Do any of you know what to do if we can't get antibiotics in the future? What about other sources? I've heard of fish antibiotics but this just doesn't make sense to me and seems dangerous as well as innefective. Thanks

-- abby (curiously@yours.com), December 19, 1999

Answers

Abby,

Go to the TB2K preps forum at

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=TimeBomb%202000%20%2 8Y2000%29%20Preparation%20Forum

After the main page appears, scroll down to the archives section at the bottom. You'll find two Health categories, alternative and traditional. Look at the posts in those two categories and you'll find lots of information. To make it faster, use your Find button and plug in Antibiotics.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), December 19, 1999.

As an RN, its my opinion that MOST of the time antibiotics are NOT necessary and in fact harmful. Rarely does a person need antibiotics. And nowadays they don't work very well! Suggest you look into homeopathy, echinacea, goldenseal, collodial silver, and other natural ways of healing. We have immune systems and they work most of the time without help from antibiotics - in fact antibiotics often are suppressive to the immune system.

-- Sheri (wncy2k@nccn.net), December 19, 1999.

Whoops - typo - accurate link for homeopathy

-- Sheri (wncy2k@nccn.net), December 19, 1999.

I agree with Shery, I too am a nurse and in my lifetime I had antibiotics twice and I am 59. Most infections are viral in nature and antibiotics do not work. Shery was correct in her assesment of what to use in the natural remedies and prevention and the building and maintaining the immune system.

Your emotional state has a great bearing on your health. Those stressed about anything brings your immune system down. Feelings of anger revenge and such can also affect your health. I last saw a doctor when I had my second daughter and she is now 33. Last May I did dislocate my shoulder in a fall but I dont count that because I wasnt sick. I am basically happy and helpful to all I know and my health has reflected my dispostion over the years. So my best advice is to remain calm and remember worry gets in the way of creative thinking. Be confident in your self help others when you can and put others first you would be surprised what results from that.

-- Susan Barrett (sue59@bellsouth.net), December 19, 1999.

I have to agree with the ladies. Anitbiotics are by and large ineffective. Doctors constantly overprescribe them as a type of cure-all. Antibiotics will kill only bacteria, and they do not descriminate on the bacteria they kill. The bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics can mutate into newer more resistant strains.

Get a book on herbal medicine and stock up on a few herbs. (You may already have them in your house. (Cayenne is a good blood purifier as well as Blood Pressure regulator.)

Homeopathy is a little confusing and risky for the newbie to risk illness on.

-- Herb (herb_boy@weeds.com), December 19, 1999.

My children and I have not had antiboitics in YEARS! We eat some of the following daily. I believe they kill the germs etc in our systems.

Cinnamon, thyme, sage, garlic, onions, the green on boiled eggs is sulfur. When sick we eat at least one of the above at least three times a day more if needed. Sage I use for fever. Cinnamon for diareaha.

I don't know about hot red pepper from books but from personal experience I believe it kills parasites of all kinds in your system; but we have to eat enough at one sitting to matter of course.

I have put this in as our experience since I am not in the medical profession so can not give medical advice you understand.

obo

-- Obo (susanwater@excite.com), December 19, 1999.

abby,

I need antibiotics because of a recent operation. I have 'people' antibiotics and I have fish antibiotics. Both are the same dosage.....the only difference being that a fish gets it's dose diluted because the capsule is dropped into a tank. I mean, 250 mg of a specific antibiotic is the same doseage, as long as the purity is the same. My doctor assures me that is the case.

Agree on not using antibiotics if they are not needed, such as for viruses.

-- (4@5.6), December 19, 1999.

I have two children, ages 11 and 13 and many times when I have taken them to the doctor for throat infections they have been given a perscription for antibiotics. I have never filled the perscriptions, and opted instead to keep them home from school, and monitor their condition. I realize there are times when antibiotics may be necessary, however I agree with those of you who deem them useless in most circumstances. I have friends who have had their children on antibiotics on and off for years - it just kills me! If these children ever need antibiotics I fear their system has become immune to them. I know of people who also abuse antibiotics by missing doses, not finishing the entire contents of the bottle, etc. Anyway, my children have not had to visit the doctor for years now - they are rarely sick, except for the odd cold.

-- val (vjones@cableestevan.com), December 19, 1999.

I agree that antibiotics are overprescribed and misused. They can also upset the balance of good and bad bacteria in your system.

I have used alternative medicines/herbs for a long time. Echinacea is a wonderful immune stimulant and rumored to be helpful against some kinds of inflamation as well. Garlic is useful too. You have to be careful with Goldenseal as it can cause problems if you take too much or use it for more than a few days...or if you have certain pre existing conditions.

Just my experience...take care and be well.

-- Irving (irvingf@myremarq.com), December 19, 1999.

