What is an Antibiotic?
An antibiotic is an antimicrobial substance produced synthetically or from a microorganism that attempts to arrest or limit the growth of disease producing bacteria. The term biotic pertains to life. Ironically, pharmaceutical antibiotics [anti (against) biotic (life)] lower immunity and therefore weaken your life force as they attempt to kill harmful bacteria. Unfortunately, antibiotics kill beneficial as well as harmful bacteria.

What Happens When You Use Antibiotics?
The more you use pharmaceutical antibiotics, the more bacteria become resistant to them. How does this happen? The answer lies in the marvel of nature and the abilities that it bestows upon its inhabitants to protect themselves against predators. For example, when you use a pharmaceutical antibiotic, it kills off only the susceptible bacteria and is powerless against bacteria that is resistant.

Bacteria are resistant because they have genes coded for antibiotic resistance. Like other creatures, bacteria live by the law of survival of the fittest. Bacteria continue to evolve toward a stronger strain to fight against the myriad types of antibiotics. They can also evolve within regional differences to resist antibiotic attack. For example, antibiotics used for ear infections in one region of the country may not be useful for the same type of infection in another region.

Antibiotics lower the immune system and destroy essential intestinal flora. Without intestinal flora to suppress fungus, the fungus begins to grow within the body. Even though the antibiotic may kill the bacteria, it supports detrimental Candida albicans yeast / fungal overgrowth that is linked to numerous ailments such as ear infections, itchy skin, intestinal gas, bloated abdomen, rash, furry tongue, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, etc.

Antibiotics in the Food Supply
Do you take antibiotics? Most people who do not take prescription antibiotics would answer no to this question. Therefore, to be more specific I should ask, How often do you take antibiotics?

If you consume non-organic meat, eggs or dairy products, most likely you are overindulging in antibiotics. Why? Most of the creatures that provide these products, routinely receive antibiotics in one form or another because of their poor health. The antibiotics then pass into the human food supply. For example, most chickens raised for food must live in unsanitary conditions that invite various infections in these birds.

Other than from chickens, penicillin commonly finds its way into your body through the consumption of dairy products and beef. Cows receive this antibiotic in their feed to prevent mastitis, an inflammatory disease, and other illnesses. Antibiotics injected into cows and other animals raised for food become a part of your meal. You may be taking daily doses of antibiotics whether or not you use prescription antibiotics from your pharmacy.

Probiotics: Nature's Way of Caring for the Body
In nature, specific plants exist that can be used with all of their naturally occurring elements intact (rather than isolated as with drugs) to boost immunity, and to fight bacteria, viruses and fungi without the adverse side effects of the pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Other than antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, some botanicals that act as a probiotic [pro (for) biotic (life)] also interrupt the process of platelet aggregation: the clumping of platelets in the blood that may cause strokes and various heart conditions. Furthermore, certain plant constituents can demobilize and break down the spikes of viruses that bore through healthy cells and leave the host prey to infection and disease.

Your Choices Determine Your Health
How you choose to care for your life extends to the choices you make for your health. When chemical substances are isolated as with pharmaceutical antibiotics, adverse reactions may develop due to a disruption of the body's natural processes. Pharmaceutical antibiotics are known to lower immunity and therefore weaken your life force.

Probiotic formulations -- life enhancing formulations -- boost immunity by nourishing the cells, organs, and various other life giving aspects of your body. These natural formulations work with the body during the healing process without adverse side-effects. Furthermore, they aim not only at the susceptible bacteria, but also at viruses and fungi.

Nature works with nature. Human beings are natural entities. Understanding and implementing natural methods of self-care greatly improves your health.

Dr. Mary Rodio

Mary Rodio, Ph.D., is an Ethnobotanical Research Scientist and the Director of Natura Health Services, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona where she formulates botanical remedies that encompass her life's work in the fields of both Conventional and Traditional Medicine.

As a scholar of both medical science and cultural studies, Dr. Rodio focuses her research on the cultural identity and the neurobiologics that become imprinted on and affect the health and interactions of human beings.

Educated at various colleges and universities in the United States and Europe, Dr. Rodio has established an extensive and unique background with numerous courses beyond her academic degrees. Her graduate and post-graduate studies and/or research projects have been conducted at Brown University, Clayton College of Natural Health, Harvard University, Middlebury College, Providence College, Southeastern Massachusetts University, the University of Florence Medical School (Italy), and others. Dr. Rodio also holds degrees in Naturopathy, Nutrition, Medical Technology, and Foreign Languages and Culture.

Her past professional career includes work as a Medical Technologist in both hospital and private medical laboratories, Histologist, and Public Health Microbiologist for the Rhode Island Department of Health in the Food, Dairy, Water and Diagnostic Microbiology Laboratories.

Dr. Rodio makes appearances on radio and television as a guest, and has hosted local, radio and television talk shows. As a public speaker and an author of numerous magazine articles, she warmly shares her knowledge in an easy to understand manner.

With over twenty-five years of experience in the health field, Dr. Rodio provides the public with well-researched health information that unites conventional medical techniques with time-tested natural therapies.