens. Yet
conventional medicine has largely dismissed such claims,
relegating colloidal silver to the “woo-woo” section of medical
myth.
They may be inclined to change their tune however, in light
of the latest research11,
12 which shows that low doses of silver can make
antibiotics up to 1,000 times more effective, and may even allow
an antibiotic to successfully combat otherwise
antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As reported by Medical News
Today:13
“...[N]ot only did silver boost the ability of a
broad range of commonly used antibiotics so as to stop mice
dying of otherwise lethal infections, but it made at least
one resistant bacterium succumb to antibiotics again. The
addition of silver also broadened the effect of vancomycin,
an antibiotic that is usually only effective at killing
Gram-positive bacteria like Staph and Strep; aided by silver
it killed Gram-negative bacteria such as those that cause
food poisoning and dangerous hospital-acquired infections.”
For example, by adding a small amount of silver to the
antibiotic, a powerful synergism occurred, and a urinary tract
infection caused by tetracycline-resistant E. Coli was
successfully eradicated. Silver also helped save the lives of 90
percent of mice suffering with a life-threatening abdominal
inflammation by adding it to the antibiotic vanomycin. In the
group receiving vanomycin only, a mere 10 percent survived. The
researchers discovered two mechanisms that help explain how
silver can boost the effectiveness of an antibiotic:
- Silver interferes with the bacteria’s metabolism,
increasing production of reactive oxygen species14
(ROS); products of normal oxygen consuming metabolic
processes in your body that, in excess, can damage cell
membranes and DNA. Many antibiotics are believed to kill
bacteria by producing ROS compounds, and here, the
researchers found that adding a small amount of silver
boosted the antibiotic’s ability to kill anywhere from 10
and 1,000 times more bacteria
- Silver makes the bacteria’s cell membrane more
permeable. This may explain the beneficial effect of silver
on gram-negative bacteria, the cells of which are often
impenetrable to antibiotics due to the molecular size of the
drugs
What about Potential Toxicity of Colloidal Silver?
As for toxicity, the researchers found that the doses of
silver required were far smaller than the dose needed to harm
either mice or cultured human cells, suggesting that oral and
injectable silver should be quite safe. That said, quality is
extremely important, as misrepresentation of
colloidal silver by less scrupulous manufacturers has in the
past led to some of its more negative connotations. According to
a Commercial Product Report15
by silver-colloids.com, a site that provides detailed laboratory
analyses of colloidal silver products, there are three
distinctly different types of silver products on the market that
are all labeled and sold as “colloidal” silver:
- True colloidal silver
- Ionic silver
- Silver protein: Due to the high concentration of large
silver particles, silver protein products are known to cause
argyria, which turns your skin blue-gray color.
When purchasing colloidal silver, it’s very important to
avoid silver protein formulas. True colloidal silver seems to be
the most recommended, but ionic silver could probably also be
used. In the featured study, they used ionic silver (Ag) in a
silver nitrate salt (AgNO3), which, again, was found to be quite
non-toxic in animals and human cell cultures. Substantial
antimicrobial activity was found at 30 microns (μM) against
E. coli.If you take ionic silver products according to the
manufacturer’s recommended dosage, ionic silver will not cause
argyria. That said, since there are potential health risks
involved if you select the wrong formula, I recommend you use
colloidal silver only under the guidance and supervision of a
qualified alternative health practitioner who can help you
select a high quality product.
Statin Users Beware... Your Cholesterol Medication May Not Mix
Well with Antibiotics!
In related news, Canadian researchers16
warn that patients —especially the elderly—taking
cholesterol-lowering drugs
such as Lipitor, should avoid the antibiotics clarithromycing
and erythromycin, as these antibiotics inhibit the metabolism of
statins. Increased
drug concentrations in your body may cause muscle- or kidney
damage, and even death. As reported by WebMD:17
"'These drugs do interact and cause difficulties for
patients,' said lead researcher Dr. Amit Garg, a professor
in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the
University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.
These adverse reactions are rare, Garg added. 'Most
people will be fine,' he said. 'But at a population level,
hundreds of preventable hospitalizations are occurring.' For
someone taking a statin, the study suggests that
substituting a different antibiotic -- azithromycin -- is
safer because it doesn't interfere with the metabolism of
statins. Another strategy is to stop the statin until the
antibiotic course is finished, Garg said."
What You Can Do to Help Stop the Spread of Antibiotic-Resistant
Disease
You can help yourself and your community by using antibiotics
only when absolutely necessary and by purchasing
organic, antibiotic-free meats and other foods. Even though the
problem of antibiotic-resistance needs to be stemmed through
public policy on a nationwide level, the more people who get
involved on a personal level to stop unnecessary antibiotic use
the better.
Remember, not every bacterial infection needs to be treated
with a drug. First, as an all-around preventive measure, you’ll
want to make sure your
vitamin D level is optimized year-round, especially during
pregnancy, along with
vitamin K2. But there are also a number of natural compounds
that can help boost your immune system function to help rid you
of an infection, including:
- Oregano (oil of oregano)
- Garlic
- Echinacea
- Manuka honey (for topical application)
Last but not least, the use of silver compounds appears to
bring new hope against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Still,
creating more potent antibiotics, regardless of how that’s
achieved, will not help us in the long run unless we also
address the root causes of antibiotic-resistance, which is
rampant overuse—in medicine, but perhaps even more importantly,
in agriculture.
If you live in the United States and want to get involved on
a national level, Food Democracy Now! has created a
petition against the overuse of antibiotics in livestock
production.18
If you care about this issue, I suggest you use this petition to
make your voice heard.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.