By Luzia Barclay DBTh MIRCH
“Covid is a lobster dropped into hot water, making a lot of noise as it expires, whereas AMR (antimicrobial resistance) is a lobster put into cold water, heating up slowly, not making any noise.”
The noise about Covid-19 is drowning out the still imminent danger of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria resistant to a range of antibiotics are called ‘superbugs’. One of them is MRSA, which is very difficult to treat and has cost many people’s lives here in the UK and globally.
How often has Professor Dame Sally Davies warned about this problem! Even in October, 2017, she talked about a “post-antibiotic apocalypse” and urged the medical establishment to address the growing threat of bacterial resistance by reducing the use of antibiotics as much as possible.
My view is that antibiotics should be used only as a last resort, in emergencies and when natural remedies are found to be not sufficient. Additionally, they should not be used so regularly in farmed animals where they are known to lead to superbugs and end up in the food chain for human consumption.
The question arises: Can we farm animals for meat without, or with just minimal, use of antibiotics? Cheap meat production in factory farming is questionable and requires some re-thinking in view of bacterial resistance but also in view of viruses jumping from animals to humans and vice versa.
There are plenty of reasons to look into changing our eating habits. It is known that a healthy diet leads to a strong immune system, of paramount importance if we want to curb the use of antibiotics. It has always been and always will be our immune system that keeps us healthy and helps us to deal with viral and bacterial infections.
It is puzzling that, in most of the articles warning us of the ‘post-antibiotic apocalypse’, we hardly ever hear of natural remedies to support our immune system. It is as if there is no evidence that any can help. But if one cares to look for this evidence, one can find plenty of really well-balanced, double blind trials showing its benefits.
Of particular interest to me are the trials into the bee product propolis, as presented in two recent international propolis conferences in Glasgow and in Sofia. Scientists worldwide gathered to discuss the results of trials showing its effective immune modulating and antimicrobial properties.
Equally, we know garlic is a powerful food and a medicine. Research has demonstrated garlic has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity while at the same time helping to prevent excessive blood clotting and keeping cholesterol levels at even keel. It is easily available and can even be grown in the garden.
Contact me with any questions you may have relating to this article. Luzia Barclay DBTh MIRCH Registered Medical Herbalist
info@luzia.co.uk 07716 872 756 or 01722 330663