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In the recent wave of anthrax bioterrorism
attacks, 47 people have been exposed, 10 of them have been
infected, 3 men have died, 3 people have respiratory anthrax
and 6 others have cutaneous anthrax.
Cipro is currently the only
FDA approved drug for anthrax. The normal use of
Cipro is for 7-to-14-day therapy, and not the exceedingly
long 60-day course for anthrax, whether it be the inhaled
form or less-lethal skin form.
There is some suggestion that one may
need to remain on the drug for six months because of the possibility
of delayed germination of spores, which are hardy and can
survive a long time, even in an open environment.
Thanks to the anthrax-by-letter scare,
thousands of Americans are
taking the two-month Cipro regimen, either on the
advice of public health officials and doctors, or on their
own.
In Florida, New York and Washington's
Capitol building, more than 2,700 people -- from Tom Brokaw
to Tom Daschle -- are taking the powerful drug as a prophylactic
against possible anthrax infection.
In addition, the drug is now being dispensed
to more than 10,000 postal workers in New Jersey, Washington
and Baltimore, who might have been exposed to spores. Even
the crew of a Mississippi towboat are popping the pills after
being dusted Friday with a mysterious chemical by a low-flying
plane.
That doesn't include the tens of thousands
of Americans living primarily in New York, Washington and
Florida who have stockpiled
Cipro and may be taking it -- even though they
haven't been in buildings where anthrax-laced mail has been
handled or opened. For them, the drug is more of an anti-anxiety
medication.
It's hard to predict how these uninfected
and otherwise healthy individuals will react to taking two
500-mg tablets of the powerful antimicrobial every day for
two months.
Cipro is NOT
without side effects.
It acts much like a defoliant -- wiping
out the targeted bad bacteria, such as anthrax, but also the
good bacteria in your body.
If you know anyone who is taking Cipro
for anthrax please impress upon them the absolute
necessity of replacing their good bacteria with a "probiotic".
It is important to recognize that not
all probiotics are created equal. As many as one third of
them may be worthless. Later this year I hope to be distributing
the most potent probiotic in the world that has 500 billion
bacteria which are primarily lactobacillus and bifido strains.
In the meantime unless you are absolutely
certain of the potentency and quality of a particular brand
the safest recommendation would be to have those who are taking
the Cipro go to their local health food store and ask the
most knowledgeable person in the store for assistance in selecting
a high quality brand.
Those on Cipro should be encouraged to
take the probiotics for
at least two to four weeks AFTER they have finished the Cipro.
Many people are confused and do not understand
that they should be taking probiotics while they are taking
the antibiotics. This is somewhat similar to a sinking ship
analogy. One would not want to wait until the storm is over
to start bailing your boat.
Even though the Cipro will kill some of
the probiotics, one should start replacing them immediately.
One can take them two hours before or after taking the Cipro
to minimize the effect.
Related
Articles:
At
Least One Third of Probiotics, Good Bacteria Products Like
Acidophilus, Found to be Worthless
Beneficial
Bacteria (Probiotics) May Halt Allergies in Babies
Probiotics
In Primary Prevention of Atopic Disease
Beneficial
Bacteria Helps Heal Intestines
Beneficial
Bacteria Wonderful for Infant Diarrhea
CIPRO
Worse Than Anthrax
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