ANTI-MICROBIAL SILVER A TREATMENT FOR ACNE

Article below is from the Daily Mail and I'm happy to publicise anything that improves the skin of Acne sufferers

 

Woman with such severe acne strangers asked if she'd been in an accident finally has clear skin - and now hopes to find love

• Keeve Angline, 27, developed severe acne at the age of 24

• She felt like a 'monster' and spent 2 hours putting on make-up before work 

• Too insecure to speak to men, she has never had a boyfriend

• One man she tried to chat to asked if she had been in an accident

• Despite trying antibiotics and other medications, nothing cleared her skin

• Her mother stumbled across a silver-containing cream and sent it to her

• She claims this miraculously cleared her skin in a matter of months 

A young woman has spoken of the horror of suffering acne so severe she felt like a 'monster'.

Keeve Angline, 27, from Dublin, felt so unattractive she was too terrified to speak to men, let alone go on a date.

The only time ever she plucked up the courage to talk to a man, he mistakenly asked if she had been in an accident, leaving her in tears.

'The night before, in a fit of anger that my acne would not go no matter what I did, I had scrubbed my face viciously with one of those cleansing mitts ,' she told MailOnline.

'The scrubbing meant I had removed several top layers of skin and the next day my skin looked burned with infected acne on top.' 

Scroll down for video 

Keeve Angline, 27, developed severe acne at age 24, which left her feeling like a 'monster' and too shy to talk to men, let alone go on a date. She would wake up two hours early every day in order to put on make up and pluck up the courage to go to work. She would go to the gym at 2am in case anyone saw her bare faced

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After discovering a cream made of anti-microbial silver, which acts as an anti-bacterial agent, Miss Angline claims her skin cleared up dramatically. This has changed her life and given her more confidence, she says 

For years, she tried different medications and antibiotics, which left her skin dry, flaky and sensitive to sunburn.

Desperately unhappy, once she tried to scrub off her acne with a wire exfoliating mitt and ended up removing half the skin on the side of her face.

She had also tried traditional methods of clearing her skin, such as going on the Pill, or taking antibiotics.

But, despite years of medication, nothing had worked.

The antibiotics left her feeling ill and one of the topical treatments, benzoyle peroxide left her skin hypersensitive to sunlight.

After reaching the point of despair, her mother saw an advert for silver serum, a cream containing the anti-bacterial agent anti-microbial silver.

Dubious at first, within a few months of applying the cream her skin had cleared, and she is now confident enough to go to the pub with friends – some of whom are male – after work.

While she still feels nervous around men, she now feels confident enough to approach and talk to them, and hopes to find love.

Miss Angline, who works as a make-up artist, told MailOnline: 'Since becoming an adult I have never had a relationship.

'The problem was when I began working my acne got even worse. It was probably the stress but by the time I was 24 my acne was horrific.

'As a result, my confidence about dating men completely disappeared.

'I became too insecure to even get beyond that initial conversation with a man.

Now she is able to wear make up without being in pain, and even goes to the pub with friends after work on a Friday nigh

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Despite trying years of treatments including the contraceptive pill and oral and topical antibiotics, nothing had worked to clear Miss Angline's skin (left). She had reached the point of despair when she discovered the Silver Serum cream that worked (right)

What is the best skin care regimen to prevent acne

'I found it too painful to try and start the whole process of going on a date, I was too worried that he'd be looking at my skin.

'When I looked in the mirror at myself all I saw was a monster, I assumed men saw the same thing.'

Her friends would point out men who were approaching, but she would stare at the ground, too nervous to talk to them.

'I always thought to myself that there were so many beautiful women around with perfect skin, why would any guy ever want to talk to me?' she said.

And the few experiences she had of trying to talk to men did not go well.

'Earlier this year I plucked up the courage to try and get chatting to a guy at work.

I was so desperate, I tried to scrub off my acne with a wire exfoliating mitt and ended up removing half the skin on my face

'We chatted for about ten minutes and it was going well and then he asked me if I had been in an accident as he said my face was all swollen and raw on one side.

'I hadn't been in an accident of course, it was my acne. I was so mortified that I made an excuse to leave work and went home and cried.'

It wasn't only her love life that was affected by her skin.

She couldn't go to the gym during normal hours for fear of her make up running off.

She went at strange times like 2am in the morning so there was no-one there to see her bare face.

Last summer she was going to a festival with friends where they planned on camping for three days.

Before they left, her friends excitedly mentioned they knew some guys who they might be meeting to camp with.

But this caused Miss Angline to panic.

'As soon as they mentioned this, I freaked out,' she said. 

Miss Angline's skin was once so bad she cancelled a holiday to Berlin as she couldn't face the trip. She also paid for a hotel while her friends camped at a festival, as she was terrified of waking up without make up on and boys seeing her face

'The thought of guys seeing me without make up scared me so much that I ended up forking out and stayed in a hotel.

'My friends camped and had a wonderful time, and each day, I made the long trek back and forth to the hotel. It cost me a fortune in taxis - and everyone just thought I was weird.'

Another time, she even cancelled a holiday to Berlin that she had already paid for.

'My skin was so bad I just couldn't face the trip,' she said.

If she went on holiday with friends, she would sit under a blanked for fear of getting burnt.

