dentists, and taking antibiotics
Here’s a letter I got recently from a wonderful dentist who reads this blog/site. I won’t give my own response until I hear some of yours. What are your thoughts?
Dear GreenSmoothieGirl:
I think you are pretty conservative and avoid antibiotics, but I had an interesting experience recently in my dental practice that I want to share with you. You influence a lot of people to make better choices for their health, and if you agree with me and my position as a health care provider and trying to do what is in the best interest of my patients, maybe you can pass this on to your readers. The AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) currently recommends that persons who have had total joint replacements should take one dose of antibiotics one hour prior to high risk dental procedures (not a whole week of antibiotics, just one dose) to avoid bacteremias forming in the artificial joint and causing a systemic infection and possibly failure of the artificial joint. I had a patient recently who refused to take an antibiotic before a procedure because she avoids taking antibiotics in general.
I contacted her orthopaedic surgeon, and the nurse from his office recommended the same protocol for her, and she still refused. She walked out of my office informing me there was no way she was going to take the antibiotics and she would find another dentist who would do the work without making her take the antibiotics. I worry about her health and the risks she is taking. I also worry about the dentist she finds to treat her without following the standards of care, as his license may be in jeopardy for treating her this way if complications were to arise anytime down the road.
I try to avoid antibiotics whenever I can for myself, but there are times when it may be worth the major complications which could arise. I am not willing to put my license and my career on the line to treat someone who refuses to follow the written protocols and standards of care for surgeries which they have had done in the past, which now place them in a higher risk category. I don’t know if you understand what I am saying here, but let me know if you agree or disagree with me.
Posted in: Dental Health
Hi Tiffany,
I had a bad case of impetigo on my face last year, and I resorted to antibiotics. They seemed to help at first but the impetigo kept coming back, and so I decided I would find a way to cure my skin naturally as I couldn’t face taking any more antibiotics.
I juiced daily, and had lots of green smoothies with hemp seed or hemp oil (for those omega 3’s). I also took mega doses of vitamin C which really seemed to help my skin heal. Vitamin C in large doses can act like an antibiotic, and I believe it was really useful in helping my skin heal as I was very stressed at the time.
Hope this helps,
Amanda
Sue,
I have been through similar issues with my children, however I have found what seems to really work for them, and all of us. If you would like more info you can reach me at julmomof8@comcast.net. Green smoothies are great, yet I have found there is more that can add to good health as well.
Tiffany & Sue,
Robyn mentions anti-bacterial essential oils (topical and ingested). It makes a big difference if they are therapeutic grade oils. Our family has been using Young Living oils for the last 5+ years successfully for all of our health needs…no need for any over the counter meds or antibiotics. This is mainly due to the fact that the oils have immune-boosting capabilities. When we feel something coming on and use the oils to “nip it in the bud”, it prevents it from going any further. There are anti-viral & antibiotic blends of oils that we take internally or rub on the bottoms of our kids’ feet (or our own!) every day or just when we need it. Wonderful aromas…clove oil, cinnamon oil, rosemary oil…
I thought about this a lot lately, how just the little things get taken care of with the oils, without having to go to the doctor. I go through phases when I get nose sores, too. Just go away in such a short time with a q-tip & essential oils! And we saw the oils do amazing things with my 16 yo son’s staph infection on his knee, too.
And the kids lil’ bodies respond so well…just soak up the oils. The oils actually help the body to fight off the germs, AND build it up to fight the next germ to come its way. Stomach aches, fevers, insomnia, injuries, muscle aches…the list goes on to all the oils have done for us. And we’ve smelled so good in the process! 🙂
We feel very blessed to be able to use these plant oils that God has created to take charge of our health naturally.
A neat fact: The reason the feet are an excellent place to apply essential oils is that there are 7,200 nerve endings in each foot, that correspond to organs in the body. A very effective way to get oils to the area of need.
