Antibiotics

A serious and intelligent correspondent of mine, who has my book “How To Survive In A World Without Antibiotics“, called my attention to a thought provoking piece at WorldNetWeekly (www.wnd.com). She posed the very reasonable question: can we protect ourselves against possible microbial warfare by Islamic fanatics on a jihad, using the data I have assembled on alternative antimicrobials? Before I give you my surprise the answer, let me tell you the Hell Fire scenario that Islam fundamentalists are (supposedly) fermenting for the West. According to an alarming report by an individual who goes by the pseudonym of Reza Kahlili, information has been leaked by a source with knowledge of Iran’s microbial research and development, that Iranian scientists, with Russian and North Korean help, currently possess eight extremely dangerous microbial agents that, if unleashed, could kill millions of people. The source disclosed that Iran was working on 18 agents, with four completed. The source has now provided information that with work at two other plants, Iran has created a total of eight microbial agents, with research on insects to be used as the vector to infect the societies of its enemies. The eight agents are anthrax, encephalitis (the blueprint of this virus, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, was provided by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in an agreement two years ago with the Islamic regime), yellow grain (developed with the help of North Korea), SARS, Ebola, cholera, smallpox and plague. Let’s take a look at this…

The agriculture “industry” threatens us all at many levels: GMO, vitiated foods (short of nutrients), antibiotic resistance, monoclonal species (risk of world crop wipe-outs, like the Irish potato famine). The truth is it gets into our lives whether we go anywhere near the countryside or not. It comes to us, through food products and other derivations. We all know the problem of MRSA and other resistant bacteria species. Now a new Dutch study has been showing that living near livestock may raise your risk of picking up the “superbug,” methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). That might seem almost obvious. But it applies to people who do not work down on the farm and who have no known contact with livestock. This has enormous importance for world-wide public health. When livestock-associated MRSA was first discovered in the Netherlands in 2003, it was almost exclusively found in persons with direct contact to livestock. The risk factor was proportionate to the local density of farm animals. Again: no surprise there. But how is it getting to people with no association with animals? That’s the worry.

The agriculture “industry” threatens us all at many levels: GMO, vitiated foods (short of nutrients), antibiotic resistance, monoclonal species (risk of world crop wipe-outs, like the Irish potato famine). The truth is it gets into our lives whether we go anywhere near the countryside or not. It comes to us, through food products and other derivations. We all know the problem of MRSA and other resistant bacteria species. Now a new Dutch study has been showing that living near livestock may raise your risk of picking up the “superbug,” methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). That might seem almost obvious. But it applies to people who do not work down on the farm and who have no known contact with livestock. This has enormous importance for world-wide public health. When livestock-associated MRSA was first discovered in the Netherlands in 2003, it was almost exclusively found in persons with direct contact to livestock. The risk factor was proportionate to the local density of farm animals. Again: no surprise there. But how is it getting to people with no association with animals? That’s the worry.

I say this again and again: it could be my motto! The phrase comes from a moment in the movie Jurassic Park, in which Jeff Goldblum’s character Dr. Ian Malcolm derides the idea that life can be controlled just by breeding lysine-dependent animals. (Later when they find the dinosaur eggs hatched in the wild, he’s proved right) The awful truth is that Life (with a capital L) will always find a way round Man’s attempts to thwart and control it. That’s very Nature of life. It’s what it means to be alive. That alone should tell these dumb scientists that cold, chemical molecules are NOT the source of life. Neo-Darwinism is dead, not vitalism. Life is just very clever and cunning. Scientists suffer a surfeit of arrogance and stupidity when they begin to believe they understand ANYTHING.

I say this again and again: it could be my motto! The phrase comes from a moment in the movie Jurassic Park, in which Jeff Goldblum’s character Dr. Ian Malcolm derides the idea that life can be controlled just by breeding lysine-dependent animals. (Later when they find the dinosaur eggs hatched in the wild, he’s proved right) The awful truth is that Life (with a capital L) will always find a way round Man’s attempts to thwart and control it. That’s very Nature of life. It’s what it means to be alive. That alone should tell these dumb scientists that cold, chemical molecules are NOT the source of life. Neo-Darwinism is dead, not vitalism. Life is just very clever and cunning. Scientists suffer a surfeit of arrogance and stupidity when they begin to believe they understand ANYTHING.

Student fights flesh-eating bacteria after zip line fall [Updated at 3:57 p.m. ET] A University of West Georgia graduate psychology student is fighting for her life with flesh-eating bacteria after falling off a homemade zip line and cutting her leg, CNN affiliates WSB report and WXIA report. Aimee Copeland, 24, fell off a homemade zip […]

Student fights flesh-eating bacteria after zip line fall [Updated at 3:57 p.m. ET] A University of West Georgia graduate psychology student is fighting for her life with flesh-eating bacteria after falling off a homemade zip line and cutting her leg, CNN affiliates WSB report and WXIA report. Aimee Copeland, 24, fell off a homemade zip […] The post Antiobiotic Failure Costs A Woman Two Feet Two Hands and One Leg appeared first on Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby.

