The source of modern medical problems: Antibiotics?

The human body is comprised of near countless populations of species in the forms of bacteria and mold and algae etc..
The symbiotes assist the body in a myriad of ways-they help absorption of nutrients, protection against intruders skin and organ health-if we had no symbiotes we would be in a sad state of affairs.

A recent study published in Nature magazine has shown that the intestinal bacteria do not always recover from antibiotic treatments. As part-this means that not all species are passed down from mother to child in utero.

Early evidence from my lab and others hints that, sometimes, our friendly flora never fully recover. These long-term changes to the beneficial bacteria within people’s bodies may even increase our susceptibility to infections and disease. Overuse of antibiotics could be fuelling the dramatic increase in conditions such as obesity, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies and asthma, which have more than doubled in many populations.

The paper has also linked the reduction of such flora to certain types of cancer.

Looks like there are even more reasons to tough through an illness instead of throwing pills at it.

Antibiotic Article - Kind of scary.

reply to post by lordtyp0


no doubt that antibiotics are not needed 90% of the time!
but we pump them out like lollipops

I think, in the last 15 or so years, it's more the ever-present and increased use of antibacterial and germicidal products, such as clorox wipes or purex hand sanitizers, than anything to do with antibiotics. The use of antibiotics, and I agree often unnecessary, only comes after one is sick.

It's the constant use of antibacterial and germicidal products, that is so popular now, that I believe is the source cause of suppression if our immune systems these days. Particularly in the latest generation of kids. I see so many more kids these days than when I was their age suffering from a variety of ailments from excessive allergies to asthma.

Not a one has a strong immune system anymore for simple lack of sufficient exposure. Without the constant exposure to the very bacteria and germs we sterilize ourselves from daily, our immune systems never learn to fight them off.

In short, particularly when young, we don't let our immune systems do what they are designed for anymore. We've supplanted our immune systems with spray bottles, hand sanitizers and aerosol sprays.

But yeah, the antibiotics don't help after the fact.

reply to post by lordtyp0


I have scars all over my body from playing as a child. Oft times the wounds would get mildly infected, but I never did get anything for it other than a tetanus shot. I also had the Chicken Pox, Measles and Mumps as a kid. Those were fun times.

I believe that all these injuries and illnesses have strengthened my immune system…that’s just my own personal theory. I was diagnosed with Stage 2 pneumonia a year back. I was prescribed, but did not take the antibiotics as at the time I felt I was improving. And I was right. Rest, Lots of Chicken Soup and Thera-Flu did the trick.

I am also seeing more and more sick kids these days. I believe that many do not get out and play, and expose themselves to injury and illness which gives their young bodies the opportunity to build up a stronger immune system.

We are seeing more and more resistant bacteria do to the overuse of anti-biotics. It is probably due to these children being exposed at a younger age, giving bacteria the time to evolve and suppressing the childs immune system at the same time, which will affect them later in life.