June 8, 2011
By LOUANN SAVAGE
When my son was in college, he was, what I thought, lazing around on a summer Sunday. He is a hard worker and an avid athlete. I thought on this Sunday he was making up lost sleep by taking a long nap. But about two in the afternoon, he came to me and asked what it meant to have blood show in a bowel movement. At that, I was alarmed and said, "That's not at all normal," then quizzed him about it.
My mind flashed to E.coli, but couldn't be sure. I'd never seen it before and knew he needed to see a doctor sooner rather than later. He was getting sicker by the minute. Being Sunday, I packed my 6' 2" boy into the car and off we went to the emergency room. I learned on the drive that he had eaten a burger from a favorite fast food burger place in California the day before, a place where you would never expect to find E.coli.
Lying on a hospital gurney with his 6'2" frame hanging over the end, he could barely lift his head let alone describe his symptoms to the gastroenterologist. Fortunately, the doctor was very familiar with E.coli and he diagnosed it immediately, prescribed antibiotics, said he would be better in twenty-four hours or so and told us it was a very good thing we got there when we did. That was more than fifteen years ago.
Today, in Germany, they are facing an outbreak of E.coli far more devastating than that my son experienced. This incidence is one of a different character called haemolytic uraemic syndrome [HUS]. As of June 8, it has killed 23 people--22 in Germany and one in Sweden.
The German authorities and scientists beamed in on cucumbers from Spain. When that proved to be incorrect, they looked for a pattern in restaurants and canteens visited by E.coli patients. Currently, they are looking at raw vegetables. On May 13 a restaurant in Luebeck, northeast of Hamburg, had served dinner to a large group of women of whom 17 had gotten ill and one had died.
Sprouts were blamed for awhile. Cultivated in steamy temperatures, they have the ideal conditions for microbes to grow. An E.coli outbreak in Japan in 1996 was traced to sprouts. Eleven people died. In 1997, an outbreak in the U.S. came from alfalfa sprouts. However, the exact source of the German outbreak is yet to be determined.
The most frightening aspect with the most alarming consequences of this occurrence is how deadly this strain is. On June 3, the Beijing Genomics Institute identified this new E.coli as a "highly infectious and toxic" strain. According to kidney specialist Professor Rolf Stahl of Hamburg University Medical Clinic, E.coli turns into HUS when bacterial or "Shiga" toxins enter the bloodstream. Without treatment this can lead to potential kidney and neurological damage, trigger epilepsy and in some cases cause death.
Most disturbing about this strain is its resistance to antibiotics. The prescribed treatment is one without use of antibiotics and with the administering of medicine that repairs intestinal flora, encourages the drinking of plenty of fluids of which good water is best. Dr. Hiromi, in his best selling book, The Enzyme Factor, speaks to the importance of drinking the 'best water' you can. Tap water does not fall into this category. Ionized alkaline water does.²
Add to those treatments redox signaling molecules and you have the best defense and strengthening of the immune system any combination of remedies can offer. Redox molecule messaging is the newest and most advanced science in wellness today. Gary Samuelson, Ph.D., an atomic/medical physicist who has discovered how to stabilize redox signaling messengers and molecules in a dietary supplement, says, "[They] regulate the processes that allow life to heal itself, defend itself and thrive in adverse environments."³
Key to protect against E.coli is to wash your foodstuffs well. This includes fresh produce and raw meats. Wash with 2.5 pH acidic water that can be produced with a water ionizing machine. If a machine is not available, create a strong acidic washing solution using 1 to 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar to 10 oz of cold water. Soak or marinate for two to 5 minutes and rinse with cold water. Put salad greens in a lettuce spinner to get excess water off the leaves and then refrigerate. The strong acidic solution will kill E.coli if left on the leaves at least 30 to 45 seconds. There are other natural and non-toxic compounds on the market that you can find at specialty stores like Whole Foods that offer up protection as well. But the most important thing to remember, never ever eat produce or meat without cleaning it and/or cooking it well. To be safe the temperature should reach a minimum of 165ยบ F. And if you get a very pink or rare hamburger, send it back and get one cooked all the way through the middle. I have done this whenever it is pink to very pink and the restaurant is most obliging.
Here's to healthy eating!
¹http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/08/us-ecoli-hunt-idUSTRE75627S20110608
²Shinya, MD, Hiromi. The Enzyme Factor. San Francisco: Coucil Oak Books, 2007. pg 94.
³Samuelson, Ph.D., Gary L. The Science of Healing Revealed. Copyright, 2009. pg 56.
The best defense is a healthy immune system. Get enough sleep, eliminate whatever stress you can, cut sugar, alcohol and excess fat from your diet while eating more fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.
Repeat your constitutional remedy when it is appropriate- check with your homeopathic doctor. Take your vitamins and minerals. Get some exercise, enough to sweat out toxins and drink more water! See my article on "The Benefits of Drinking Water" in the archive section.
Warmly,
Dr. Jeanne
