Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: How are they becoming a global catastrophe?

The world is facing a global threat - antibiotic-resistant bacteria!

Antibiotics or penicillin were long regarded as the miracle cure par excellence and were prescribed, administered and taken in large quantities. Now, however, the downside of years of misuse is becoming apparent.

As early as 1945, the scientist Alexander Fleming first warned of the consequences of irregular use. The more bacteria are treated with antibiotics, the better they learn to defend themselves against their attackers. They develop resistance genes to the active substance and pass these genes on. This gives rise to new and increasingly resistant generations of bacteria.

Nowadays, the list of multi-resistant germs is getting longer and longer and the options for curing them with antibiotics are becoming increasingly limited.

 

➤ The safe 90 years with antibiotics are over!

 

The consequences of antibiotic misuse

The consequences of the inappropriate use of antibiotics are fatal. Even simple infections can no longer be treated with conventional antibiotics and degenerate into dangerous infections. Then only reserve antibiotics can help.

Reserve antibiotics are special antibiotics that are only administered in the case of severe infections with multi-resistant bacteria. They are only used in an absolute emergency and are considered the iron reserve for severe infections. Reserve antibiotics are usually the last chance for sick people to get well again. 

 

The big problem with the allocation of reserve antibiotics?

The threat of new resistances! The number of multi-resistant germs is particularly high in southern Europe, as even more antibiotics are prescribed or even taken without a prescription in these countries than in Germany. These germs in turn reach us through tourism.

Initial studies already show that germs are increasingly being found in hospitals that no longer react to antibiotics and also to important reserve antibiotics.

Incidentally, over 90 % of resistant germs are brought into the hospital.

 

➤ In Germany alone, it is estimated that between 1000 and 4000 deaths are caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens every year!

 

What are the triggers for antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

Man - to blame as always...

Above all, the misuse of antibiotics in human medicine is leading to the massive development of resistance. Most doctors prescribe antibiotics too quickly and too often. This strategy is very easy and convenient for the doctor and saves time. In most cases, no tests are even carried out to determine whether the affected person is suffering from a bacterial or viral illness. Around 50 % of the antibiotics prescribed would therefore not even be necessary! In addition, patients have no patience and want an immediate improvement in their symptoms. As a result, antibiotics are prescribed even for harmless illnesses and infections.

Further problems arise when people do not finish taking the prescribed antibiotics. The harmful bacteria can then grow again and develop resistance. However, the claim that antibiotics must ALWAYS be taken to the end is now outdated. When taking antibiotics, it is important to take them after careful consultation with your doctor. The following applies: as long as necessary and as short as possible.

There are no limits for animals either

Another major area that leads to resistance is animal husbandry. Almost twice as many antibiotics are used in veterinary medicine than in human medicine. The more animals are kept, the more diseases occur and the more antibiotics are administered. Instead of treating individual sick animals, all of them are treated as a precaution.

Antibiotics are also used as growth accelerators in animal fattening. This means that even if you do not take antibiotics yourself, you still come into contact with them when you eat meat.

Alarming: Although the use of antibiotics in German poultry farming has been halved since 2011, according to an environmental organization, consumption is still DOUBLE as high as in Denmark, Great Britain or Austria!

Nowhere are you safe from antibiotics!

Antibiotics are not only found in animal products, no, antibiotics are even found in fruit and vegetables! On the one hand, surface water is used for irrigation and on the other, antibiotics are used to control bacteria.

In addition to food and medicines, rivers and lakes in Europe now also contain resistant germs that are introduced through liquid manure and wastewater. 

 

Even minor inflammations are often no longer curable with conventional antibiotics!

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What can we do to protect ourselves from the antibiotics catastrophe? - The new health weapons

1. question the intake of antibiotics

Studies show that people who know about antibiotics are more careful with them. For example, many people do not know that antibiotics do not help with viruses, but only with bacteria. So ask your doctor for a simple test to see whether your illness is bacterial or viral.

2. take probiotics to strengthen your immune system

Probiotics promote your intestinal flora and significantly strengthen your immune system. Very important: If you are currently taking antibiotics or have recently taken them, also take probiotics! This is because antibiotics destroy all intestinal bacteria - even the good ones!

The danger with a weakened immune system: germs, especially multi-resistant germs, have an easier time spreading in the body. As a result, certain bacteria that cannot harm healthy people become a deadly danger in weakened people.

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3.  ensure good hygiene

To prevent infections in general, sufficient hygiene should always be ensured - from regular hand washing and avoiding contact with sick people to clean and hygienic food preparation.

What natural alternatives are there to antibiotics?

1. Phage therapy
2. Herbal antibiotics

1) Phage therapy:

There are already studies on natural antibiotic alternatives. The so-called bacteriophages. Phages are viruses and therefore the natural enemies of all groups of bacteria. Phage therapy is therefore a targeted therapy with the natural enemy of bacteria - the bacteria-eating viruses. This therapy is particularly interesting for infections with multi-resistant bacteria, but is unfortunately not yet approved in Germany. The therapy has long been practiced in Georgia, for example.

