70% of modern health problems are directly caused by lifestyle choices. SEVENTY percent! What would your life be like if almost 3 of every 4 illnesses, disorders or concerns that came your way … didn’t.

What troubles me the most about this statistic is that so many of us already know or at least suspect that, but we still don’t make the change. My husband and I (admittedly documentary junkies) were watching a film last night about another health crusader trying to spread the word about prevention.

Normally I avoid such films and shows and last night once again provided evidence of why… whether it’s Jamie Oliver or Joe Cross – or your or I, the response is almost always the same – a combination of 1) it doesn’t really work, 2) it’s too much trouble, or 3) I’ve already tried the natural route (or know someone that did). And I find myself both saddened and frustrated!

To take a closer look at each of these:

1) it doesn’t really work… not so! Epidemiologists, scientists, researchers, professionals, just about ANYONE that spends any time reading through medical literature can verify that yes, prevention does work! The American Cancer Society tells us that 75-80% of all cancer related deaths are directly related to environmental choices. Not genetics! The experts that devote their lives to researching how we get sick are telling us that we don’t usually have to! What would the country look like if we could prevent / save: almost 3/4 of the dollars spent on illness (medication, days lost in work or productivity, treatment, specialist visits), 3 out of 4 or even 4 out of 5 of the deaths lost to cancer, nearly 3 out of 4 of the health concerns we face – lost days from our lives that could have been better spent elsewhere – instead of sick in bed!

2) it’s too hard… I’ve been up close and personal with a struggle to beat cancer – and seen cancer win. I’ve seen children facing life threatening illnesses that emotionally tear up their parents. I’ve seen individuals of all ages in pain, struggling to enjoy their days despite a chronic health concern. *That’s* too much trouble. Cancer occurring at a rate that is quadruple (or more) what it should be is too much trouble. Diabetes, obesity and adrenal fatigue are too much trouble. Changing simple lifestyle habits – a route I’d prefer any day.

3) I’ve tried it – or my friend has – This one needs it’s own blog post really, but here’s what that usually means: I’ve tried the latest fad diet, I’ve tried the gov’t food pyramid (or revised pyramid, or circle), I’ve taken the latest cool health supplement, I’ve been taking the newest MLM product. I’ve had people tell me they need to take medicine because eating raisins didn’t cure their chronic inflammation, coconut oil didn’t cure their cancer and vinegar didn’t cure their GERD. I’ve seen people eat hot dogs while telling me bananas are bad for you, and eating cake while telling me yogurt is bad for you. I’m not at all advocating the trendy, pseudo-science that passes through communities faster than the illnesses they claim to cure. I’m advocating an evidence based, scientific and rational approach to life. Make the claim back itself up with evidence – both modern scientific and time tested. When formula was introduced as the superior infant food, babies died. When margarine was introduced to replace “bad” saturated fats, heart disease and inflammatory conditions skyrocketed. Processed foods result in chronic health concerns. That’s backed by scientific in multiple languages.

So, what to do? Educate yourself! We have more resources available to us than ever before. Thanks to modern conveniences, students study wellness through our school in over a dozen countries across multiple continents. Get a book on real foods, read labels, make simple lifestyle changes. Each of these baby steps will add up – and you’ll see a difference!

(intro note: If you haven’t read part 1 and part 2, you’ll want to read though those to get the full background of the situation and why resistance is such a growing concern.)

So, it’s easy to talk about antibiotic resistance and antibiotic overuse without clearly defining the situation. Does anybody really think they overuse anything? We all generally feel that we only use medication when necessary, and most moms I speak with feel that their own use of antibiotics is quite limited – whether it’s once in a lifetime or once a month. After all, if we didn’t use antibiotics, what would we do instead? And that’s exactly why so many of the campaigns by the World Health Organization and other medical professionals appear to be falling short.

What are we doing that could be changed to lessen the trend of antibiotic resistance? And what can we do in place of those habits? We’ll look at our current habits first, then cover the solutions in the next installment.

Before we dig into specifics that cause antibiotic resistance, I want to make it absolutely clear that these habits are learned and have been taught – even by medical professionals at times. They are not indicators of bad parenting or uneducated individuals – they are habits that were passed down from generation to generation, based on the initial excitement about the new wonder drug that would end all disease. So, there’s no judgement here – but we can’t save antibiotics without looking at the habits that are risking this valuable drug’s future.

1. Viral Infections - Many Americans believe that antibiotics are useful for viral infections. Research knows that they are not. But, other studies show that not only are they ineffective, they make viral infections worse! So, in addition to contributing to antibiotic resistance, antibiotic use for a viral infection does more immediate harm than good.

2. Just in case – Many parents want an antibiotic “just in case” for an infection. Yet, (again) studies show that antibiotics can actually make viral infections worse… longer lasting and with stronger effects. If the infection is not determined to be bacterial – and even if it is – reserving antibiotics for true needs will ensure that they are around for future true needs. (Many bacterial infections are better treated without antibiotics)

3. Ear infections – Professional organizations have been saying for over a decade that the wait and see approach to treating ear infections is medically superior to treating with antibiotics. Not because they shouldn’t be treated, but because antibiotics can actually CAUSE recurring ear infections! Clinical trials show that antibiotics rarely do any good, and some alternatives have fared better than standard antibiotic treatment. (additionally, many ear infections are not bacterial – most are viral…)

4. Patient Demand - When polled physicians listed “patient demand” as the #1 cause of prescribing antibiotics. Physicians know that moms will turn and find another provider to prescribe the drugs if they don’t. And in their short 15 minutes of visit time – or even less on a phone call – they don’t have the time necessary to educate the parent on the misuse of antibiotics. So, many have admittedly just given in. When parents describe a “good” pediatrician as one that will give out an antibiotic over the phone without a visit, physicians are aware of the situation, and many take note.

