Leading naturopath shows how to su percharge your immune system and fight infections with out relying on antibi otics．

There are natural ways to boost your body's defence system．In the right circumstances antibiotics are invaluable, but we have to use them selectively．

As a result of overusing them, we are gradually seeing the rise of drug-resistant bacteria--superbugs that are a real danger to our health．Even when antibiotics are used against the "bad" bacteria that infect us, "friendly" bacteria, which we need for optimum health, are also damaged or killed．The solution is to help yourself．

The key is to help strengthen your immune system and modify symptoms without taking them away because they are part of the recovery process．There are natural ways of doing this very effectively, for adults and children．

Sore throat

This tells you an infection is on its way．It could be viral or bacterial, but the first course of action is to take zinc lozenges（from chemists and health-food shops）．

If your lymph glands are swollen, showing your waste disposal mechanism is blocked, lymphatic drainage massage will help．You should also try to avoid breathing through your mouth rather than your nose because this means not only is the air not filtered, but you are also drying up the mucous membrane, part of your body's defence mechanism．

Enhance your immune function by taking care over your diet．High levels of refined carbohydrates, high－fat foods, alcohol and caffeine all affect efficiency．A good multivitamin and mineral supplement will act as insurance against any deficiency but probiotics also help．The herb extract echinacea has immune－enhancing properties．Gargling with one or two drops of tea tree oil mixed with water helps；it is a powerful anti－fungal, anti-bacterial, an ti－viral agent．

Toothache

If you have an infected tooth, you need to take antibiotics．Here, the alternative is not about what to do instead of taking them, it is about what to do as well as taking antibiotics and how to protect yourself after you've finished the course．The key is to take a supplement of the two main probiotics we need for the intestine, lacto-bacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum．Both help to detoxify the bowel, manufacture B vitamins and keep yeasts and undesirable bacteria in check, but are damaged by antibiotics．

Ear infection

A short fast will help．Stick to water and juice for the first 24 or 36 hours and because the body is not distracted by the digestive process, you will fight the infection more efficiently．Hot packs and cold compresses ease symptoms．Both garlic and echinacea are antiviral and antibacterial and liquorice is a good immune system enhancer．Studies show treating otitis with antibiotics leads to more ear problems, more frequently．The best option is usually no antibiotics at all, except in the case of acute otitis．Instead, after visiting the doctor, concentrate on easing your child's symptoms while their immune system fights the infection on its own．Along with painkillers and medical decongestants, Lymphatic drainage massage, cold compresses and hot packs are all soothing and will ease the pain．

Sinus trouble

Depending on the severity of the problem, you may or may not need antibiotics．If you don't, a short fast will help, along with steam inhalations, which involve adding a couple of drops of tea tree oil to hot water．If you do need antibiotics, follow them with probiotics．

Stomach ulcer ?

More than 70 percent of duodenal and stomach ulcers are caused by a bacterium called helicobacter pylori. The standard treatment is antibiotics but，worryingly，in many patients H. pylori has now become resistant to antibiotics.

All kinds of alternative approaches have been tried，but by far the most successful is an ancient Greek remedy called mastic. This is a natural chewing gum from the sap of the mastic tree that grows wild in Greece. The ancient Greeks chewed this to deal with stomach ulcers. Recent studies show between one and two grams of mastic，taken daily as a supplement for just a few weeks，heals ulcers and completely deactivates H. pylori in almost three-quarters of people with ulcers--even when the bacterium was resistant to antibiotics.

Bladder infection

One of the best ways to treat a bladder infection such as cystitis is with cranberry concentrate. It doesn't kill bacteria but it prevents them sticking to the walls of the bladder. If you also drink lots of water you can flush out the infection.

Infected wound

There are many studies looking at the anti-fungal, anti-bacterial effect of honey, or even sugar, on infected wounds. Both are extremely effective and are often used in hospitals.

Sugar is sterile. You can keep it for a hundred years and nothing will grow on it. To make a honey or sugar compress, sprinkle it on to the wound, cover with a bandage and change daily.

