Dr. Carrie Brennan - Kauai Naturopathic Physician
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Antibiotics are Unnecessary 80% of the Time in Treatment of Upper Respiratory Infection

3/12/2014

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According to the Centers for Disease Control, antibiotics are prescribed 62% of the time in treatment of upper respiratory tract infections (URI) and 80% of the time they are unnecessary! This is because generally these infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria, and therefore are not eliminated with antibiotics.

Due to this over-prescribing/overuse of antibiotics many bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to the prescription antibiotics that are available today, thus creating “superbugs.”  Unfortunately when we really need them, the antibiotics may not be reliable. If this were not bad enough, the financial burden in this country is $1.1 billion spent annually on unnecessary prescriptions for treatment of URI’s.

Naturopathic physicians have been successfully treating URI’s without the use of antibiotics for years. First, I recommend making sure vitamin D levels are high enough, which keeps your immune system strong.  Botanicals such as elderberry and lomatium (isolate) are excellent antiviral medicines.  Nutritional intravenous therapy of vitamin C, along with other vitamins and minerals, can boost the immune function and help to kill the virus.

I believe that the more regular use of naturopathic medicine in this country would help to prevent and naturally treat URI (as well as other infections).  This in turn would help to lessen antibiotic resistance and save billions in unnecessary antibiotic prescription cost.

Reference: http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/fast-facts.html

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Concerned that your health is negatively affected by pesticides? Get tested!

9/6/2013

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With the introduction of the extremely important Bill 2491 on Kauai, it is been brought to light that the four big seed companies that occupy Kauai use 18 tons of restricted use pesticides here every year. This unprecedented use of toxic chemicals is very disturbing and makes one wonder about their own exposure to pesticides.

Organophosphates are some of the most commonly used and toxic class of pesticides. They are toxic to the human nervous system and are especially dangerous to children (and fetus development) causing developmental effects. Acute exposure can cause nausea, headaches, twitching, and difficulty breathing. Long term exposure is linked to negative reproductive effects, memory problems, depression, irritability, chronic fatigue, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease.

Of course here on Kauai we are very concerned about human exposure due to the extremely high use of organophosphates by the four seed companies, but these chemicals are sprayed regularly on crops so most of us are exposed to them if we are eating any non-organic produce (which means the majority of people). If you are living in an area of high use organophosphate pesticides (ie. Westside, Southside Kauai), or are simply concerned about your own pesticide exposure, and/or have any of the above mentioned symptoms, I recommend testing for organophosphate pesticide exposure (as well as the pesticide atrazine). Contact me if interested in testing.


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Chronic infections, fatigue, sleep trouble—caused by adrenal fatigue??

7/7/2010

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If you have fatigue, chronic infections, sleep trouble, blood sugar imbalance, allergies, and an overall rundown feeling, then you might have adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands can be weakened by chronic stress, thereby effecting the production of adrenal hormones and creating an imbalance.

It is ideal to have adrenal function tested with lab tests in order to get individualized recommendations and to rule out more serious adrenal disorders. In general, to help adrenal function, the cause and reduction of the stress should be addressed. In addition, vitamin C, vitamin B5, and a group of botanicals called adaptogens (like ginseng, ashwagandha, Rhodiola) support healthy adrenal function.
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    Author

    Dr. Carrie Brennan is a naturopathic physician who lives and practices on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.  She can be reached at (808) 652-7581.

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