How does it work? Phage therapy aims to precisely attack resistant bacteria. Initial studies and results are already available in Germany. But there are still no doctors who carry out this therapy as standard. There are also major obstacles due to the regulations for drug testing in the EU. In most cases, doctors in Poland and Georgia are referred to, as it is standard treatment in Eastern European countries. According to results from Eastern European countries, more than 80 % of antibiotic-resistant germs respond to phage therapy.

 

➤ Phages - hope in the antibiotics crisis

 

2) Herbal antibiotics:

The so-called phytopharmaceuticals contain valuable secondary plant substances that can specifically fight infections.

 

➤ More and more people are pinning their hopes on herbal antibiotics!

 

The benefits of herbal antibiotics

Many infections for which conventional antibiotics are otherwise prescribed can be treated or prevented with herbal alternatives. These also have many advantages:

• Valuable ingredients: Herbal antibiotics contain a variety of essential oils, flavonoids, tannins and bitter substances that support our general health.
• Better tolerability: Plant-based alternatives are much better tolerated than conventional antibiotics. This is because conventional antibiotics kill all bacteria in the body, even the good ones. This leads to a massive weakening of the immune system. Plant-based antibiotics, on the other hand, strengthen it. And best of all: no resistance develops to plant-based antibiotics!
• Naturally anti-inflammatory: Most plants have an anti-inflammatory and even decongestant effect and are therefore very effective against infections. These include turmeric and frankincense, for example.
• Antibacterial and antimicrobial: Many plants contain ingredients that fight bacteria and germs so that they have no chance of growing at all. Thyme, for example, ensures that bacterial strains are inhibited in their growth. The ingredient mustard oil glucoside, which is found in nasturtium and horseradish, is even said to be effective against multi-resistant germs. 
• Antioxidant:Some plants are effective antioxidants that fight free radicals that would otherwise damage our cells.
• Antibiotic: A variety of herbs such as sage, thyme, yarrow or peppermint, as well as other plants such as frankincense, have an antibiotic effect due to their essential oils.
• Pain-relieving: Plants such as turmeric or frankincense have a strong, natural pain-relieving effect.

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Which plants have an antibiotic effect?

There are many plant alternatives that have a natural antibiotic effect. Some of them even grow in our own garden:

• Sage
• Turmeric
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Incense
• Nasturtium
• Onion
• Lavender
• Ginger
• Bacterial respiratory diseases (e.g. coughs, colds or tonsillitis and pharyngitis): Nasturtium, turmeric, horseradish, thyme and sage
• Heart: Garlic
• Blood: chamomile, garlic
• Bladder and kidney (e.g. cystitis): Nasturtium and turmeric
• Intestine/liver/gallbladder: turmeric, garlic and onions
• Joints (arthritis): Frankincense
• Wound infections/inflammations: Turmeric, frankincense, onions, lavender and chamomile

Herbal antibiotics work throughout the body:

Prevention is half the battle

The best way to stay healthy is to prevent infections in the first place. Bacteria have a much lower chance of spreading in healthy people.

And please note the following:

• Question the intake of antibiotics and avoid taking them unnecessarily.
• Strengthen your immune system - then infections won't stand a chance. Take probiotics or antioxidants, for example.
• Use natural medicinal plants that have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, such as turmeric, frankincense, thyme and the like.

 

Sources (in English):

Alos, J. I., (2015, December). [Antibiotic resistance: A global crisis]. Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica, 33(10):692-9, doi: 10.1016/j.eimc.2014.10.004

Martinez, J. L., (2014, March). General principles of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Drug Discovery Today. Technologies, 11:33-9, doi: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2014.02.001

Hiltunen, T., Virta, M. & Laine, A. L. (2017, January). Antibiotic resistance in the wild: an eco-evolutionary perspective. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 372(1712). pii: 20160039, doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0039

Martinez, J. L. & Baquero, F. (2014, May). Emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance: setting a parameter space. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 119(2):68-77, doi: 10.3109/03009734.2014.901444

Davies, J. & Davies, D. (2010, September). Origins and Evolution of antibiotic resistance. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews: MMBR, 74(3):417-33, doi: 10.1128/MMBR.00016-10

Gunathilaka, G. U., Tahlan, V., Mafiz, A., Polur, M. & Zhang, Y. (2017, November). Phages in urban wastewater have the potential to disseminate antibiotic resistance. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 50(5):678-683, doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2017.08.013

Kunnumakkara, A. B., Bordoloi, D., Padmavathi, G., Monisha, J., Roy, N. K., Prasad, S. et al. (2017, June). Curcumin, the golden nutraceutical: multitargeting for multiple chronic diseases. British Journal of Pharmacology, 174(11):1325-1348, doi: 10.1111/bph.13621

Goldin, B. R., (1998, October). Health benefits of probiotics. The British Journal of Nutrition, 80(4):S203-7

Ammon, H. P. (2006, October). Boswellic acids in chronic inflammatory diseases. Planta Medica, 72(12):1100-16, doi: 10.1055/s-2006-947227