The Dangers of Over Using AntiBiotics

antibioticsEvery year, your family probably faces its share of colds, sore throats, and viruses. When you bring your child to the doctor for these illnesses, do you automatically expect a prescription for antibiotics? Many parents do. And they’re  surprised, maybe even angry, if they leave the doctor’s office empty-handed – after all, what parent doesn’t want their kid to get well as quickly as possible? But your doctor could be doing you and your child a favor by not reaching for the prescription pad.

To understand how antibiotics work, it helps to know about the two types of germs that can make people sick: bacteria and viruses. Although certain bacteria and viruses cause diseases with similar symptoms, the ways these two organisms multiply and spread illness are different:

Why It’s Harmful to Overuse Them

Taking antibiotics for colds and other viral illnesses not only won’t work, but also has a dangerous side effect: over time, this practice helps create bacteria that have become more of a challenge to kill. Frequent and inappropriate use of antibiotics selects for strains of bacteria that can resist treatment. This is called bacterial resistance. These resistant bacteria require higher doses of medicine or stronger antibiotics to treat. Doctors have even found bacteria that are resistant to some of the most powerful antibiotics available today.

Antibiotic resistance is a widespread problem, and one that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls “one of the world’s most pressing public health problems.” Bacteria that were once highly responsive to antibiotics have become increasingly resistant. Among those that are becoming harder to treat are pneumococcal infections (which cause pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and meningitis), skin infections, and tuberculosis.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tract. Literally translated, the word probiotic means “FOR LIFE”. The World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” (that’s you).

Maintaining a healthy balance of probiotics is critical to your good health, and not only your digestive health. The two most prevalent probiotics are Lactobacillus, which make up the majority of the probiotics living in your small intestine, and Bifidobacteria, the most prevalent probiotic living in your large intestine.

Probiotics Help You To:

Maintain healthy colon cells* · Promote healthy immunity* · Promote regularity* · Promote detoxification of intestinal toxins* · Manufacture digestive enzymes which help you digest food* · Make use of nutrients, such as fiber, that would otherwise pass through the body undigested* · Create an unfriendly environment for potentially harmful bacteria and yeast*

Your Bacterial Balance Is the Key to Your Good Health

You have both good and bad bacteria in your digestive system. A healthy bacterial balance is 80% good to 20% bad bacteria. If bad bacteria increase past 20%, your health can suffer

Shaklee Optiflora Probiotic Complex has a patented triple-layer encapsulation that guarantees delivery of at least half a billion live, beneficial bacteria directly to the small intestines. So when antibiotics and unfamiliar foods threaten this balance, there’s something you can do about it. And having a balance of healthy bacteria has been shown to boost the body’s natural defensive capabilities and long-term colon health.*Shaklee Corporation makes one of the most complete and strongest probiotics called Optiflora. Optiflora gurantees 50 billion live bacteria to the lower colon where it needs to be.

See post on how to choose a good probiotic.

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