Super bugs are raising havoc in our hospitals and among the general population. The incidence of sinus and nasal infections is rising and treatment options are limited due to these antibiotic resistant super bugs. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that 50-96% of the bacterial strains that cause sinus infections are now antibiotic resistant due to decades of medical misuse of these antibiotics.
The solution is prevention, and in that arena your nose mucous is your friend. Nose mucous is loaded with immune cells that protect us from inhaled pathogens, and the CDC says that 90% of all bacteria that invade the body do so through the nose. The advice here is that a runny nose is you friend. Drying up your nose mucous with spray decongestants and antihistamines makes the body much more susceptible to infection. So the latest words from authorities like the Mayo Clinic seem quite contrary to current media advertising and past medical information (misinformation?). To stay healthy, keep your nasal mucous healthy.
In recent tests, about 40% of all adults tested carried Methicillin resistant stapholococcus aureas (MRSA) in their noses. This is the “skin eating” super bug that also causes death by toxic shock and numerous non lethal but debilitating health challenges…and is antibiotic resistant. Many other antibiotic resistant bacteria are carried in the nose and sinuses, but MRSA at this time is the worst of the bunch.
This mess was created by the cavalier use of antibiotics. In a recent clinical study in Switzerland, it was shown that the same treatment we use to reestablish a healthy balanced gut flora after antibiotic use is the same treatment that helps clear these antibiotic resistant bacteria from the nose and sinuses. Probiotics, in our case that would be iFlora, work by triggering the immune cells in your gut to tell the immune cells in your nose to fight off staph, strep and other pathogens. It’s called “distant site effectiveness,” and it is a significant advance in knowledge about how our immune system works. Scientists now believe that the mucosal sites of the body are all connected, and the command center is in the mucous of your small intestine.
Taking antihistamines, decongestants, codeine, and inhaling pollutants can damage cilia, the little nose hairs that move the mucous, and stagnant mucous breeds disease.
Drinking lots of water keeps your nasal mucous fluid, which is what you want. Taking probiotics that help build a healthy gut and reduce “leaky gut syndrome” also help build a healthy nasal mucous. Rinsing your nasal passages with a saline solution by way of a Netti Pot is also very helpful in reestablishing a healthy nasal mucosa. Of course last, but not least, is the use of a superior grade probiotic like iFlora.