Dominique Monnet of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) scientific advice unit said the “whole span of modern medicine” is under threat because bugs are become resistant to antibiotics, rendering the drugs useless.

“If this wave of antibiotic resistance gets over us, we will not be able to do organ transplants, hip replacements, cancer chemotherapy, intensive care and neonatal care for premature babies,” he told reporters at a briefing.

Antibiotics are needed in all these treatments to prevent bacterial infection. But drug-resistant bacteria are a growing problem in hospitals worldwide, marked by the rise of superbugs such as methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA).

Such infections kill about 25,000 people a year in Europe and around 19,000 in the United States

On top of the risks to future treatments, Monnet said the costs of antibiotic resistance were already hurting — and may hit healthcare budgets across the European Union yet harder if the problem is not addressed.

The six most common multi-drug-resistant bacteria — often referred to as superbugs — cause around 400,000 infections a year in Europe, killing around 25,000 people and using 2.5 million hospital days a year.

The ECDC, which monitors and advises on disease in EU, calculates that with a hospital day costing an average of 366 euros ($548), superbug infections are already sucking up 900 million euros a year in extra hospital costs, and a further 600 million euros a year in lost productivity.

“Across the European Union the number of patients infected by resistant bacteria is increasing and that antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health,” the ECDC said.

Britain’s government was criticized by a parliamentary committee on Tuesday for failing to tackle the majority of hospital-acquired infections by narrowing its focus to two high profile ones — MRSA and Clostridium difficult.

The ECDC is planning an “antibiotic awareness” campaign on November 18 to urge doctors to stop overprescribing antibiotics.

Patients demanding antibiotics for viral infections often are not aware that they will not work, it said, but doctors are and should stop giving in to pressure.

Sarah Earnshaw of the ECDC’s communications unit, pointed to a 2002 survey that showed 60 percent of patients do not know that antibiotics do not work against viruses like flu and colds.

“Patients often demand antibiotics,” she said. And doctors often think, she said, that giving in is a quicker way to deal with a demanding patients than persuading them otherwise.

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

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Researchers from the Agenzia Sanitaria e Sociale Regionale Emilia-Romagna, in collaboration with the CeVEAS-AUSL Modena and the Regional ProBA Group in Italy used a two-step survey to first investigate family and hospital pediatricians’ knowledge and attitude towards antibiotics, as well as that of parents’, and then to determine the factors associated with pediatricians’ actual practices of antibiotic prescription.

They found that for parents, lack of knowledge was the most important factor potentially associated with over-prescription. For the pediatricians questioned, 56% thought that diagnostic uncertainty was the main cause of antibiotic over-prescription, and only 20% suggested that parental expectations of a prescription was to blame. However, in observed practices, parental expectation of a prescription, as perceived by the doctor, was the second highest factor significantly associated with actual prescription, with the most important factor being discharge from the child’s ear.

“A wide gap between perceived and real determinants of antibiotic prescription exists,” says lead researcher Maria Luisa Moro, “This can promote antibiotic overuse.” Unnecessary prescription of antibiotics is dangerous as it increases the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Of the European countries, Italy has particularly high rates of antibiotic prescription and resistance, therefore reducing inappropriate antibiotic use in this country is particularly important. She concludes, “All of the above results confirm the crucial role of cultural factors as well as social factors in determining the pattern of antimicrobial prescribing in a region.”

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In our post-modern industrial polluted stress-filled bad-diet culture, no one’s health is simple. We are plagued by complex long-term illnesses like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, AIDS, even sinus problems… it may seem weird to you that I include sinus infections, but the root causes of sinus trouble can be quite complicated… Especially if they are long-term.

Antibiotic Overuse Problems

I hate to say it (because antibiotics are so great in some situations, and so popular overall), but antibiotics can complicate things even further - there are conditions that do not respond to them… and there are many situations in which they are not even indicated.

Physicians have over-prescribed antibiotics for years… they know it, there have been studies that show it, and as a profession they’ve moved away from that. But people still want to leave the doctor’s office with a prescription, a magic-bullet. Of course, sometimes the issue is which antibiotic is the most appropriate one. They don’t all work for everything.

