The Aesthetics Advisor

As the name implies, antibiotics help fight bacterial infections. They have no effect on infections caused by viruses, such as the common cold, seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and some ear infections. Antibiotic drugs are routinely overused, both in human medicine and agriculture, resulting in the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant infections. Taking an antibiotic unnecessarily will also kill off your beneficial gut bacteria, which could make it more difficult for you to recover from your illness. The good news is there are many natural plant-based remedies that will help kill bacteria without the risk of building resistance. Here’s a review of 10 natural antimicrobials you can reach for as a first line of defense, before resorting to a pharmaceutical antibiotic. 1. Medicinal Honey As long as you use the right kind of honey, science backs its use for a variety of bacterial infections, especially when used topically. As explained in the 2011 paper, “Honey: Its Medicinal Property and A...

Remarkable as it may seem, food fraud is a huge business and a rampant problem. Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Larry Olmsted revealed many of the food fraud tricks in his 2016 book, "Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don’t Know What You’re Eating and What You Can Do About It." (1,2) For example, tests have revealed anywhere from 60% to 90%3 of the olive oils you find in grocery stores and restaurants are adulterated with cheap, linoleic acid -rich seed oils that are pernicious to health in several ways.  Most Honey on the Market Is Not Real Honey Another food that is frequently adulterated is honey. Tests have revealed 50% to 70% of all U.S. honey is fake or adulterated, 4 , 5  and according to a comprehensive review of fake foods published in the Journal of Food Science, 6  honey is the third most-faked food in the world. As reported by Better Homes & Gardens, October 2, 2023: 7 "You probably weren't aware that much of the honey found on...