Most of us have been busy worrying about the Swine flu as it continues to spread around the country. The good news, the flu season is just about over and we shouldn’t hear much more about it till our next flu season. The bad news, there are other super bugs that are raising their killer heads.
One highly contagious and potentially deadly bacterium is called Clostridium difficile. The U.S. reports that this bacteria cause 350,00 infections each year in hospitals alone, with tens of thousands more occuring in nursing homes. The illness kills an estimated 15,000 – 20,ooo people annually and is spreading at an alarming rate , with reported cases doubling from 2001 to 2005. (NY Times.com)
The scary part about this bacteria is that it is often spurred by antibiotics . Antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria but they also wipe out the healthy bacteria that normally live in the digestive tract and fight off such bacterias. This gives C. Difficile an opportunity to flourish if a person becomes exposed to it or already has the bacteria.
The public health community has been warning us for years about the overuse of antiobiotics and the emergence of “superbugs” – bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Unfortunately, the typical treatment for bacterial infections, including C. Difficile, is more antibiotics! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported on several cases of minor infections of C. Difficile that developed into life-threatening conditions were the only treatment is to remove the patient’s colon. Reportedly, even after surgery, patients still suffer from regular bouts of diarrhea and 20% suffer a relapse.
The easiest answer to keep this bacteria in check is to take a probiotic- a supplement that contains good bacteria for your gut. Unfortunately, this sort of preventive medicine is not taught in hospitals.
Whenever you have to take an antibiotic, make sure it is for a legit reason. Do not take antibiotics for a common cold – let your own immune system fight off every day colds. Not only will this help reduce the rate at which super bugs are being created, it will also help you strenghten your own immune system naturally.
Of course, there are situations in which antibiotics are necessary. When this is the case, make sure that you finish the complete prescription, even if you are feeling better. (Often, this is how super bugs are created – the bugs are not completely killed off, you are no longer at risk but then you spread it to others, and now the antibiotics you took will no longer work for the next guy.) Next, you want to follow up your prescription (or take concurrently) with a probiotic to re-introduce the good bacteria into your gut. Remember, the bad bacteria proliferate four times faster than the good bacteria. Which means, the weeks following an antibiotic leave you highly susceptible to catching another bacteria.
As a preventive measure, I highly recommend taking a probiotic as a daily strategy for optimum health. Please see my past blog on why you should take a probiotic.