Antibiotics

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.

According to an article recently published in the UK newspaper The Independent, the world is being driven towards the “unthinkable scenario of untreatable infections”, owing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. But the problem is far from a European one. The whole world is gradually being drawn into the nightmare of no more effective antibiotics. Reports are increasing across the world, of patients with infections that are nearly impossible to treat. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said yesterday that in some countries up to 50 per cent of cases of blood poisoning caused by one bug – K. pneumoniae, a common cause of urinary and respiratory conditions – were resistant to carbapenems, the most powerful class of antibiotics. The percentage of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has doubled from 7 per cent to 15 per cent. The ECDC said it is “particularly worrying” because carbapenems are the last-line antibiotics for treatment of multi-drug-resistant infections. Marc Sprenger, the director, said: “The situation is critical. We need to declare a war against these bacteria.” Tough words Marc. Trouble is, it comes out a bit hollow: declaring war when you’re out of bullets and shells!

According to an article recently published in the UK newspaper The Independent, the world is being driven towards the “unthinkable scenario of untreatable infections”, owing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. But the problem is far from a European one. The whole world is gradually being drawn into the nightmare of no more effective antibiotics. Reports are increasing across the world, of patients with infections that are nearly impossible to treat. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said yesterday that in some countries up to 50 per cent of cases of blood poisoning caused by one bug – K. pneumoniae, a common cause of urinary and respiratory conditions – were resistant to carbapenems, the most powerful class of antibiotics. The percentage of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has doubled from 7 per cent to 15 per cent. The ECDC said it is “particularly worrying” because carbapenems are the last-line antibiotics for treatment of multi-drug-resistant infections. Marc Sprenger, the director, said: “The situation is critical. We need to declare a war against these bacteria.” Tough words Marc. Trouble is, it comes out a bit hollow: declaring war when you’re out of bullets and shells!

I was one of the pioneer clinical ecologists in the late 70s, early 80s, who found, purely empirically (trial and error) that probiotics help quell gut inflammation. It was easy to create a theory that matched: antibiotics had trashed our natural bowel flora, aliens had moved in and, by restoring the balance, using probiotics, we were able to bring about recovery. If you have been living on Planet Zod and not yet heard about probiotics, that means friendly germs, like the yoghurt bacteria, which are supposed to fill our and gut push out the unhealthy microbes. Antibiotics suddenly seemed not nearly such a good idea. I think we were a little smug, with hindsight. We scoffed at our orthodox colleagues, who just didn’t “get it”. Indeed, they reciprocated by being nasty and abusive about this theory. Doctors who espoused it were all humbugs, crooks and/or fools, according to the gatekeepers of “real” science. Well time proved we were right, at least to a degree. Eventually, after a 20-year cultural lag, orthodox doctors got onto it too. You’ve probably heard the old scientific gag, that medical research goes through several clearly defined phases: 1. You must be crazy, that’s ridiculous 2. There might be something in it 3. Where’s the proof? 4. We knew that all along We seemed to have reached stage 4 with probiotics. Orthodox colleagues then actually brought in the concept of prebiotics and began to study them. Prebiotics are substances, typically natural foods, that favor our natural, friendly gut flora and make them feel at home. Fiber is one of the classic prebiotics (Jerusalem artichoke is a prime example). This turned out to be an A-1 good idea! Prebiotics make probiotics work much better than before.

