Antibiotic overuse and the risk of losing antibiotics is a tough concept to understand without reviewing some basic information about bacteria and how it reacts to antibiotics. We have a misconception in our society that antibiotic use is without risks, and there is nothing wrong with taking a dose – or a series of doses – just in case. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. For this installment, we’ll take a peek into the inner workings of bacteria and see what actually happens when bacteria change.

Bacteria are single celled organisms. There are countless types of bacteria throughout our environment. Don’t get grossed out. This is actually a really good thing! Bacteria can be found in the depths of an ocean, in the intestines of animals and humans, in the frozen tundra and miles deep into the earth. They are everywhere. It has been estimated that we have more bacterial cells in our bodies than human cells. This is a good thing! It really is!

We live in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. They help us to digest our food. They protect our skin from infection. They protect our bodies from infection. Bacteria protect us. These single celled organisms are our friends.

We’ve all heard of pathogenic bacteria with frightening abilities to cause meningitis, pneumonia, ear infections and countless other infections. (As seen in the cartoon drawing of a mean, nasty bug at the beginning of this post!) Yet, we rarely discuss the fact that the vast majority of bacteria are actually good for us. They protect us from these pathogenic bacteria. The bacteria on our skin protect us from infections. The bacteria in our gut make sure that we can use the nutrients we consume. A goal of eradicating bacteria from our environment is the frightening concept because we’d quickly perish without the valuable benefits of bacteria.

As living beings, bacteria are also constantly adapting to their environment, like humans are. They mutate over time and develop new traits, just like humans. And, like humans, they also have the ability to reproduce, creating bacteria with new abilities. Unlike humans, bacteria are asexual. Yet, they have a gene swapping ability that enables them to provide other bacteria with super traits. In some cases, this may mean more bacteria have the ability to resist penicillin or another antibiotic. It may mean that these bacteria have the ability to stay in a dormant state for a longer period of time. It may mean that certain bacteria have the ability to emit toxins within the body. In some cases, this has caused previously friendly bacteria to become pathogenic, thanks to the passing of new traits and abilities.

In humans, this means that a specific strain of bacteria becomes resistant to previous antibiotics and becomes more dangerous at the same time. Not only is it now more difficult to wipe out, it is more likely to be deadly in a faster time span. It means that individuals can acquire MRSA (a specific type of resistant bacterial infection) from their communities. It means that individuals are now dying from bacterial infections – something thought to be impossible decades ago. It means that surgical procedures are more dangerous than they were previously because of the potential for incurable infections and it means that today’s children are requiring stronger, second and third generation antibiotics to cure infections that were treated in our childhood with much milder drugs.

What causes this to happen? Some of it is natural. It happens just because it is going to happen. However, research has shown us that the vast majority of the danger currently taking place with certain pathogenic bacteria can be directly linked to human behavior. The overuse of antibiotics is a critical factor in this occurrence, and we have complete control over this factor.

In the next installment, we’ll look at the things that we are doing that are causing it and what it will mean to humankind if this trend continues. Stay tuned…

Antibiotic resistance is a hot topic right now. We’re finding that new superbugs exist – more dangerous than the last. And we’re finding that resistant bacteria is everywhere – including our food supply! This issue isn’t a new one… far from it. We’ve been warned for years that this is a big concern – Alexander Fleming even predicted it decades ago! We teach about responsible antibiotic use and prevention of resistance in our courses – and have since the formation of the school in 2007.

So, I’m prepping a series about resistance. Just the facts… how this happens, why it’s a concern and what we can do to protect our children and their children from entering a pre-antibiotic era soon. We also have some fabulous guest posts from Elizabeth Battle, a Clinical Master Herbalist student with Vintage Remedies on some antibiotic herbs that make great options. Interested? Stay tuned… and if you have specific questions, I’m still tweaking the posts and would love to fit those answers in for you. Just leave your thoughts or questions in the comments below.

Its finally here! Our newest program is now available and we’ve already begin registering Natural Living Educators! Our brand new Essential Series is designed to address the massive confusion and misinformation that abounds regarding natural living, public health and real foods.

The United States spends over $6,000 annually per person on health care. That’s nearly 3 times more than the next highest country’s health care costs in the world. What does that get us? Embarrassing life expectancy and infant mortality rates that don’t even begin to measure up to other countries. Our children are the first generation in over a hundred years to face a lower life expectancy rate than their parents enjoyed. Much of this is preventable, due to obesity, lifestyle and simple bad habits. When the rates are already sub-par, that’s a highly disturbing trend.

We want to see that trend reversed, and we know it’s possible through basic lifestyle changes and evidence based prevention. We also know it can be fun and enjoyable to implement new habits; there’s no reason for it to be a chore. So, our new essentials series is designed to do just that – promote the essentials of wellness across the globe. We’re training and certifying Natural Living Educators to take the real foods and natural health programs into homes, churches, physician’s offices and community centers in their local own cities and towns. They’ll provide 4 week classes that are packed with practical information, tips and tools to implement these changes. Each class will feature DVD clips from me, with essential health information for these new habits, and hands on sessions with the Natural Living Educator where participants will learn how to make simple natural remedies at home, how to transform family favorite recipes to feature real foods, how to save money on real foods and so much more! (Supplies for these projects are included in the participant kit, which the Natural Living Educator obtains from us, packaged in a convenient reusable shopping bag!)

If you’re already passionate about real foods and natural health, and already have essentials habits in your home, you’d make a perfect Natural Living Educator! The program is brand new, so you have a special opportunity to be one of the very first in your area to offer these classes! AND, the first 25 educators to purchase training kits will save $100 on their costs! We’ve already begun registering educators, so that won’t last long!

Before I send you over to the website, there’s also one more important aspect of this program. When you attend a Vintage Remedies Essentials Class, you make it possible for us to support health education in less wealthy nations. We’re sponsoring pre-natal and child development classes in Haiti that teach women life saving skills such as malaria prevention, healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding support. Don’t forget to click on the Giving Back tab when you head over to the website.

And of course, we will be posting the next giveaways soon. Today’s are big! To get a head start, you can go ahead and like our brand new Essentials facebook page and follow us on our new Essentials twitter account. Then subscribe to our Essentials newsletter and share us on your social networks.  That will give you bonus entries once the contest is posted!