Readers of my book Virtual Medicine will know that I quoted a curious fact in the chapter called “Weird or What?” At the start of the 20th century, the number one predictor of death by heart disease was dental abscesses; and that, by the end of the 20th century, the biggest predictor of death by heart disease was… no, not exactly abscesses. But a major dental problem, gum (periodontal) infections. Now a specific bacteria has been implicated, called Streptococcus gordonii. It can enter the blood stream and increase the risk of dangerous blood clotting. It mimics the effect of fibrinogen, which is a major blood-clotting factor. Fibrinogen activates platelets (cells that are found in blood and involved in clotting), which stick together and form clumps that start the clotting process. The resulting blood clots encase the bacteria, protecting the invader from the immune system and from antibiotics used to treat infection. Platelet clumping can result in growths on the heart valves (endocarditis) or blood vessel inflammation that can block blood supply to the heart or brain. If clots take place in a major supply artery, like the coronary artery, you could be in big trouble (sudden death).

Readers of my book Virtual Medicine will know that I quoted a curious fact in the chapter called “Weird or What?” At the start of the 20th century, the number one predictor of death by heart disease was dental abscesses; and that, by the end of the 20th century, the biggest predictor of death by heart disease was… no, not exactly abscesses. But a major dental problem, gum (periodontal) infections. Now a specific bacteria has been implicated, called Streptococcus gordonii. It can enter the blood stream and increase the risk of dangerous blood clotting. It mimics the effect of fibrinogen, which is a major blood-clotting factor. Fibrinogen activates platelets (cells that are found in blood and involved in clotting), which stick together and form clumps that start the clotting process. The resulting blood clots encase the bacteria, protecting the invader from the immune system and from antibiotics used to treat infection. Platelet clumping can result in growths on the heart valves (endocarditis) or blood vessel inflammation that can block blood supply to the heart or brain. If clots take place in a major supply artery, like the coronary artery, you could be in big trouble (sudden death).

Having just had a lousy chest infection, I finally got rid of it by taking honey. Manuka honey, actually. Don’t be fooled by the supermarket trash, which is mostly from China and is dyed sugar and water (no bees in sight!). But real honey has great health properties. I wrote a section about its ability to heal MRSA wounds in my comprehensive guide to antibiotic alternatives: How To Survive In A World Without Antibiotics (antibiotics are done) In addition to burns, raw honey has been used effectively in the treatment of abrasions, acne, amputations, bacterial infections (including MRSA, as I said), eczema, gunshot wounds, leg ulcers, puncture wounds, psoriasis, septic wounds, and surgical wounds. For abscesses or deep wounds that have been cleaned, honey can be packed into the cavity, after which an adhesive dressing is applied Honey is a magnificent wound healer. Ancient Ayurvedic (Indian) medical practitioners used honey as dressing aids to purify sores and promote wound healing.1 The Egyptian Edwin Smith Papyrus dating to 1500 B.C. recommended the use of honey in the treatment of burns. During WWI, Chinese and Russian soldiers used honey as a wound-healing agent.2 According to an article recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology3, honey provides a moist healing environment, deodorizes, rapidly clears infection, and reduces inflammation, edema and exudation (oozing).

Having just had a lousy chest infection, I finally got rid of it by taking honey. Manuka honey, actually. Don’t be fooled by the supermarket trash, which is mostly from China and is dyed sugar and water (no bees in sight!). But real honey has great health properties. I wrote a section about its ability to heal MRSA wounds in my comprehensive guide to antibiotic alternatives: How To Survive In A World Without Antibiotics (antibiotics are done) In addition to burns, raw honey has been used effectively in the treatment of abrasions, acne, amputations, bacterial infections (including MRSA, as I said), eczema, gunshot wounds, leg ulcers, puncture wounds, psoriasis, septic wounds, and surgical wounds. For abscesses or deep wounds that have been cleaned, honey can be packed into the cavity, after which an adhesive dressing is applied Honey is a magnificent wound healer. Ancient Ayurvedic (Indian) medical practitioners used honey as dressing aids to purify sores and promote wound healing.1 The Egyptian Edwin Smith Papyrus dating to 1500 B.C. recommended the use of honey in the treatment of burns. During WWI, Chinese and Russian soldiers used honey as a wound-healing agent.2 According to an article recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology3, honey provides a moist healing environment, deodorizes, rapidly clears infection, and reduces inflammation, edema and exudation (oozing).

Death by Sepsis Despite the widespread belief that antibiotics still work, even if not a good idea, almost a quarter of a million people a year die in the USA alone from widespread sepsis. The best modern antibiotics didn’t save them. That’s a LOT of people. Worldwide, that figure rises to tens of millions of people a year, according to the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA). That makes sepsis the likely leading cause of death today, according to Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Jena, Germany. The fact is, sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care. It strikes swiftly and strikes hard. Antibiotics are failing. No new ones are coming along or ever likely to. “Developing new therapies for sepsis has been particularly challenging, with more than 25 unsuccessful drug trials,” says Jonathan S. Boomer, of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. 750,000 Americans each year contract sepsis and 225,00 die. That’s almost one third. The problem is the intense inflammatory response that has become poetically christened the ‘cytokine storm.’ Patients with sepsis may present with fever, shock, altered mental status, and organ dysfunction. It’s all due to bacteria running riot in the patient’s body.