Since it is hand washing season (or at least it should be given that it is cold & flu and holiday gathering season) – I am bringing up household antimicrobials again. A new study has given us yet another reason to avoid synthetic household antimicrobials. 

This study has linked triclosan – the most commonly used household antibacterial agent – with liver dysfunction. The study found that exposure to triclosan disrupted liver function, leading to liver fibrosis and liver cancer.

Based on research by the USA Food and Drug Administration “there currently is no evidence that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soap products are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water”.

Why are there risky chemicals in our common household products that provide us with little to no benefit?


Things I have learned about triclosan

Living in a post antibiotic world…a reality I would rather not experience – Part 3

This is part 3 of a 3 part blog on antimicrobial resistance. In this final instalment I am expanding on the primer presented in Part 1. 

Part 1 – 5 Easy Things You Can Do To Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance and a  primer on the issue of antimicrobial resistance 

Part 2 – Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use

Part 3- Antimicrobial Resistance – The Science Stuff 

I am again starting with the good news. After the good news I am going to really geek-out and talk about the research and science around antimicrobial resistance. At the end of this blog I have included a list of some resources that will give you lots more information about antimicrobial resistance.


The Good News...

There are things we can do  - 5 Easy Things You can do to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance 

There are  Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use


The Best News…
Using fewer antimicrobials may effectively eliminate antimicrobial resistant ‘superbug’ populations!

Microbes compete with each other for resources. Studies suggest that carting around antimicrobial resistance is hard work and superbugs require more resources to reproduce – in more scientific terms, there is a fitness cost associated with antimicrobial resistance. Paying the fitness cost of antimicrobial resistance makes evolutionary sense as long as there is a selective pressure to do so - i.e. antimicrobials keep killing your competition and clearing the way for your offspring. Eliminating the selective pressure to have antimicrobial resistance (eliminating the use of antimicrobials) will put superbugs at a competitive disadvantage since they require more resources to produce offspring. In the absence of antimicrobials superbugs will have to either drop their antimicrobial resistance or be overtaken by the competition. 

Living in a post antibiotic world…a reality I would rather not experience – Part 2

This is part 2 of a 3 part blog on antimicrobial resistance. 

Part 1 – 5 Easy Things You Can Do To Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance and a  primer on the issue of antimicrobial resistance 

Part 2 – Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use

Part 3- Antimicrobial Resistance – The Science Stuff 

As you can read in Part 1 of this blog series, the impetus for the series was the  World Health Organization’s release of the "Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance 2014".  From the report overview: 

“The report makes a clear case that resistance to common bacteria has reached alarming levels in many parts of the world and that in some settings, few, if any, of the available treatments options remain effective for common infections.”


The good news…
There is evidence that suggests that antimicrobial resistant ‘superbug’ populations will lose their antimicrobial resistance if it is no longer needed – meaning that if antimicrobials are rarely used and the ‘superbug’ populations are no longer exposed to antimicrobials the populations will revert back to being susceptible to antimicrobials.

The even better news…
If you keep reading below you will learn about some effective, natural alternatives you can use to reduce you and your family’s reliance on topical and oral antimicrobial (antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic and antifungal) drugs.

The best news…
Unlike pharmaceutical antimicrobials that can upset and weaken you system (e.g. candida infections resulting from antibiotic use) homeopathic & herbal treatments combined with nutritional support will strengthen your system and leave you more resistant to subsequent microbial infections. 

Living in a post antibiotic world…a reality I would rather not experience – Part 1

I am not sure if you saw this in the news, my ears pricked up because I have been following antimicrobial resistance issues since university, this April the World Health Organization released their first report on global antimicrobial (antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic & antifungal) resistance.

I read the report "Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance 2014". To tell the truth I have been a bit paralyzed in a state of shock since reading the report – I knew it was bad, but I didn’t really realize how bad things have gotten. REALLY BAD.

From the report this is “…a problem so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine. A post-antibiotic era—in which common infections and minor injuries can kill—far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a very real possibility for the 21st century.”

Despite several valiant attempts to stick my head in the sand and not think about it,  I keep returning to this issue. I guess it is just not my nature to turn a blind eye…le-sigh. My first thought re: a solution was the establishment of a new world order that recognizes the value of traditional knowledge…in the interim I thought I would share what I have learned over the years re: antimicrobial resistance, use and the alternatives…and some good news! 

This a 3 part blog:

Part 1 – 5 Easy Things You Can Do To Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance

Part 2 – Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use

Part 3 – Antimicrobial Resistance – The Science Stuff