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Kill Deadly Superbugs with This One Common Fruit Extract
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You might have been hearing about “superbugs,” those antibiotic resistant bacteria that are more than an occasional abnormality, but are causing a real problem in hospitals and prisons all over America. Although these superbugs have been around for about 20 years, they are becoming more common as well as stronger with each passing year. How did these superbugs come to be, anyway? Is there anything we can do to stop them?
Actually, we created these superbugs by our overuse of antibiotics. After decades of overuse, there are now very specific strains of bacteria that are not affected by our current antibiotic knowledge. If you should become infected with one of these superbugs, oftentimes there is little that modern medicine can do except try to fight it with what’s at hand and leave the rest up to your immune system.
Doctors are aware of this problem, but it hasn’t stopped them from being penny wise and pound foolish, so to speak. Doctors do not want to listen to a patient complain that they aren’t doing anything for their cold/flu or other viral infection, so they write a prescription for antibiotics, knowing that these antibiotics do nothing to stop a virus, but knowing full well that they are contributing to the superbug problem.
We only contributed (and still are) to this problem by removing the natural function of something as simple as soap and water. Soap and water, which works perfectly at removing bacteria from hands by washing it down the drain but not necessarily killing it, now it seems as if every soap is an anti-bacterial soap, which has only made bacteria stronger.
Here are a few facts about how antibiotics work. Antibiotics aren’t like a chalkboard eraser, wiping everything off the board in one fell swoop. Antibiotics are more like rising water in a bathtub. The majority of the nasty bugs are “drowned” right away. But others are higher up on the water level, and still some others are clinging right on the top lip of the tub. This is why when people stop taking antibiotics before the full 7 or 10 day period, the more resistant bacteria live and reproduce, making more “babies” exactly like themselves: resistant to the next round of bacteria. Read more about life after antibiotics.
The bad news is these superbugs and ever more virulent strains of pathogens are something we are going to have to live with. The most common form of the bacteria, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is now being found all over the United States. There are a couple of other bugs that are right on the brink of superbug status: acinetobacter baumannii and enterococcus faecium. In fact the first one we mentioned A. baumannii, is currently so strong that only 1 type of antibiotic is effective against this string. This is a type of “flesh eating” bug that has a mortality rate of anywhere from 10 to 60 percent. Once it is able to overcome, to resist, the one antibiotic that currently kills it, there will be no stopping it.
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Another familiar enemy that few people think about anymore, but used to be extremely common, is tuberculosis. Our fight against this little guy has taken on a new twist lately; very few of the drugs that we used to rely on to kill it do not work any longer. This new strain of TB started in Africa but is now found in almost every part of the world, including America, and it is virtually untreatable, killing about 99.9 percent of all infected patients.
Fortunately, there is some good news to deliver in this article. There is one precaution that you can take. It’s gentle and is found everywhere. In fact we’ve known about this substance for years, it’s nothing new – grapefruit seed extract. GSE is a completely natural, yet super effective anti-microbial product brought to you straight from Mother Nature herself.
As we mentioned, this isn’t something new. You might have even noticed several “new” products cropping up that are using this powerful anti-microbial, including skin cleansers, shower gels, lotions, and nasal sprays. You can also buy this in a liquid form and use it both internally and externally. There are some health food stores which offer a capsule with a combination of grapefruit seed extract and Echinacea, and this would be an excellent way to fight off infections, stop the growth of superbugs, as well as boost your own natural immune system with the Echinacea. Liquid concentrate of grapefruit seed extract is readily available, inexpensive, and cheap insurance should you find that you need some real help fighting off a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia.
You don’t have to wait until you have an infection to get the health benefits of GSE. Take a look at some of the known health benefits you can get from taking GSE on a regular basis:
- Improves Gut Health – GSE improves the balance in the gut by preventing harmful bacteria and/or yeast from multiplying to excess. Although many people use prescriptions to help calm their tummy trouble, these types of medications don’t know the difference between good bacteria and bad. GSE prevents candida overgrowth but don’t kill off good bacteria. Mix just 10 drops of GSE into a glass of water and take one glass before each meal for the next three months and watch your digestive problems disappear.
- Gives You Beautiful Skin – GSE is full of vitamin E, antioxidants, flavonoids, linoleic acid, and proanthocyanidins, all of which helps to prevent common infections such as cold sores, ringwork, acne, and eczema.
- Stops Sinus Infections – Because GSE has such powerful anti-microbial and antibacterial compounds, it can stop sinus infections, or infections in the mouth, quickly and easily. Mix 3 drops of GSE into half a cup of very hot water and inhale the steam 2 or 3 times each day. Or you can use that mixture in your Neti-pot and rinse away your sinus problems. Rinsing with this mixture will help to stop problems such as thrush, bad breath, and gingivitis.
- Anti-Cancer Compounds – GSE is known to have counteractive effects against cancer cells. Texas A&M University conducted a study that used the limonoids in GSE to successfully stop the growth of cancer cells in the colon, stomach, mouth, lungs, and breasts. Still another study, which was recently published in the Oxford Journals, showed that the bioactive substances that are present in GSE have strong anti-cancer activity. To improve your body’s natural defense mechanism to fight cancer, mix 10 drops of GSE into one cup of water each day, or mix it into your tea, and drink two or three cups each day.
Grapefruit seed extract might be an old friend, but it’s going to be one that we rely on more and more in the coming years to help us improve our health, fight cancer, and beat superbugs.
SEE ALSO: Can Citrus Essential Oils Stop Liver Cancer?
Although GSE is thought to be well tolerated by just about everyone, it can interfere with some prescription drugs. If you are under a doctor’s care for any reason, are taking prescription drugs, are pregnant, or plan on becoming pregnant, always consult with your physician before consuming any herbal extract, including grapefruit seed extract.
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