The Accidental Discovery Of Penicillin
September 3, 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming, a biologist well known for his scientific talents but also for his messy laboratory at St Mary’s Hospital in London, came back from holiday to find that a forgotten culture of staphylococci, bacteria whose properties he was studying, had been contaminated by mold. When he observed it, he noticed that not a single colony of bacteria remained in the area where the mold had developed, whereas the bacteria further away in the Petri dish were still there. Could this fungus have the power to kill bacteria? Alexander Fleming identified the mold as Penicillium notatum. He isolated an extract and gave the agent the name “penicillin”. He then investigated its effects and noticed that it acted not only on staphylococci but also on many other bacteria, including those responsible for scarlet fever, diphtheria, pneumonia and meningitis.
The monumental importance of his discovery was only understood later, when other researchers – Howard Walter Florey and Ernst Boris Chain – carried out work to purify penicillin G and produce it in sufficient quantities to treat human infection, leading to its use in medical applications from 1941 onwards. They shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine with Alexander Fleming in 1945.
Combating Resistance: Microbes And Vectors
Considering the threat that microbes and vectors resistance represent at the global scale, the Institut Pasteur has decided to focus the 4th edition of the Institut Pasteur International Network Symposium on these major issues. It will in particular bring together scientists, clinicians and public health experts to:
- Showcase high-level research to identify, monitor or predict the emergence of resistant pathogens and vectors
- Highlight the current efforts in translational science to develop new tools and technologies necessary to tackle the challenges of diagnostic and surveillance of these health threats
- Examine innovative solutions to practically develop these tools on the field in resource-limited settings.
When Antibiotics Arent Needed
Antibiotics DO NOT work on viruses, such as those that cause colds, flu, or COVID-19.
Antibiotics also are not needed for many sinus infections and some ear infections.
When antibiotics arent needed, they wont help you, and the side effects could still cause harm. Common side effects of antibiotics can include:
- Rash
- Yeast infections
More serious side effects can include:
- Clostridioides difficile infection , which causes severe diarrhea that can lead to severe colon damage and death
- Severe and life-threatening allergic reactions, such as wheezing, hives, shortness of breath, and anaphylaxis
Antibiotic use can also lead to the development of antibiotic resistance.
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Our Story: Avoiding Prescription Antibiotics The First Time
Youll hear this story in the first person from the time period just after the events happened when my oldest son Paul was about 5 years old in 2010.
Last spring, I came home from a doctors appointment with my child carrying two bags: one with a super-strength prescription antibiotic from the pharmacy, and the other holding two tiny bottles clinking together from the health food store.
My husband and I had to pray together about whether to give our son the drugs which had complications like diarrhea, not ideal for our plane travel in four days or the garlic and oregano oils.
He had just battled a case of strep throat, finishing his 10-day regimen of antibiotics the day before he got sick again.
We were also testing him out on a gluten-free diet, but we couldnt tell if the poor kid was having any positive effects because of the sickness and medication!
It was touch and go all day, watching his fever, his mood, his pain threshold.
The garlic and oregano are pretty nasty little buggers to drink, even in a shot glass of orange juice. I can tell you which option my son would have chosen if given his say!
I felt a little guilty tossing out the antibiotics, but Id rather feed the trash than my little guy.
You can read more of the story of my son battling ear infections with natural antibiotic options if youre interested in that ailment specifically.
Ive come a long way from the disgusting garlic-and-oregano-in-orange-juice treatment, believe me.
Let Food Be Thy Medicine
Yup, Hippocrates got it right. There are tons of foods that have antibacterial benefits. One of the great things about getting antibiotics via your food is that youre not disrupting the delicate balance of your body by flooding it with a pharmaceutical thats going to mow down all of the good bacteria along with the bad.
Antibacterial foods typically have a ton of other amazing health benefits and if you eat them along with a variety of other healthy foods, youre going to get everything that your body needs to stay healthy. Just a few examples of antibacterial foods include:
- Garlic
Recommended Reading: How To Stop Uti Without Antibiotics
How To Treat Bacterial Infection With Baking Soda
As you know, baking soda is used for numerous purposes varied from cooking to taking care of health and beauty. How to treat bacterial infection with baking soda is what we would like to show you next. In accordance with a study on the antibacterial property of sodium bicarbonate , which was published in August, 2006 in the Journal of Food Science, baking soda was proved to have the powerful antibacterial activity. Thanks to the ability to regulate the PH balance of your skin and body, home remedy baking soda is able to treat many infections caused by bacteria such as respiratory infection, bacterial skin infection, and intestinal tract infection. Moreover, when you mix a half teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water, it can help to treat respiratory infections and stomach infection. Another way to use this kitchen staple on how to treat bacterial infection is that you can pour a cup of the ingredient into a tub of lukewarm water. This treatment can be used daily as a rinsing and soaking agent.
