Recently, officials assessed the state of 133 countries in relation to their effort to combat the problem of antibiotic resistance. They found that only 34 countries had a plan in place on how to deal with this alarming problem. According to the BBC:
Dr Charles Penn, co-ordinator for antimicrobial resistance at the WHO, told the BBC News website: “Antimicrobial medicines are a very precious and valuable resource and something we cannot take for granted. “This is the first report to capture on a worldwide basis what is currently being done. “Only one in four had in place a national action plan and that’s too few, a lot more needs to be done. 1
Previously, I’ve discussed the role of essential oils in inhibiting microbes. Some in vitro studies and several review articles have concluded that essential oils may be helpful in dealing with resistant superbugs. 2-6 In fact, some farmers are already using essential oils for their animals, as reported by The Atlantic. Human studies have also shown that essential oils can assist with inhibiting microbes in dentistry and a few pilot studies have shown they may be helpful with resistant microbes in wounds.7-8
Resistance to Essential Oils?
Although some essential oil practitioners worry about resistance building up to essential oils on microbes, I believe that the phenolics in essential oils which feed beneficial microbes, decrease the chance of essential oils killing off all the good critters in your microbiome, when used responsibly. This fact, along with the synergism of the many components present in an essential oil, may contribute to make resistance less likely. This is due to the fact that many different pathways and mechanisms will be modulated at once versus one action of “killing the bug.”
A 2014 study in The Open Microbiology Journal explained:
It has also been postulated that the function of the main components is regulated by other minor molecules which help in potentiating synergistic effect Essential Oils Use With Antibiotics- Is It OK or NAY? Last week, I reviewed some possible essential oils and drug interactions. Due to the fact that essential oils are secondary metabolites, they can modulate our health in a variety of ways. This means they may work on some of the same pathways as medications, enhancing, canceling, or inhibiting effects. Some in vitro studies have shown that using essential oils with antibiotics have synergistic effects.10-14 For example, one study investigated the relationship between several essential oils and beta-lactam antibiotics for their antibacterial effect against multidrug resistant bacteria. The authors concluded, “The finding highlighted the potential of peppermint, cinnamon bark and lavender essential oils being as antibiotic resistance modifying agent. Reduced usage of antibiotics could be employed as a treatment strategy to decrease the adverse effects and possibly to reverse the beta-lactam antibiotic resistance.” 10 Unfortunately, human trials are lacking in combining both essential oils and antibiotics together, though the promise of this synergism with less resistance seems intriguing. However, on the other hand, it may actually assist with less resistance. This is something to consider with your doctor. If you wish to ere on the side of caution, it may be best to stick with diffusing and topical applications rather than oral use, if one is taking an antibiotic medication. Considerations of Using Microbe Inhibitors (Natural & Synthetic) Due to the fact that killing off bugs in our bellies can have potential detrimental effects to our micobiome, the following steps can be considered if one needs to get rid of unwanted microbes: To get started or to order genuine essential oils, click here. Disclaimer: This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic, Grade A essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been AFNOR and ISO standardized. There is no quality control in the United States and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. References: image courtesty istockphoto.com