Essential Oils May Replace Increasingly Risky Antibiotics

Essential Oils May Replace Overused, Increasingly Risky Antibiotics

Many conventional antibiotics that have historically been very effective were developed many years ago, and have been used massively over time. As you may have seen reported in the scientific press, in many cases these long-time antibiotics can lose their effectiveness over the years, due to bacterial evolution. New strains of bacteria that resist the antibiotics develop and multiply, often rendering them ineffective.

This is not good….because ineffective antibiotics are obviously dangerous and risky. Check out the detailed article below about how essential oils may help replace increasingly ineffective antibiotics.

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“It makes you taste like a pizza parlor,” media juggernaut Lena Dunham recently told Elle magazine. “But it is a natural antibiotic, and it’s literally life changing for me.”

The star was referring to oil of oregano, a zesty essential oil made from distilling the flowers and leaves of the oregano plant that can help the body fight bacterial infection.

I, too, swear by a few drops of this potent — and frankly terrible-tasting — liquid at the first signs of any ickiness. A runny nose? Oregano oil. Earache? Sore throat? Achiness? Oregano oil is my first response to all of the above. In my personal experience, I’ve found it highly effective. However, there isn’t much in the way of credible science to back my observations up.

While oil of oregano is known for aiding with colds, acne, bloating, headaches, intestinal parasites, allergies, earaches, and fatigue, according to Medical News Today, “further high-quality study results are necessary to confirm these claims.”

This spicy substance is one of many essential oils that have been handed down through the generations as folk remedies, and are now beginning to be studied as respectable alternatives to conventional medicine.

While inhalation, or aromatherapy, is the most common method of using essential oils (Vicks VapoRub being a well-known example), they are also used topically and internally.

When we think of essential oils we think of aromas, spas and beauty 
products,” says Dr. Lynn Anderson, Doctor of Natural Health, 
author and yoga/exercise professional. “But essential oils are so much more. Essential oils are healing
 modalities.” Their antiseptic power comes from phenolic content, and oils with higher phenolic content, like oregano, thyme, cinnamon and clove, are more potent, she adds.

The centuries-long lasting power of essential oils as a remedy is due to their antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. However, to date, “there is little published research on many of them,” according to the University of Minnesota.

“Research studies on essential oils” that do exist, the University of Minnesota website explains, “show positive effects for a variety of health concerns including infections, pain, anxiety, depression, tumors, premenstrual syndrome, nausea, and many others.”

Most studies so far have been conducted by the food, flavoring, cosmetics and tobacco industries — essential oils are commonly found in personal care products and food stuffs (for preservation). The oils of rosemary, mint, cinnamon, peppermint, clove, lemongrass and others are also used in natural pest control formulations. The medicinal applications of essential oils are currently being studied in the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia and India. Aromatherapy has been more widely studied than other medicinal applications of essential oils. Some clinical trials have explored aromatherapy’s effectiveness in helping cancer patients.

Of essential oil’s many uses, perhaps its most promising is as an alternative to antibiotics. This potential is earning more attention than ever because of growing resistance to existing antibiotics — a natural phenomenon that occurs when bacteria come to resist antibiotics that are widely used.

Studies on the use of essential oils are being conducted on 
animals and humans mainly in response to the loss of antibiotics’ effect due 
to antimicrobial resistance,” says Dr. Anderson. “What this means is that the rampant use of 
antibiotics in both treating humans and in treating animals is creating a
resistance to the antibiotics as new ‘superbugs’ are developing. These
’superbugs’ then need something stronger to kill them.”

More than 2 million people become ill from bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 23,000 of whom will die.

At issue is the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture: livestock in this country receive 80 percent of our antibiotics — mostly for the purpose of jacking them up in size and keeping them alive in unhealthy conditions. The practice has fed into the creation of resistant superbugs not only in livestock, but in humans, as well.

…

In the meantime, Dr. Lynn Anderson
 warns that, when consumed medicinally, essential oils should be treated with caution.

More research is need as to the proper use of the oils,” she said. “Oils should not be ingested without the guidance of a trained physician.
 Essential oils are potent medicine that should not be abused. Further they 
are not a cure all and should never be promoted as such.”

Source: reset.me