Why Dont Antibiotics Work On Viruses
Viruses are different to bacteria they have a different structure and a different way of surviving. Viruses dont have cell walls that can be attacked by antibiotics instead they are surrounded by a protective protein coat.
Unlike bacteria, which attack your bodys cells from the outside, viruses actually move into, live in and make copies of themselves in your bodys cells. Viruses can’t reproduce on their own, like bacteria do, instead they attach themselves to healthy cells and reprogram those cells to make new viruses. It is because of all of these differences that antibiotics dont work on viruses.
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Immunisation Against Viral Infection Is Not Always Possible
It is possible to vaccinate against many serious viral infections such as measles, mumps, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. An aggressive worldwide vaccination campaign, headed by the World Health Organization , managed to wipe out smallpox. However, some viruses such as those that cause the common cold are capable of mutating from one person to the next. This is how an infection with essentially the same virus can keep dodging the immune system. Vaccination for these kinds of viruses is difficult, because the viruses have already changed their format by the time vaccines are developed.
Home Remedies To Treat Bacterial Infection Naturally Without Antibiotics
Sravia Sivaram
When you’re down with a bacterial infection, the first thing that you want to do is to visit the clinic.
Before that, you need to realise that this form of an infection is caused by negative bacteria in the body, which can be treated using natural remedies at home as well.
Not many of us are aware what a bacterial infection is and how to treat it. Did you know that sometimes certain antibiotics can aggravate the symptoms of a bacterial infection?
Sometimes, antibiotics may just work to get rid of the infection as a current solution and may do nothing to remove this infection from its roots.
In this article, we have mentioned some of the best home remedies for bacterial infection that will treat any infection from deep within and help eradicate the bacteria all together.
In general, a bacterial infection can be defined as the proliferation of harmful bacteria inside your body. Bacterial infection is contagious and can be transferred from one person to another through close contact with the patient.
In case the bacterial infection symptoms still persist even after using these home remedies, it is best to see a doctor. However, as an early at-home treatment, these natural remedies can be used.
So, continue reading this article in order to know how to get rid of a bacterial infection without antibiotics.
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What Are Antibiotics And How Are They Used
Antibiotics are powerful drugs that are used to fight infections. Your healthcare team thinks you or your loved one might have an infection that can be treated with an antibiotic.
Not all infections are treated with antibiotics. While antibiotics may be effective against infections caused by bacteria , they are not effective against viruses.
Like all drugs, antibiotics can have side effects and should be used only when necessary. Taking an antibiotic you dont need can even be harmful. Because of this, there are important things to know about antibiotics.
Natural Antibiotic Herbs And Other Plant Products
When someone in the Kitchen Stewardship® household is starting to come down with something, one thing I really appreciate about natural remedies is that I dont NEED to know exactly whats going on.
Virus? Bacteria?
With some of the anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial options like essential oils and herbs, you can hit all the birds with one stone.
Scout Out from TriLight Health is often that stone. Its an herbal tincture that you could make at home, but I dont choose to take the time to DIY much other than food around here. We take it at the first sign of a cold or illness, and its also the go-to for suspected ear infections. Use this special referral link for 20% off your first order.
Beekeepers Naturals propolis spray is antipathogenic in many ways, but particularly against bacteria. Its a bee product , and its basically what the bees use in the hive to keep infection at bay and everything clean.9
Anyone feeling the ominous tickle gets a squirt immediately!
See my full review of Beekeepers Naturals propolis for more info, like how propolis also kills warts and many other uses! Take 10% off with the code Katie15.
Usually, when someone is sick with anything in the house, Ill diffuse Plant Therapys KidSafe Germ Destroyer to clear the air for everyone else, but thats not always possible.
Once while on the road, we didnt have all our remedies with us, and a family we were traveling with brought a stomach bug into the house. Yikes!
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Drink Plenty Of Water
Although urinating can be painful when you have a UTI, its important to drink as many fluids as possible particularly water. Most adults should aim to drink between six and eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day.
The more you drink, the more youll urinate, which can help flush harmful bacteria from the urinary tract.
How Do Antibiotics Work
Antibiotics are prescription-only medications that fight bacteria in one of 2 ways: they either kill bacteria or stop bacteria from growing. Antibiotics dont treat infections caused by viruses or fungi .
Understanding how antibiotics work can be complicated. First, there are many classes of antibiotics: penicillins like , cephalosporins like , aminoglycosides like , and more. And then within each class, individual antibiotics treat different types of infections. , for example, can treat urinary tract infections but can also be used to treat travelers diarrhea and infected wounds.
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Honey Effective Remedy For Bacterial Infection
You may have heard about the benefits of honey for health and beauty but may not know about its antibacterial functions. The benefits of organic honey are various so that you can discover them gradually. In fact, honey can not only treat respiratory and skin infection but also cool the affected areas simultaneously. You can drink organic honey along with a glass of warm water to soothe and reduce the sore, irritated throat caused by a cough. If you have open wound, scratches or cuts on the skin, the good way to prevent any bad bacteria from entering through the wound is applying honey on the affected areas as the initial treatment.