I was one of the pioneer clinical ecologists in the late 70s, early 80s, who found, purely empirically (trial and error) that probiotics help quell gut inflammation. It was easy to create a theory that matched: antibiotics had trashed our natural bowel flora, aliens had moved in and, by restoring the balance, using probiotics, we were able to bring about recovery. If you have been living on Planet Zod and not yet heard about probiotics, that means friendly germs, like the yoghurt bacteria, which are supposed to fill our and gut push out the unhealthy microbes. Antibiotics suddenly seemed not nearly such a good idea. I think we were a little smug, with hindsight. We scoffed at our orthodox colleagues, who just didn’t “get it”. Indeed, they reciprocated by being nasty and abusive about this theory. Doctors who espoused it were all humbugs, crooks and/or fools, according to the gatekeepers of “real” science. Well time proved we were right, at least to a degree. Eventually, after a 20-year cultural lag, orthodox doctors got onto it too. You’ve probably heard the old scientific gag, that medical research goes through several clearly defined phases: 1. You must be crazy, that’s ridiculous 2. There might be something in it 3. Where’s the proof? 4. We knew that all along We seemed to have reached stage 4 with probiotics. Orthodox colleagues then actually brought in the concept of prebiotics and began to study them. Prebiotics are substances, typically natural foods, that favor our natural, friendly gut flora and make them feel at home. Fiber is one of the classic prebiotics (Jerusalem artichoke is a prime example). This turned out to be an A-1 good idea! Prebiotics make probiotics work much better than before.

I was thinking on the right lines, apparently. According to a new British study (Oct 15th 2011), one in six cellphones may be contaminated with fecal matter (sh*t). Cell phones can spread E. coli, likely because so many people don’t wash their hands properly after using the toilet. The findings also suggest that many people […]

I was thinking on the right lines, apparently. According to a new British study (Oct 15th 2011), one in six cellphones may be contaminated with fecal matter (sh*t). Cell phones can spread E. coli, likely because so many people don’t wash their hands properly after using the toilet. The findings also suggest that many people […] The post I Always Thought Cell Phones Were Sh*t! appeared first on Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby.

UV Light as a massive whole-body antibiotic Back when (in the days before antibiotics) there were many treatments which worked for bacterial and other infections; most have been forgotten. One almost lost technique is the use of ultra violet light irradiation of the blood to kill pathogens and even cancer cells. This is a version of what we technically call plasmapheresis or, in Europe “auto sanguis” therapy (meaning “own blood” therapy). Blood is taken outside the body, treated and then returned to the body. You can do a number of things to blood while it is outside the body that you could not do while it is inside… For example, you can expose it to ozone and so enrich it with oxygen. A high local concentration of oxygen is known to provide a hostile environment for cancer cells. Some deadly organisms, too, like the gas gangrene bacteria (Clostridium welchii), are killed by a high-oxygen environment. Even viruses succumb. But here I am describing the use of ultra-violet light to treat infections. UV is accepted as a sterilizing agent; city water supply is treated with it; indeed, you may have a UV unit fitted to your spa or pool. There is no scientific argument over its cleansing capabilities. It zaps pathogens! It’s also destructive to humans (sunburn!) but that problem is solved by focusing the UV on blood which is OUTSIDE the body. We call this ultra-violet blood irradiation or UVBI for short. It’s also sometimes known as photoluminescence. The treated blood is returned to the body, where it spreads its good message throughout the tissues. Surprisingly, only about 5% of the total blood volume needs to be treated in this way. This small proportion spreads through the entire body and works its magic, in much the same way a therapeutic drug gets everywhere. UVBI kills viruses, parasites and bacteria and was popular in the 1930s for polio and other viral infections. The reason for its use is simple enough: it works! But then it became unpopular, as it was gradually sidelined by mass vaccination programs, which were believed to work, despite evidence to the contrary. Finally, UV blood therapy fell into disrepute, except among dedicated holistic physicians. That’s a great pity because it is very safe (no side effects ever recorded, when used properly), highly effective and cheap to do. It’s so easy, as a matter of fact, that it’s probably something a lay persons, with the right equipment and proper  instructions, can administer it to themselves. 