In the past, I have always felt pressured by doctors/dentist to take AB’s for any procedure I have had done (I have had several tests for fertility problems as well as some dental surgeries – and several illnesses in my childhood). I have had a severe allergic reaction to every antibiotic I have ever taken – and yet every doctor would pressure me into trying a new one before each procedure. I finally had enough of putting myself through that – I decided that it was no longer worth the risk. For some reason, my doctor(s) did not seem to understand that the risk of the allergic reaction would outweigh the risk of an infection. They claimed that there are so many different AB’s out there that I couldn’t possibly have a reaction to all of them. I got such a bad reaction out of each one I tried that I eventually decided to take the prescription from the doctor and never get it filled because fighting gets nowhere – if they ask when I go in for the procedure, I tell the truth, but they usually don’t ask. Instead, I know prepare my body to fight infection through a green-leafy filled diet and by boosting my immune system with (large amounts of) raw garlic and honey. I am one of those people who never get sick and generally have a very strong immune system anyway, (I believe because of my lifestyle, because it was not this way in the past) so I am not sure that this would be a safe thing for everyone else to do – but this is the only way for me at this point and it has worked very well for me and I am happy with the decision I have made.
Sorry, to add a second post –
My thought on the subject seems to be the same as several of others here – I think that a doctor should explain why they think the drug is needed and the patient should have the right to make an informed decision whether or not they should take it – then sign a waiver to cover the doctor. It took me a long time and lots of research and lifestyle changes before I came to this conclusion and I think being informed is they key word here. Too many people blindly follow Dr’s orders. We need educate ourselves, get to know our bodies and figure out what is best for them – then work WITH the doctor when we need help.
I am a nurse and I avoid antibiotics. I don’t eat meat because it is full of hormones and antibiotics. When I go to the doctor and am given a prescription for antibiotics to “prevent a secondary bacterial infection”, I smile, thank the doctor, and don’t fill the prescription.
There are instances that I would take antibiotics prophylactically. A one-time dose of IV antibiotics is given before surgery to prevent wound infection. Dental patients with heart problems or prosthetic joints are given prophylactic antibiotics to prevent life-threatening infections. This is done because the evidence shows that serious complications can be prevented.
The problem with antibiotics, in my opinion, occurs when they are given unnecessarily. And that happens A LOT. Starting with the family doctor that gives prescriptions for antibiotics for viral infections because the patient expects/demands antibiotics. In hospitals, antibiotics have been over-used or used incorrectly. And, feeding humans antibiotics indirectly through food is a huge problem.
Lets face it…life expectancy increased when antibiotics were discovered. Limbs don’t have to be amputated to prevent sepsis from an open fracture. Appendicitis doesn’t turn into peritonitis routinely. People don’t die from pneumonia routinely. Antibiotics are not bad, but improper use is.
This is interesting to me because my husband who is a dental student just told me about a patient that he wasn’t allowed to operate on because the patient failed to take the antibiotics prior to surgery. My own experience is that if you plan to be operated on you follow protocol to minimize risk. Don’t need to take unnecessary risks and most doctors aren’t trained in alternative procedures anyway. That being said, I think doctors should have more opportunities to get additional training in order to treat that portion of the population that are concerned with overuse of medications and antibiotics. As a general rule I don’t allow myself or my children to be preventativly medicated but there are instances that call for it. I must also note that many patients that come to my husband are in terrible health and if they refuse to follow procedure they decrease the effectiveness of the treatment and increase the chance that another problem may arise-our body systems work together after all and if one system is in jeopardy, the others can get sick too. In my mind the issues of health and nutrition always come down to EDUCATION OF THE POPULATION! And of course balance and allowing for differences of opinion. 🙂
Over use of ABT is a major problem in our “health care system” now. There is a huge rise in resistant bacteria infections.. Super infections and C-diff.. If a person is on a high raw diet and maintains an alkaline Ph then there is a low low chance of developing any infection and their immune system would be able to handle it and if they needed anything it would only be colloidal silver at most.. All pharmaceuticals are poisonous to the body and have a very acidic effect on the body’s Ph. So obviously I’m against ABT as a general rule.
I agree that antibiotics should be used as a preventive for surgical procedures, especially since it is a one-shot dose. (My brother had a knee replacement and shared a room with a person who had to have his replacement removed because he developed an infection from a dental procedure – the bacteria entered his bloodstream, and it attacked the replacements!
Otherwise avoid all antibiotics.