Abby, I am going to agree AND disagree with the other posters here. I have been attending my aunt's deathbed, getting little sleep and much stress watching her suffer, and nursing a severe leg injury that should have been elevated. In addition, the aides stole both her and my jewelry, and her spiritual advisor/executor turned into someone I didn't know (after 20 yrs!) the moment she died. The little sleep I did get was in a virtually unheated small house, where I was a guest. Result of all this, which parallels Y2K-type probable stresses? Massive respiratory infection.

I got this WHILE taking regularly and then: echinacea, goldenseal, grapefruit seed extract, multi-vitamins, and an antioxidant. NONE of these prevented it or relieved it.

I finally called the doctor for an antibiotic, since I have asthma and must be very careful when having respiratory infections. Immediately I began to get relief, although I am still battling my way back to health and coughing as I write this.

We need to prepare for Y2K with a FULL SPECTRUM of whatever we can get our hands on, including natural and antibiotic remedies and preventatives.

On Michael Hyatt's site www.michaelhyatt.com and here, in the Health Archives, you will find TONS of info on the fact that the same drug companies make the same pills for animals and humans, and that many nurses and doctors say it is alright for humans to do so, and you will find farm folks who've done it for decades. The only difference is price, since the greedy drug industry will charge what the market will bear, and knows that people without animal health insurance won't pay a lot for those antibiotics.

You can get them speedily from www.lambriarvet.com, where I got mine.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), December 19, 1999.

P.S. I also was taking my usual garlic tablets, and even increased the dose of those and the echinacea when coming down with the infection!

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), December 19, 1999.

Abby, the prep forum is the greatest for ideas on what to have on hand. I am one of those people who get a pneumonia shot every five years because I was running out of antibiotic alternatives to treat bronchitis and pneumonia. I now stock, echinacea, goldenseal, zinc, colloidal silver, and ossicilum, a homeopathic remedy for flu. Tea tree oil is a great topical oil for cuts and the like.

Sage, cayenne, ginger, onions garlic, cinnamon, tumeric.. all of those help a great deal.

Please also limit your use of all the anitbacterial stuff on the market. The earlier comment about resistant strains of bacteria is all too true. Soap, hot water, vinegar, baking soda and bleach are all good alternatives (just don't put them all together!!)

-- Nancy (wellsnl@hotmail.com), December 19, 1999.

in the interests of science i thought i would present the opposing view point. 4 years ago i talked to one of my friends, now deceased who practiced medicine in the pre-antibiotic era he described to me how they treated severe infection- with prayer, warm compresses, and many times with amputation. werent these herbal remedies available to doctors then? he described to me that it wasent uncommon to see a young person in their 20s or 30s die from staph seticemia from a simple cut on their hand. i guess we dont have staph any more since this is about unheard of in this day and age.

we talked about valvular heart disease, the most common cause of which is streptococcal infection(strep throat), he lost many a young and otherwise healthy individual to this illness, the bad part about this is that you dont die from it as a child, it may take 10-40 years to manifest itself. strep throat is treated to prevent the valvular heart disease complications- the sore throat will go away on its own.

how many of your friends have died of the above mentioned deseases? none you say? gee what do you think has changed, the disease, or could it be the introduction of antibiotics? no you say, antibiotics are bad. maybe the diseases have just become nicer, maybe they like us now and wont hurt us, a kinder gentler microbe? if you think that you are not succeptible to any of the things i have mentioned as well as a thousand that i havent mentioned you need a reality check. you can soak that in herbs and take it to the morgue with you. the difference between you and i is that i have practiced medicine in the third world and have seen what antibiotics can do, and what the lack of treatment with antibiotics results in- usually death.

now this is just my opinion, i could be wrong.

sawbones

-- sawbones (justa@dock.com), December 19, 1999.

I recently saw a movie called " No Escape ", about a convict who is dumped on a prison island and who ends up finding a civilized community of ex-cons.

In the movie a character called Tom King who advises new prisoners talks to the convict about how since there is no medicine ( anti-biotics,asprin,etc ) on the island that is very important to wipe his feet before entering a building, feet are prime carriers of disease, also to wash his face thoroughly before shaving, a staph infection from a cut can kill.

Old rules like wiping feet and washing hands may take on a whole new meaning next year.

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 19, 1999.

I recently saw a movie called " No Escape ", about a convict who is dumped on a prison island and who ends up finding a civilized community of ex-cons.

In the movie a character called Tom King who advises new prisoners talks to the convict about how since there is no medicine ( anti-biotics,asprin,etc ) on the island that is very important to wipe his feet before entering a building, feet ( or shoes ) are prime carriers of disease, also to wash his face thoroughly before shaving, a staph infection from a cut can kill.

Old rules like wiping feet and washing hands may take on a whole new meaning next year.

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), December 19, 1999.

I got mine from http://www.lambriarvet.com But I would hurry and order.I have already used them with no problems,except remember you can get yeast (candida)so also buy some multidophilus at you local health food store.

-- me (y2kme1@hotmail.com), December 19, 1999.