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Coconut oil stops this deadly gut bacteria in its tracks
There was a time not too long ago when an antibiotic was the “magic bullet” to cure pretty much any infection. Strep throat? No worries! Just get some antibiotic going and you’ll be fine in no time!
Nowadays, nothing could be further from the truth.
Antibiotic resistance has become almost as common as the common cold. Ironically, it’s caused by our own overuse and misuse of antibiotics.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to half of antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are either unnecessary or incorrectly dosed.
The down side of antibiotics is that they kill “good” bacteria that protect us from infection right along with eliminating disease-causing microbes.
This creates an imbalance that allows antibiotic-resistant bacteria to grow and take over, even spread their antibiotic resistance to “healthy” bacteria.
One antibiotic-resistant bacteria tops the CDC’s list as an urgent health threat. It kills about 29,000 people each year.
Fortunately, recent research has shown us a way to destroy this enemy with a natural substance we hope you’re already using for its wide range of health benefits.
The deadly bacteria you may be carrying
Clostridium dificile, or C diff, is responsible for a quarter of a million of the estimated two million illnesses yearly caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It also causes more than half of the deaths each year related to these drug-resistant microbes.
C diff causes inflammation and infection of the colon, known as colitis. The bacteria live in many people’s intestines. It is also found in soil, water and animal feces.
Under ordinary circumstances, carrying c diff isn’t a problem because the good bacteria in our gut keep it under control. But when antibiotic use kills off some of those good guys, C diff infection can occur.
The symptoms of C diff infection are watery diarrhea (three or more times a day for two days), and possibly mild stomach cramping and tenderness.
In more serious cases, dehydration requires a person to be hospitalized. The colon becomes inflamed or infected, possibly bleeding internally. Signs of a serious C diff infection include:
- Watery diarrhea ten to fifteen times a day
- Severe stomach pain and cramping
- Rapid heart rate
- Fever
- Nausea and loss of appetite
- Dehydration
- Blood or pus in stool
- Kidney failure
- Increased white blood cell count
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Who is at risk for C diff infection?
Children, the elderly, and people with a recent history of antibiotic use are most at risk.
The majority of C diff cases occur in people who are in hospitals, nursing homes or long-term facilities. Germs spread easily in these settings, antibiotic use is common, and the people there are already vulnerable to infection.
In health care settings, the bacteria spread mainly on hands from person to person, as well as on anything those hands touch: sinks, toilets, bedside tables, bedrails, telephones, etc.
Coconut oil kills C diff
Although Big Pharma and mainstream medicine have consistently dismissed the benefits of coconut oil, research abounds that demonstrates how it can fight heart disease, Alzheimer’s, thyroid and hormonal imbalances, diabetes and more.
And, just last year, a group of researchers from the College of Medicine at Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University proved that lauric acid, a component of coconut oil, can inhibit the growth of C diff.
This study built on previous results obtained by researchers at the School of Biomedical Sciences at Kent State University, which also demonstrated “the growth inhibition of C. difficile mediated by medium-chain fatty acids derived from VCO (virgin coconut oil).”
How to consume more coconut oil
Here are just some of the ways you can include coconut oil in your diet. Get creative and find your own!
- Use it as a cooking oil
- Spoon some in your coffee
- Add it to smoothies
- Use it as a butter substitute on popcorn
- Brush your teeth with it!
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5 other ways to avoid C diff
- Hand washing. Simple, yet effective. Wash your hands with warm, soapy water any time you are in a situation where you may contact C diff: in the bathroom, after gardening, and before, during and after a visit to a hospital.
- Shut the lid. Lowering the toilet lid before you flush and keeping it down can help keep C diff from finding its way onto other bathroom surfaces.
- Use disposable gloves whenever you care for someone who is ill. Also wear them when you clean your home.
- Use chlorine bleach-based products to disinfect surfaces.
- Be cautious about antibiotics. For minor ailments like a cold or sore throat, there are many natural remedies. If you do take an antibiotic, take all of it, and never take anyone else’s medication.
Editor’s note: Coconut oil is amazing stuff. Sadly the cholesterol myth helped wrongly vilify it years ago. Now we know better! But sadly more than 38 million Americans still take a single drug every day that robs their brain of an essential nutrient required for optimal brain health–all because of that myth. Are you one of them? Click here to find out!
Sources:
- Study: Coconut Oil Effective in Treating Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens — coconutoil.com
- Coconut Oil Offers Hope for Antibiotic-Resistant Germs — coconutoil.com
- Lauric Acid Is an Inhibitor of Clostridium difficile Growth in Vitro and Reduces Inflammation in a Mouse Infection Model — Frontiers in Microbiology
- Study: Coconut Oil and Other Natural Products Kill Antibiotic Resistant Clostridium Difficile — Health Impact News
- Antimicrobial effects of virgin coconut oil and its medium-chain fatty acids on Clostridium difficile — Journal of Medicinal Food
- About Antimicrobial Resistance — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
By Joyce Hollman
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