UV Light as a massive whole-body antibiotic Back when (in the days before antibiotics) there were many treatments which worked for bacterial and other infections; most have been forgotten. One almost lost technique is the use of ultra violet light irradiation of the blood to kill pathogens and even cancer cells. This is a version of what we technically call plasmapheresis or, in Europe “auto sanguis” therapy (meaning “own blood” therapy). Blood is taken outside the body, treated and then returned to the body. You can do a number of things to blood while it is outside the body that you could not do while it is inside… For example, you can expose it to ozone and so enrich it with oxygen. A high local concentration of oxygen is known to provide a hostile environment for cancer cells. Some deadly organisms, too, like the gas gangrene bacteria (Clostridium welchii), are killed by a high-oxygen environment. Even viruses succumb. But here I am describing the use of ultra-violet light to treat infections. UV is accepted as a sterilizing agent; city water supply is treated with it; indeed, you may have a UV unit fitted to your spa or pool. There is no scientific argument over its cleansing capabilities. It zaps pathogens! It’s also destructive to humans (sunburn!) but that problem is solved by focusing the UV on blood which is OUTSIDE the body. We call this ultra-violet blood irradiation or UVBI for short. It’s also sometimes known as photoluminescence. The treated blood is returned to the body, where it spreads its good message throughout the tissues. Surprisingly, only about 5% of the total blood volume needs to be treated in this way. This small proportion spreads through the entire body and works its magic, in much the same way a therapeutic drug gets everywhere. UVBI kills viruses, parasites and bacteria and was popular in the 1930s for polio and other viral infections. The reason for its use is simple enough: it works! But then it became unpopular, as it was gradually sidelined by mass vaccination programs, which were believed to work, despite evidence to the contrary. Finally, UV blood therapy fell into disrepute, except among dedicated holistic physicians. That’s a great pity because it is very safe (no side effects ever recorded, when used properly), highly effective and cheap to do. It’s so easy, as a matter of fact, that it’s probably something a lay persons, with the right equipment and proper  instructions, can administer it to themselves. 

Bacteria are single-celled organisms. They come in a variety of shapes: round spheres (called a coccus, plural cocci), rod-shaped (called a bacillus, plural bacilli), spiral- shaped (called a spirochete, plural spirochetes) and a few odd-balls (no plural!)Bacteria are the oldest living organisms on planet Earth. Since they don’t produce “babies” (offspring), but reproduce by just splitting in two, you could say that bacteria represent an original founding organism which is now billions of years old! Respect! Yes. Estimates of how many cells make up a human being vary—between 1 trillion and 100 trillion. I’ve seen both.But what is clear is that there are 10 times more bacteria in you and on you than the actual number of cells that go to make up YOU! Respect? Yes. We humans have about 25,000- 30,000 genes that make up our human-ness. But there are over 100 times more bacterial genes, on you and in you, which all matter. That’s 3 million genes, set against your measly 1%. What happens to your bacteria, happens to you. Trust me. We need lots of respect for those single-cell organisms that are all-but part of us.

Bacteria are single-celled organisms. They come in a variety of shapes: round spheres (called a coccus, plural cocci), rod-shaped (called a bacillus, plural bacilli), spiral- shaped (called a spirochete, plural spirochetes) and a few odd-balls (no plural!)Bacteria are the oldest living organisms on planet Earth. Since they don’t produce “babies” (offspring), but reproduce by just splitting in two, you could say that bacteria represent an original founding organism which is now billions of years old! Respect! Yes. Estimates of how many cells make up a human being vary—between 1 trillion and 100 trillion. I’ve seen both.But what is clear is that there are 10 times more bacteria in you and on you than the actual number of cells that go to make up YOU! Respect? Yes. We humans have about 25,000- 30,000 genes that make up our human-ness. But there are over 100 times more bacterial genes, on you and in you, which all matter. That’s 3 million genes, set against your measly 1%. What happens to your bacteria, happens to you. Trust me. We need lots of respect for those single-cell organisms that are all-but part of us.

Just a note to say one of the best antibiotics is no antibiotic. And that includes alternatives! A review published in JAMA has found that using antibiotics for ear infections in children is no better than just giving the kiddies pain relief. Antibiotics did produce some slight benefit but this was lost when side effects like diarrhea and rash were factored in. Researchers say the review, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows the merit of a watch-and-wait approach to managing ear infections. Based on their review of more than 100 studies published over the last decade, the researchers were able to quantify the risks and benefits of treatment with antibiotics. They estimated that for every 100 otherwise healthy children with uncomplicated middle ear infections, about 80 could be expected to improve without antibiotics within about three days.