(NaturalHealth365)  Which is more shocking, the revelation that a popular class of antibiotics has been linked to life-threatening complications or the fact that drug companies knew about these risks but covered them up for decades?  Unfortunately, when corporate profits are at stake, neither reality comes as a big surprise.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are routinely prescribed to millions of Americans every year to treat various conditions, from urinary tract infections to respiratory illnesses like bronchitis.  With such broad use, fluoroquinolone equates to billions in profits for pharmaceutical companies.  But scientific studies now link these drugs to serious, permanent side effects – and worse yet, there is strong evidence drug companies knew about these complications yet swept them under the rug to protect their revenue.

Antibiotics linked to stroke, heart attack, and permanent nerve damage

One of the many medical studies linking these drugs to potentially fatal complications was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.  It shows that the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics can lead to serious medical complications involving the heart that can lead to potentially fatal or debilitating conditions of heart attack, stroke, and paralysis.

For example, commonly prescribed antibiotics, like Cipro, Levaquin, and Avelox, are associated with aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm.  These drug side effects involving the heart can be deadly.  They occur when the main artery exiting the heart weakens, ballooning out, a medical situation known as aortic aneurysm that can often result in it bursting or tearing apart, a condition known as aortic dissection.

Once the artery bursts, there is only a 50 percent chance of survival.  Treatment is expensive and not without its own risks.  Researchers found that taking a fluoroquinolone antibiotic doubles the risk of experiencing one of these rare events.

Drug company cover-up exposed in court

In addition to complications that can lead to heart attack or stroke, the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics has now been linked to permanent nerve damage or peripheral neuropathy.  Victims of nerve damage traced to these antibiotics brought lawsuits against drug manufacturers.  It was revealed in court that some of these pharmaceutical companies knew about the risk of irreversible nerve damage as far back as 1996 but chose not to reveal their findings.

It wasn’t until 2013 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required warnings to be placed on these drugs, cautioning physicians about the potential for permanent nerve damage in patients.  These drugs have also been associated with problems of tendon rupture and retinal detachment.

For many, the FDA warning was too little, too late.  They have already suffered serious and lasting nerve damage.  Add to that the additional risk of heart attack, stroke, and paralysis – risks the FDA has continued to stay silent on – and there are potentially millions of patients still unknowingly exposed to life-threatening drug side effects through commonly prescribed antibiotics.

Nature’s antibiotics: A safer alternative?

Antibiotics come with some truly alarming risks.  No wonder people are turning back to nature’s medicine cabinet for solutions.

Ancient cultures knew what they were doing.  Before pharmaceutical giants existed, they relied on natural remedies with powerful antimicrobial properties.  Many still work amazingly well today.

For instance, raw honey isn’t just delicious – it’s medicinal.  It contains hydrogen peroxide and other compounds that kill bacteria.  Look at Manuka honey – it can fight MRSA infections when prescription drugs fail.

Garlic is another powerhouse.  That pungent compound allicin fights bacteria, viruses, and fungi.  Our grandparents swore by it, and research backs this up  – it works as well as some conventional antibiotics without destroying your gut flora or tendons.

Oil of oregano packs a serious punch, too.  Its main compounds, carvacrol, and thymol, kill a variety of pathogens.

To be fair, antibiotics can serve a purpose when you’re facing a severe infection.  However, these natural options provide effective support for everyday health challenges without the fine-print warnings and side effects that pharmaceutical ads mumble through at the end of T.V. commercials.

Editor’s note: Discover the best ways to naturally improve your immune system, own the Immune Defense Summit created by NaturalHealth365 Programs.

Sources for this article include:

NIH.gov
NIH.gov
Drugwatch.com