It would be a pity if you do not click at Honey For Skin to get many skin care recipes with honey.
Natural Antibacterial Antiviral Infection Fighting Essential Oils
Essential oils are a great weapon in your arsenal, because there are many essential oils that fight infections of various kinds, and they can be used topically or diffused.
For little ones, its wonderful to be able to rub something good-smelling on them or turn on a diffuser when theyre sick since it can be difficult to convince sick, cranky tots to take something by mouth.
Also when an infection or irritation is on the skin, diluted essential oils target exactly what you need.
AND because you can clean the air, so to speak, by diffusing any of these, you can protect other family members from potentially coming down with whatever is ailing one of you.
Here are some oils youll want to keep in stock to fight infections, suspected infections, or help alleviate symptoms:
Those link are mostly to Rocky Mountain Oils, a very clean brand, but you can find them all at Plant Therapy as well and cost-compare.
Many of these are research-proven to be antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial pretty impressive! Including in the air8
Read my post on the potential dangers of essential oils. They can be great if used correctly, but you need to know enough to know what you dont yet know
To keep it easy, if youre just starting out, use the KidSafe Germ Fighter blend from Plant Therapy and diffuse or use the pre-diluted blend. Its hard to mess that up!
If you dont have a diffuser yet, heres the one I use.
Do you know how to properly dilute essential oils?
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Curing A Viral Infection
Antibiotics are useless against viral infections. This is because viruses are so simple that they use their host cells to perform their activities for them. So antiviral drugs work differently to antibiotics, by interfering with the viral enzymes instead.Antiviral drugs are currently only effective against a few viral diseases, such as influenza, herpes, hepatitis B and C and HIV but research is ongoing. A naturally occurring protein, called interferon , can now be produced in the laboratory and is used to treat hepatitis C infections.
Characteristics Of The Bacterium
Most bacteria, apart from the cocci variety, move around with the aid of small lashing tails or by whipping their bodies from side to side. Under the right conditions, a bacterium reproduces by dividing in two. Each daughter cell then divides in two and so on, so that a single bacterium can bloom into a population of some 500,000 or more within just eight hours.If the environmental conditions dont suit the bacteria, some varieties morph into a dormant state. They develop a tough outer coating and await the appropriate change of conditions. These hibernating bacteria are called spores. Spores are harder to kill than active bacteria because of their outer coating.
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Is Oil Of Oregano The Best Natural Antibiotic
Youve read my story, and you know I jumped in with both feet and served my son oil of oregano both orally and on his feetbut Im not sure it was the best idea.
It was a recommendation from the Internet moms, and I purchased the vial. Oil of oregano is slightly different from oregano essential oil, but its still very strong and its a bit confusing when you are new to the world of natural remedies. I didnt even know what essential oils were at the time, and sometimes Im still not sure which one people mean when they say oregano oil.
Heres what I know now:
Now if I was staring down a bottle of prescription antibiotics and on the verge of giving in, Id pull out all the stops. Oregano essential oil is one of the stronger options, which is good to know in emergencies, but use with caution.
Home Remedies For Infections
If you have a sinus infection, your symptoms will generally resolve on their own within seven to 10 days, especially if you rest. Antibiotics usually will not help, but nasal irrigation with a neti pot and saline water has been shown to relieve sinus pressure and decrease congestion.
Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, can reduce inflammation when taken as a supplement. Research has found that it helps relieve symptoms of bronchitis and sinusitis.
Essential oils, when diluted and used in aromatherapy or as sprays, can help you get healthy without antibiotics. Rosemary, eucalyptus, and mint essential oils can relieve symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. Palmarosa, lavender, evening primrose, peppermint, tea tree, and thyme oil are antimicrobial and can help kill bacteria.
Hot drinks such as tea can relieve symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, and sore throat that are caused by many upper respiratory infections.
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Tips On How To Treat Bacterial Infection Without Antibiotics
Bacteria are single-cell microscopic organisms living nearly everywhere. They live in every location and climate on our earth. Some of them are airborne while others live in soil or water. Bacteria live both inside and on plants, people, and animals. Although the word bacteria comes with a negative connotation, they actually perform a lot of vital functions for the organisms and in the environment. For instance, plants need bacteria available in the soil to grow. However, a bacterial infection is often a proliferation of the harmful strain of bacteria inside or on the human body. When it comes to bacterial infection on the skin, there are many types of bacteria infecting the human skin. Bacterial infections could lead to many conditions. Infections happen because the bacteria break into the human body and develop on the skin.
To treat the bacterial infection on skin without antibiotics, you first need to define symptoms of bacteria and risk factors of this condition. This entry made by TrueRemedies.com will expose to you all of such things.
A doctor might use the presence of a few other symptoms like body aches or a fever, the duration of the illness, and specific lab tests to help determine if an ailment is because of a bacteria, virus, or other disease or pathogen process.
