The BBC reports: new ‘superbug’ found in UK hospitals

Reading this is enough to cause worry and anxiety. How do you treat bacterial infections when antibiotics fail?

Many groups and experts have been warning for years that antibiotics must be used sparingly. The more we use antibiotics the quicker bacteria become resistant, that’s a fact.

Antibiotics must be used as a last resort, not as a quick fix for any minor infection.

There are many natural remedies which can be used as powerful and effective immune boosting remedies. Propolis and Echinacea are just two of them. The aim is to boost our natural immune system, which will fight bacterial and viral infections.

Needless to say: a diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables is essential too.

In June this year a research project at Strathglyde discovered that the bee product propolis could have a key role in fighting the virulent MRSA bug.

Miss V Seidel who lead the research says "there is a pressing need to discover and develop alternatives to current anti-MRSA drugs. We investigated propolis, as part of a programme aimed at discovering new antibiotics from natural sources, because bees use it as an antiseptic glue to seal gaps between honeycombs and preserve their hives from microbial contamination."

"Nature provides us with a range of natural antibiotics which have been researched extensively in many countries. The bee product propolis is one of them, the plant Echinacea is another. The key is to use them with the first sign of an infection" says Luzia Barclay, Registered medical herbalist who practises in Salisbury.

They can also be used as a preventative, they have no harmful side effects and they can be used by the very young and very old alike with good results.

Luzia Barclay DBTh MIRCH, registered medical herbalist, Tel 01722 330663 www.herbsforhealing.org.uk