自然療法專家告訴你如何拋開抗生素、利用自身的免疫系統來治療感染。

我們可以借助一些自然療法來增強機體的免疫力。在對癥的情況下，抗生素的確是不可多得的靈丹妙藥，但我們需要加以選擇地使用。

濫用抗生素造成的后果是現在具有抗藥性的病菌層出不窮，這些超級病菌是真正的健康殺手。而在使用抗生素來消滅影響我們身體健康的“有害”細菌時，健康身體所必需的“有益”細菌也受到傷害或被殺死。依靠自身的抵抗力是解決這一難題的辦法。

問題的關鍵在于增強你的免疫力，而不是通過簡單地消除癥狀來緩解病情，因為這些癥狀是痊愈過程的必然環節。對此，有些自然療法極具功效，且老少咸宜。

咽喉腫痛

咽喉腫痛是感染發生的信號。無論是病毒性感染還是細菌引起的感染，當務之急是服用幾粒鋅片兒（可以在藥房和保健食品店購買）。

淋巴結發炎說明機體的廢物處理機制受到阻塞。這時可以采用淋巴排毒按摩療法。同時還應盡量避免以口代鼻呼吸，因為以口呼吸時，不僅空氣未能得到過濾，人體內防御系統的一部分——黏膜也無法保持濕潤。

要提高免疫力還需注意飲食。過多地攝取精制碳水化合物、高脂肪食品、酒精和咖啡因都會使你的免疫力大打折扣。適當補充多種維生素和礦物質可以避免免疫力的下降, 益生菌制品也有此功效。松果菊屬草藥提取物也可以提高免疫力。把一兩滴茶樹油溶于水中用來漱口也是良方；茶樹油具有抗真菌、抗細菌和抗病毒的功能。

牙痛

牙齒發炎確實需要服用抗生素。對此，自然療法也并不是拋開抗生素，而是在服用抗生素的同時以及療程過后采取一些自我保護措施。主要是補充腸道所需的兩種有益菌群：嗜酸乳酸桿菌和兩歧雙歧桿菌。它們有助于排除腸道內的毒素, 制造維生素B, 并且能夠有效控制酵母菌和不受歡迎的細菌的生長。然而抗生素會使它們遭到破壞。

耳部炎癥

短期的禁食會有療效。在最初的２４小時或３６小時內只飲用水或果汁, 由于機體不會分散過多的精力用來消化, 治療感染的效果就會提高。熱敷與冷敷都可以緩解癥狀。大蒜和松果菊屬植物都是既抗病毒又抗細菌, 甘草也具有極佳的增強免疫的功能。研究表明用抗生素治療中耳炎可以導致更多、更頻繁的耳部疾病。除急性中耳炎之外, 治療耳部炎癥的最佳選擇往往是干脆不用抗生素。在看過醫生后, 應讓孩子的免疫系統自己戰勝感染, 同時盡可能地幫他緩解病痛。除了使用止痛劑和減充血劑, 淋巴排毒按摩、冷敷和熱敷都有鎮痛功能。

鼻竇炎

是否需要抗生素治療取決于炎癥的輕重。如果不需要, 可以嘗試短期的禁食和霧化療法。采取霧化療法時需要在熱水中加入幾滴茶樹油。如果需要服用抗生素的話, 同時服用一些益生菌制品。

胃潰瘍

有70%以上的十二指腸潰瘍和胃潰瘍是由幽門螺桿菌引起的。標準的療法是使用抗生素，但令人擔憂的是許多病人體內的幽門螺桿菌已經對抗生素產生了抗藥性。

人們已嘗試了所有可能的替代性治療方法，但迄今為止最見效的是一種名叫乳香的古希臘藥物。它是希臘野生的乳香黃連木的汁液中所產的天然膠狀物。古希臘人就嚼食它來治療胃潰瘍。最近的研究表明，潰瘍病人在堅持每天服用一至兩克乳香，持續幾周之后，有3/4的潰瘍患者可以愈合，幽門螺桿菌也完全喪失活力，甚至對那些對抗生素有抗藥性的細菌也有效。

膀胱感染

越橘濃縮物是治療膀胱炎等疾病的一種靈丹妙藥。它雖然不能殺菌，但可以阻止細菌聚積在膀胱壁上。如果你大量飲水，就可以將其排出體外。　

傷口感染

目前人們有關蜂蜜甚至糖對感染傷口的抗真菌、抗細菌功效進行了大量研究。兩者都有很好的療效，醫院也經常使用。

糖具有抗菌作用。它可以貯存100年而不發生任何霉變。如果用糖或蜂蜜來敷傷口，要把它灑在傷處，用繃帶覆蓋并需每日更換。