Comments on: When You Swallow A Grenade

By: Forget Anti-biotics, Eat Some Poo Instead… | The Internet Times

Forget Anti-biotics, Eat Some Poo Instead… | The Internet Times — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:03:46 +0000

[...] … or… When a rose killed a policeman… here. [...]

By: SciLogs.com Bloggers Shine At Science Seeker Awards | Community Blog

SciLogs.com Bloggers Shine At Science Seeker Awards | Community Blog — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:40:10 +0000

[...] health amongst other topics. Other winners and finalists include the likes of Virginia Hughes and Carl Zimmer, both of whom are now blogging at National [...]

By: What's in your microbiome? - Awesome Pickle

What's in your microbiome? - Awesome Pickle — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:20:55 +0000

[...] carefully consider the use of antibiotics. It’s starting to look like taking them is akin to swallowing a grenade that can blow up a lot of beneficial bystanders at the same time that it hits the bad guys. If [...]

By: Great Gut » The deal with SCD

Great Gut » The deal with SCD — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:27:52 +0000

[...] This makes absolute sense to me. It makes infinitely more sense than pumping my body full of antibiotics (that’s a whole other rant, but for a taste, see this article). [...]

By: David Wood

David Wood — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 09:09:39 +0000

My doctor tole me I had asthma and last winter I suffered repeated chest infections that required antibiotics. After referral to a consultant chest specialist, I underwent numerous tests that showed that I was suffering not from asthma, but from something being produced by my gut. My lungs were 120 percent better than my age prediction. I have been a lifelong swimmer. I had also had a lesion at the corner of my mouth for over a year, that my doctor said was nothing. My dentist, however identified it as thrush, but said it was curious as it was only on the right corner of my mouth and their were no obvious signs or oral infection. He asked which side I slept on and I told him, my right side. He said it is probably coming from your gut, and a light bulb went off in my head. The dentist prescribed topical anti fungal cream, to no effect and my doctor tried a different medicine, but with no effect. I researched on the web and found a low sugar diet that was promoted by a doctor that promised to clear the Candida albicans overgrowth in two months. I tried the diet and gradually the wheezing and chestiness started to subside and eventually cleared altogether. This improvement also coincided with the healing of the lesion that had been intractable for almost two years. I have been free of asthma symptoms ever since and avoid antibiotics. My family has a tendency to type two diabetes and I have wondered since, of imbalances in gut flora that result from high sugar, western diets and the widespread use of antibiotics have resulted in yeast like flora that are capable of suppressing insulin. From the viewpoint of natural selection an organism that feeds on sugars, would have an advantage were it able to manipulate its host to maintain such a high sugar environment. Sorry for the narrative, but someone out there may read this and find something useful.

By: Four Ways to Open a Science Story | Communication Breakdown

Four Ways to Open a Science Story | Communication Breakdown — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:36:36 +0000

[...] wrote one of my favorite ledes: “In 1941, a rose killed a policeman.” After I read that first line, I had to keep reading. Ultimately, the piece was about antibiotics [...]

By: The “Nightmare Bacteria”: An Explainer – Phenomena

The “Nightmare Bacteria”: An Explainer – Phenomena — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:52:16 +0000

[...] them is having taken antibiotics to treat another infection in the previous few months. As I wrote here in December, antibiotics are not picky about who they kill. They can destabilize your microbial ecosystem, [...]

By: Bernard Becker

Bernard Becker — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:32:19 +0000

There is also peer reviewed science that indicates a potential link between the use of antibiotics in young children and the subsequent distruption of normal GI flora and autism. (No, no the stupid Jennie McCarthy vaccination and autism pseudo-science nonsense) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075996411002423

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Nature of Things had a good special on this topic. Called the Autism Enigma. http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/autism-enigma.html

By: Guy

Guy — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:17:47 +0000

“CZ: I’m not aware of any research showing antibiotics given to livestock can survive all the way to the dinner table.”

Feedlot animals are fattened with grain and a constant diet of antibiotics. It seems highly unlikely that given the overload of food and antibiotics that they are immediately metabolized during the fattening process, and more likely that they are still circulating through the body of the animal at the time of slaughter. They are taken directly from the feedlot to slaughter, so there’s no clean out period.

By: pat easterling

pat easterling — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:44:39 +0000

I enjoyed the article. That said, your comment on errors, [CZ: I do the best I can, Robert. Corrections are always appreciated.] is actually, to me, rather silly. You can do better. It’s simple. One prof I had had a simple rule that any mistakes in spelling or any typos resulted in an F. Period. No if ands or buts. No one had any errors given that motivation (threat).