I am 59 and can’t take antibiotics – a dose would probably send me into anaphylactic shock. When I was a child, the common practice was to prescribe antibiotics for any little sniffle. So, every time I got a cold, my pediatrician prescribed an antibiotic. Needless to say, I retreated into a downward health spiral. I contracted the hard measles when 13; at the time, this same pediatrician prescribed an antibiotic as well as a sulfa drug. I broke out with the measles concurrently with a rash from the drugs. I still remember the extreme pain in my hands and knees.
Roll forward several years, into my early 20’s. Seemed like I came down with everything and anything that came along. Fortunately, I was referred to a homeopathic physician in San Francisco, who took the time to review my history. He got me back on the health track, which also included healthy eating, no allopathic drugs, & yoga.
When I was 30, I gave birth to my 2nd son. Because the OBGYN poked me with the forceps, some “repair” work had to be done after delivery. I was put under for this procedure. When I awoke, I discovered that, in my IV, there was an antibiotic drip, even though I was wearing an “allergic to antibiotics” wristband. I first noticed this, not from the drip – I started to itch and realized that a rash on my abdomen and legs.
When I asked the nurse about the antibiotic in the drip, she said it was part of the protocol for the repair job I had and the DR had ordered it. I demanded that she undo the AB immediately as I was developing a rash. She did so only after my husband said some nasty words.
To date, I’ve been relatively healthy. When I had a dental procedure 18 years ago to remove wisdom teeth, I had an empathetic dentist, who complied with my requirements for no antibiotics. With the instruction from my naturopath, I did a course of arnica plus a few other homeopathics a few days before and after the surgery. No problems, no infections. I followed my own immunity protocols.
PS I also stopped eating meat in the 70’s – reason – my sensitivity to antibiotics.
I believe in natural remedies whenever possible and try to avoid antibiotics at all costs but I do think that there are certain times when it just seems it cannot be avoided. If we have to take them, we should eat lots of yogurt and take probiotics at the same time. I had a serious kidney infection a few years ago that I could not tame with natural herbs and had to resort to the antibiotics. I also think Chiropractors and acupuncture or healthy alternatives to prescriptions. We have to do the best we can and of course eating the greens or drinking them would be the perfect solution.
It makes me wonder if a plant which contains antibiotic properties, such as garlic, might be a better alternative to the artificially created pharmaceutical ones.
Tiffany, email me (tracyandclark@gmail.com)…I have something you might want to think about. That being said, never stop green smoothies! We all need to be more aware of what Robyn is teaching. I get so frustrated that people don’t understand nutrition!
One alternative to antibiotics that hasn’t been metioned here is grapefruit seed extract. I have found it to be an amazing product and have used it instead of antibiotics for ear aches, yeast infections, toothaches, strep throat to name a few. I had a vaginal infection that lasted for 10 years for which I tried every alternative treatment and diet imaginable. When I heard about GSE I decided it was worth a try. It cured the infection within a week, with never a recurrence. But, as far as trusting it to protect me from infections following surgery, I would probably not. I also believe that Antibiotics have their place, but only in extreme circumstances.
Hi Sue,
Have you tried Lugol’s iodine for your chronic strep throat? We mix about 6 drops in a tbsp of food grade vegetable glycerin and coat the throat with it 3x per day. Knocks it out in about 3 days.
We have a 4yr old daughter that used to get sick (strep, then ear infections, then strep, then another ear infection, on and on) all the time. In Oct/Nov last year, we found Green Smoothie Girl and all the fabulous information here. Then in January of this year we made the commitment to change our diet and at the same time, completely released our reliance on Doctors and ABs to treat our daughter. We started doing research on home remedies for the strep and ear infections and in our research, one of the things we found was that iodine worked wonders for our daughter’s throat.
She has only been sick twice since we changed our diet, once immediately after the switch and then just this last week after spending an overnight with her 3 cousins who were horribly sick. BTW – This is quite an improvement over last year – she was sick from January through May and then September to December (9 of the 12 mos). This year, she’s been sick twice but not for more than a few days each time. I attribute a lot of that to the information on Robyn’s site and her “12 Steps” that we’ve put into practice! Thanks Robyn!