Are Antibiotics Making your Kids FAT?

Antibiotics are life-saving medicine, but their overuse has been linked to a number of health concerns, not least of which include antibiotic-resistant superbugs that kill thousands of people each year.

Now, new research adds to growing evidence that over-exposure to antibiotics contributes to another problem: weight gain.

In the largest study on the subject to date, Dr. Brian Schwartz and his researchers from Johns Hopkins found that children who take antibiotics regularly throughout their childhood gain weight significantly faster than those who do not. 

For the study a team analyzed the health records of more than 160,000 children between the ages of 3 and 18 from 2001 to 2012. They collected data on height and weight to determine body mass index (BMI), as well as antibiotic use in the previous year and any earlier years for which health records were available.

The results showed that at age 15, children who had received antibiotics seven or more times during childhood weighed about three pounds more than those who had never taken the drugs. Approximately 21 percent of the study participants -- about 30,0000 kids -- had taken antibiotics seven or more times during childhood.

Scientists have long known that antibiotics promote weight gain in animals, which is why they are given to livestock in animal feed at modern industrialized farms.

But growing evidence shows that in humans, antibiotics could lead to weight gain because of the effect they have on the microbiota or microbiome -- microorganisms that inhabit the body. Antibiotics work by killing off harmful bacteria but the medicine can also deplete "good" bacteria that are vital to health. Research shows repeated antibiotics use can forever alter the microbiome, which can change the way it breaks down food in the digestive tract, increasing the calories absorbed and leading to weight gain.

Of course, the findings don't suggest that children should never take antibiotics, but Schwarz said physicians need to be diligent in prescribing the drugs only when needed.

For parents, he gives the following advice: "Bottom line: If your doctor tells you that you or your child does not need antibiotics, don't ask for them, don't take them, don't try to find another doctor who will provide them. Eat healthy and your gut microbiota will be very good to you. Don't change your gut microbiota unnecessarily by taking antibiotics if you don't need them."

READ MORE...Article Source: CBS News | Photo Credit

Natural Neosporin -- A Recipe for Nature's Cure

Neosporin is a well known ointment that the majority of people go to when they get scrapes, cuts and any other skin injuries. Although most of us have used this ointment for years, one quick read over the ingredients list and we might want to question what we are putting on our open wounds and other vulnerable skin surfaces.

Ingredients include Neomycin Sulfate Polymxin B, Bacitracin Zinc, Pramoxine and more all mixed in petroleum jelly. There are many side effects associated with these ingredients such as allergic reactions, muscle twitching, convulsions, hearing loss, fetal harm, rashes, hives, tightness in the chest, and the list goes on.

Neosporin costs about $10 an ounce with all of these unknown ingredients in it. Yet Mother Nature provides us with a bounty of ingredients that are just as healing and beneficial without the side effects. Should there be a breakdown in basic civil services, for whatever reason, you should know how to make an all natural, yet potent, topical antibacterial solution.

In the recipe below, each ingredient contains many healing properties. The base is a combination of oils that are anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-fungal. The herbs have various medicinal properties as well. Beeswax is a skin protectant, keeping irritants off the skin while allowing air circulation into the injured area. Witch Hazel helps to clean and disinfect wounds while speeding up the healing process. These are just some of the incredible benefits of this natural antibiotic ointment.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• 1/2 c. almond oil, grapeseed oil, or olive oil
• 1/2 c. healing herbs of your choice (chamomile, calendula, comfrey, lavender, plantain leaves (herb not banana), Echinacea root, dried yarrow flowers, dried rosemary leaf)
• 4 Tbsp beeswax pastilles
• 2 tsp witch hazel
• 15 drops lavender or tea tree essential oils (optional)

Directions: 

1. Infuse the herbs into the olive oil. There are two ways to do this. You can either combine the herbs and the olive oil in a jar with an airtight lid and leave 3-4 weeks, shaking daily OR heat the herbs and olive oil over low/low heat in a double boiler for 3 hours (low heat!) until the oil is very green.
2. Strain her herbs out of the oil by pouring through a cheesecloth. Let all the oil drip out and then squeeze the herbs to get the remaining oil out.
3. Discard the herbs.
4. Add witch hazel and other essential oils of choice and mix.
5. Heat the infused oil in a double boiler with the beeswax until melted and mixed.
6. Pour into small tins, glass jars or lip chap tubes.

* Apply to scrapes, cuts, burns, diaper rash, dry skin, athlete's foot, bites, stings, poison ivy, or other wounds as needed.
** This ointment should be kept in a cool, dark place. Good for up to a year.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com, ointment recipe, neosporin