5. Wrong Antibiotics – Antibiotics are not all the same. Most individuals now know some are stronger than others, but they differ in many different ways. Initially, they were designed to be effective against single diseases. Bacteria can be classified as gram positive or negative, and antibiotics are often more effective against one or the other. Some antibiotics are broad spectrum antibiotics – effective against a lot of bacteria, both gram positive and negative. These antibiotics should be reserved for extreme life saving situations when there is not time to properly identify the offending bacteria, but are often used as a short cut to save time.

6. Incorrect Prophylactic Use – This is the idea that a constant dose of antibiotics will prevent infection. In other words, instead of waiting for the infection to begin, this means treating it before it begins – assuming that it will. Not only is that usually based on bad science, it greatly contributes to resistance and often results in lasting harm to the individual. I’ve worked with so many individuals that are experiencing the negative results of previous prophylactic use for situations with other alternatives. Acne, infection prevention and other common causes of long term prophylactic use are generally better treated with other measures.

7. Animal Husbandry – Animals are among the most common recipients of prophylactic antibiotics. Constant treatment with antibiotics will often result in a faster growing animal and are thought to prevent infections (see #6) However, in reality, this habit is not good for the animal or the individuals that consume the animals – and it results in resistance.

8. Antibiotics in the Home / Hand Sanitizers – These habits are directly related to the notion that we can sanitize our lives, eliminating disease. We can’t – and don’t want to – sanitize our lives. Bacteria are our friends in most cases, and experts have determined that the use of antibiotics in the home and in portable sanitizers actually acts as a stimulant for the mutation of bacteria and the development of resistance. It speeds up the cycle exponentially. With the information we now have about the benefits of routine bacteria exposure, these habits are doubly harmful to children.

WHY are these habits bad? In addition to the situations where the treatment is worse than the disease – or worsens the disease – they contribute to antibiotic resistance. Resistance – if not halted – will result an a post antibiotic era, a time in which we don’t have antibiotics to treat disease.  Imagine yourself 10 years from now. What routine procedures would not be available to you without antibiotics? What diseases would you fear without antibiotics? The fear parents experienced with diphtheria and other pre-antibiotic era diseases can and will return without dramatic changes.

Fortunately, we do have evidence that this cycle can be not only halted but reversed. Countries that have banned routine animal antibiotic use, restricted the availability of antibiotics and implemented public awareness campaigns (like the CDC has with the Get Smart campaign) find that older antibiotics are once again useful – the trend has been halted in places.

In the next installment, we’ll look at practical ways to respond to each of the situations listed above. There are simple and effortless tools available for each of the issues – things that result in wellness without risking one of our most valuable tools!

One thing natural health is known for is anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, this trend truly permeates the natural health realm, though it rarely comes from the actual professionals. We’ve all seen it – usually the great health advice comes from a friend on facebook or in a play group. It goes something like this:

• I know they say not to let your baby cry at night, but we did it and my 3 year old turned out ok. You can’t listen to everything they say.
• Epidurals don’t increase your risk of cesarean. I had one with all 3 of my kids and didn’t have a cesarean.
• That new study suggesting that cesareans lead to obesity can’t be true because I was born naturally and am overweight while my kids are thin and were born by cesarean.
• I won’t take milk thistle because it made my friend tired and I already have adrenal fatigue.
• This herb will cure strep throat. I’m pretty sure my kids had it once and we took that and it went away.
• Hawthorne doesn’t help with hypertension. I took it for a month and it didn’t change at all.
• Garlic oil doesn’t help with ear infections because it can’t reach the infection. Here, take these ear drops instead.

(and yes, these are all actual examples of things I’ve heard or read! I could go on and on…. )

Here’s the catch:

1. Nothing works for everyone. It is possible that 1 person was the exception to the rule. If the success rate is 99.9%, there will still be that 1 in 1,000.

2. Basic epidemiology tells us to look for confounding factors – other things that are at play in a situation. For example, the milk thistle story – was this person getting enough sleep? Were they fighting off a cold? Were they having a bad day? This is why evidence based medicine uses trials of hundreds, if not thousands of people to find those consistent results.

3. Just as the 1 in 1,000 means that something good won’t happen to everyone, it can also mean something bad won’t happen. You can do something that is known to increase your risks and still be ok – sometimes. I once drive home from my parent’s house to realize that my (then) toddler’s seat hadn’t been properly buckled into the car. My toddler was not injured. I still don’t recommend driving for an hour without having your toddler’s seat properly installed. That case is not an argument for making poor choices, it’s an example of how blessed I was to escape the potential harm that could have taken place due to my oversight.

Case studies are interesting to researchers because they lead to possibilities that result in large scale trials to review these issues and test whether or not they are true. They are leads for potential findings, but not stand alone evidence. However, when we already have large bodies of evidence that show us that *this result* usually happens when *this thing* takes place, we can avoid using our families as guinea pigs and rely on the comfort that comes from scientific evidence. This is the premise for the School of Natural Health and everything that we do at Vintage Remedies.

You’ll find that we err on the side of being conservative when it comes to health. My kids are not guinea pigs and I don’t imagine your kids are either. So, we stick to remedies that are backed with large scale studies verifying the use, safety and effectiveness of what we teach in our programs and our books. Our students know that you’re not going to find the latest (but soon to be disproven) trends, conspiracy theories and scare tactics here – just solid information backed by solid evidence. That’s just the way we do things. While we appreciate the folk medicine from times past and the single case studies, knowing they lead to wider research, we also acknowledge that such tidbits are just the start for real understanding of health.