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5 Myths about C. Difficile

Myth 1 – A single C. diff. remedy will work

I love natural remedies. And there are some powerful natural remedies against C. difficile infections. But no single remedy by itself, no matter how effective, can end every C. difficile infection overnight and forever. And not all remedies are strong enough for C. difficile.

The truth is, every person and every C. difficile infection is a little different. Medical history, other health conditions, age, immune health and other factors effect how you should be treated. And children, infants and women who are pregnant can also require a different approach to C. diff. treatment.

Many tout how a simple herb, essential oil or supplement is all you need to stop an infection. But the thing is, everyone’s infection is different.

You need a treatment approach you can easily customize to your unique needs. And stopping your infection is only the first step to getting rid of C. difficile for good. C. difficile have a knack for coming back again, unless you take additional steps to stop the re-infection cycle. As you’ll see below, getting the right medical care is also an important key, regardless of whether you use natural medicine or antibiotics.

Myth 2 – Antibiotics will stop my infection

antibioticsThe right antibiotic may bring quick relief from C. difficile, but only if you’re lucky enough to get an antibiotic that works. Fortunately, there are only two main antibiotic drugs commonly used for C. difficile. Even if you do get the “right” antibiotic, these drugs have many side effects that can be severe and long lasting. Antibiotics also weaken your immune system, increasing your risk of recurring infections later. Antibiotics are also becoming less effective against C. difficile because new strains of the bacteria are more resistant to these drugs.

Antibiotics are a valid treatment option, but they have their pros and cons and should be considered carefully. I always advocate using antibiotics only as a last resort. But you need to decide for yourself whether to take antibiotics or not, after considering the possible pros and cons of doing so.

Myth 3 – Your doctor knows best

Unfortunately, many doctors have little or no experience treating C. difficile. Even if your doctor has experience with C. difficile, they probably don’t know about natural treatments. In fact, most medical doctors will caution you against using any kind of natural approach and will actually discount natural medicine.

Here are a few reasons why you’re doctor may not know what’s best for you:

  1. Medical schools don’t teach natural medicine, so your doctor never hears about other options.
  2. Drug companies work very hard to make drugs the only treatment option available to doctors.
  3. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes it very hard for natural treatments to compete against drugs.
  4. Health insurance companies usually don’t cover natural treatments.
  5. Your doctor is pressured by insurance companies to stick to “standard protocol” one-size-fits-all treatments to save money and stay “inside the box”.

You may have an excellent doctor and they may mean well. But unless your doctor has experience with C. difficile, natural alternatives and diet modifications, you’ll delay your recovery. The bottom line: if you want to use a natural support program for C. difficile, you’ll probably have to find out about them yourself.

You may also want to find a doctor trained in natural and alternative medicine, such as a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). These doctors have a much better understanding of how the body heals itself and how to support and restore balance and address the underlying causes of C. difficile.

Myth 4 – C. difficile is not a big concern

Many people can be C. difficile carriers without ever getting infected. Many C. diff. infection can be mild and go away on their own, or after stopping the use of antibiotics.

Unfortunately, it’s also common for people to have a lot of challenges with these infections. C. difficile can worsen quickly and can be very hard to get rid of for many people. Newer strains of C. difficile are striking more and more otherwise healthy people in community settings. And in a growing number of cases, C. difficile can lead to death.

Please understand that I’m not trying to scare you. It’s just important that you know the potential that these infections can have. C. difficile can become serious and even life threatening and these infections should not be taken lightly. This is not cause for fear, but it is cause for taking action if you think you have C. difficile.

Myth 5 – You’ll always have C. difficile

cycleIf you’ve struggled with recurring C. diff. infections and antibiotics just don’t seem to work as well as they used to, it can be very easy to get discouraged. You probably feel like you’ll never be safe from C. diff. and that you’ll always be just one inch away from another infection.

If you’ve only used mainstream medicine, then yes, you may not have too many options left. Fortunately, there are many natural treatments that are used by doctors around the world and have a track record of success with C. diff. You’ll also find that addressing the root cause of infection can have long-term effects that you never thought possible.

There is hope! Always look for other solutions and never give up. I believe one must always have hope no matter what the situation is. If I hadn’t, I’d still be fighting off my recurring infections.

Find out more

I cover more details about C diff and supplements that have helped others recover. Be sure to get my free report to find out much more, including a natural supplement program (you’ll see it on the left sidebar). You can also find out more about new new book on C. Diff here.

 

Photo credits: Doctor: ©Yuri/iStockPhoto; Myths: ©CDC; 3 Steps: ©Lester Moore; Pills: ©iStockPhoto/catenarymedia