Antibiotic Side Effects - When They’re Wrong

If the sinusitis hasn’t responded to antibiotics, then either the wrong ones were prescribed, or you need to try another kind of treatment. Chinese Herbal Medicine can address the full spectrum of complaints and causes; we often treat the conditions which are not responding to conventional treatments like antibiotics. A woman wrote me about how antibiotics weren’t solving her diarrhea problem- this can happen when the disease is cold in nature. Antibiotics are cold and bitter; these qualities help it fight the dampness and heat of bacterial infections. But they are more of the same damage when the disease is cold or deficient in nature. Acupuncture and moxibustion (the warming of acupuncture points) can also be effective; some people respond very quickly… results vary depending upon a number of factors (the acupuncturist’s education, accuracy of diagnosis, frequency of treatment, and patient compliance with diet and lifestyle suggestions).

Cold and Deficient

If the mucus is clear or white, then it is more likely cold in nature. That fits with a Spleen-system deficiency and dampness. That would fit with the pulse she felt. You would have lowered appetite, feel fatigued, have loose stool, and possibly feel cold easily. Antibiotics wouldn’t help here, and could even make things worse.

Sinus Infection Symptoms

The classic acute sinusitis symptoms are nasal congestion, green nasal phlegm, facial/dental pain, eye pain, headache, and a cough at night. Some patients also complain of fever, feeling ill, bad breath and a sore throat. Chronic sinusitis is more difficult to diagnose. You can have the same symptoms above in a milder form. Chronic means long-term; it’s not usually thought of as chronic unless it’s been going on for 2 months or more.

Sinus Infection Causes

Sinus problems can be caused by many things- you have to think about environmental and food allergies (allergic sinusitis), chronic sinus infection, and chronic colds. Without more information, it’s hard to be specific. Sinusitis often develops after colds, and can become a chronic problem. The sinuses are very small… one of our weak points, especially for people with weakened immune systems or in the presence of irritants (once again, pollution, allergens, etc.)… she probably asked about the farms and pesticides while she was thinking about the cause of your chronic sinusitis.

Mold, Fungus, and Sick Buildings

And we can’t forget about mold! While some people appear to be more sensitive than others, fungus can cause fungal sinusitis. This gets into the whole ’sick-building’ topic… Mold can grow in the walls of houses and offices, and is not always easy to detect.

Decongestant Side Effects

Decongestants are often prescribed. They work by drying you out. Unfortunately, they don’t just dry the mucus. Long-term use of decongestants can lead to other problems, like the dry or heat types of sinus inflammation.

This is why, in Chinese Medicine, we always balance an herb with other herbs- if we are drying the phlegm, we also moisten at the same time. Moisture helps the sinuses drain- you remember that Crocodile-Dundee-put-your-head-under-the-steaming-pot-thing? Likewise, there are chinese herbs whose function it is to moisten and transform phlegm.

Serious Causes of Sinusitis, and Serious Solutions

For those with chronic sinusitis, tests need to be done to rule out the serious things. Sinusitis can be just a simple end-of-your-cold complication, but it can also show up as part of: nasal tumors, fungal infections, and HIV or other immunodeficiency. What about the sinusitis surgery? It works from 50-93% of the time… so it can be a great help if you’re sick and tired of it, and nothing else has worked. but it’s also a super-painful process! I would see an herbalist first.

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Yeast infection is like a ghost waiting to scare young and older women when their body becomes out of balance due to stress, dubious partners, hormonal changes and/or immune system weakness.

A few women will elude this voracious monster but unfortunately most will be frightened at least twice in their life and others will live with a chronic reoccurrence of yeast infection.

The most important message is to recognize the yeast infection early and try an available natural remedy that you can use in the comfort of the home that is safe and no prescription required.

Natural antibiotics are always a choice that should be taken over a prescription if possible. Colloidal silver has been a patented drug and then relabeled a natural supplement. Oregano oil is also a natural antibiotic.

In addition to natural antibiotics there are two other home remedies that have been used to control yeast infection, yogurt insertion and tea tree oil. The body will always respond quicker to a natural solution and return to a healthy state if it doesn’t have a compound job to do. The dual duty of the immune system would be trying to rid the body of an invasive disease while expelling man made toxins in prescription drugs that usually cause unbalanced ph in the blood and immune system.

Natural antibiotics and home remedies are not in any way the answer to all medical problems and do not take the place of a medical doctor. However taking care of your body and boosting your immune system to support good health is your everyday job. Only you know that responsibility best.

The World Wide Web has become a highway to a library of testimonials for natural disease remedies. There is an effort to suppress all natural vitamin, herbs, minerals and home remedy practice. We are a voice crying RELIEF in cyberspace from the proven archives of our word-of-mouth ancestors. We practice freedom of speech, and deny that these references are an attempt to diagnose or treat any disease, symptom or individual.

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