(08-03-13) Perspiration contains natural, safe antibiotics that kill dangerous germs, even TB, staph

by Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor

(NaturalNews) Sweating is just a nasty annoyance to many modern-day people.
Sure, it keeps you from overheating during exercise or if you are exposed to
extremely hot weather. But most often, perspiration is seen as a negative body
secretion to be stopped whenever possible with chemical-laden antiperspirants.
On the positive side, many traditional cultures have used induced sweating -
such as sitting in sweat lodges - to benefit health. It's been mostly assumed
that the physical benefits from sweating are the result of toxins released in
sweat.

But now comes information on how the incredible human body uses the sweating
process to help protect health in another way. Sweat contains amazing disease
fighting chemicals. An international team of scientists has discovered how a
natural antibiotic called dermcidin, produced by our skin during perspiration
can destroy tuberculosis germs and other dangerous pathogens.

Although about 1,700 types of these natural antibiotics are known to exist,
they are rarely discussed -- and this is the first time researchers have come
up with a detailed understanding of how they work. The researchers from the
University of Edinburgh and from Goettingen, Tuebingen and Strasbourg,
uncovered the atomic structure of dermcidin, allowing them to pinpoint for the
first time what makes this natural compound so efficient in destroying disease-
causing germs.

Their new study, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, shows that sweat spreads highly efficient antibiotics onto skin to
protect our bodies from dangerous disease-causing "bugs." So if you scratch or
cut yourself or get a mosquito bite, antibiotic agents secreted in sweat
glands, including dermcidin, immediately and efficiently kill invading germs if
perspiration reaches them.

What's more, the scientists say these natural substances, known as
antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are more effective in the long-term than
traditional antibiotics. The reason? Germs are incapable of quickly developing
resistance against them. Unfortunately, germs are capable of mounting
resistance to many antibiotics created by Big Pharma and this has caused the
development of so-called superbugs.

It turns out that natural antimicrobials found in sweat can attack bacteria
through cell walls which bacteria can't modify quickly to resist attack. The
scientists were able to determine dermcidin can adapt to extremely variable
types of membranes, too. That's probably the reason why dermcidin is such an
efficient broad-spectrum antibiotic. Research has shown the compound is active
against many well-known, potentially dangerous pathogens including
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus.

"Antibiotics are not only available on prescription. Our own bodies produce
efficient substances to fend off bacteria, fungi and viruses," Dr. Ulrich
Zachariae of the University of Edinburgh's School of Physics, who took part in
the study, said in a press statement.

Finding a substance that is effective against superbug strains of
Staphylococcus aureus, is especially important because these antibiotic-
resistant staph infections are an increasing danger for hospital patients.
Staphylococcus aureus infections can cause life-threatening diseases such as
sepsis (blood infection) and pneumonia.

The international team of scientists suggests their work will help Big Pharma
come up with a new class of antibiotics that can kill superbugs. However, for
those interested in natural health, the take away message could well be to
appreciate perspiration as a natural health-enhancing, disease fighting process
that could actually help you avoid serious infections in the first place.


Sources:

http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2013/210213-antibiotics
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/superbugs.html

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In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.