'One time on St Patricks Day in 2012 I went out in the sun for half an hour and when I got home my skin was blistered due to the sun burn,' she recalls.

'Even water burned my face it was so sensitive and sore.

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Now her skin is clear, Miss Angline has tried surfing, something she always wanted to do but couldn't before as the sea would have washed away her make up.

'I also couldn't wear contact lenses, my lips were constantly chapped. Acne isn't just skin deep. It affects you at every level, inside and out.'

Wearing make-up was agony, as her skin was so sensitive, but she didn't feel confident enough to leave the house without it, waking up two hours early every day to slather it on.

'I simply learnt to bear the pain,' she said.

'As a makeup artist I specialise in covering up people's flaws but no matter how much make up I put on myself I always see my flaws poking through.'

I also couldn't wear contact lenses, my lips were constantly chapped. Acne isn't just skin deep. It affects you at every level, inside and out

The crunch point came when her dermatologist suggested she tried RoAccutane, a treatment for severe acne that is highly effective but has been linked with a number of side-effects, including mental health issues.

She said: 'I had been prescribed so many pills and drugs over the years that this was the final straw. 

'I knew the effects of RoAccutane and I was shocked that I was being recommended to take it, especially as my self-esteem was already very low.

'Instead of feeling helpless I suddenly felt angry that I was being fobbed off with stronger and stronger medications.' 

'I took the very hard decision to stop seeing my dermatologist and decided to begin finding my own solution to beating my acne.' 

However, as soon as she stopped taking the medication her skin broke out in the worst acne flare up she had ever experienced. 

She took a holiday from work, stopped putting products oN her skin and stayed in her house researching acne on the internet. 

For a week, she didn't see friends or leave the house. 

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While she is still single, she doesn't feel like a monster anymore, and is building up her confidence, hoping to start dating and eventually have a boyfriend. She is pictured (left and right) after her skin cleared

'I was in complete despair and I didn't know how I was going to face the world,' she said. 

Just as she began to wonder how she would cope, her mother called and said she'd seen an article on a product called Silver Serum. 

Silver Serum contains anti-microbial silver, an anti-bacterial agent used in the NHS in medical dressings to treat infected skin ulcers.

Its manufacturers claim it works on acne by destroying bad skin bacteria that causes acne - while crucially preserving good skin bacteria that helps keep skin strong and fights infection. 

Worried about her daughter, Miss Angline's mother had already ordered it and it arrived the next day. 

She claims her skin felt calmer initially, and the product didn't sting her skin as others did. After a month of using the product, her spots began to clear. 

She said: 'The deep cysts that never cleared up started receding. 

'I was able to return to work after a week and face people as my skin had improved enough for me to feel just about confident enough to leave the house.

'I was also able to wear makeup without it stinging if I put the Silver Serum on first. 

'Within two months my skin was completely clear. 

She says her skin becoming clear has changed her life.

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Silver Serum contains anti-microbial silver, an anti-bacterial agent used in the NHS in medical dressings to treat infected skin ulcers. Its manufacturers claim it works on acne by destroying bad skin bacteria that causes acne - while crucially preserving good skin bacteria. Miss Angline is pictured after using the cream

She said: 'I can now go to the gym in normal hours, instead of at weird early hours of the morning.

'I don't have to wake up two hours in advance to make up my face and coach myself to pluck up the courage to leave for work in the morning.

'I never used to swim in the sea or in the pool on summer holidays as I was so worried about my makeup coming off 

'Since my skin has cleared I recently started surfing lesson as I have always wanted to learn how to surf.' 

While she is still single, she doesn't feel like a monster anymore, and is building up her confidence, hoping to start dating and eventually have a boyfriend. 

She said: 'I now actually go to pub on a Friday night with friends (some of them men) from work. I would never have done that six months ago. 

'I now speak to guys and I've even managed to flirt a bit. 

'Its early days but I feel confident that I'll meet someone soon. 

'I'm planning to go all the parties this year. I have my fingers crossed that maybe I'll meet someone.'

WHAT IS ANTI-MICROBIAL SILVER AND HOW DOES IT HELP ACNE? 

Silver is a well known anti-bacterial agent

Silver Serum contains anti-microbial silver, a well known anti-bacterial agent.

Silver is used in by the NHS in some medical dressing for treating infected skin ulcers. 

It is also used by NASA for keeping water supplies for crew members free from bacteria while in space.

Manufacturers claim Silver Serum works on acne by destroying ‘bad’ acne-causing bacteria.

However it also preserves ‘good’ skin bacteria that helps keep skin strong and fights infection, they say.

Normal anti-bacterial agents for acne penetrate all levels of the epidermis killing all skin bacteria, both good and bad.

This is much in the same way that antibiotics kill all bacteria in the body, both good and bad.

This leaves the skin stripped of all protection and makes it much more vulnerable to future infections, according to Silver Serum's manufacturers.

It is claimed the anti-microbial silver in the product kills the ‘bad’ bacteria that enters the skin via the open skin pore immediately.

The the good skin bacteria breeding at the base of the hair shaft remains intact and multiplies, making the skin stronger and better prepared to fight off infection on the next acne outbreak, they say.

For more information visit the Skin Shop website. 

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IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A BROKEN HEART?

The answer; yes indeed there is. A broken heart causes real pain, not just mental and emotional pain but it manifests in physical pain too as the article from the Daily Mail below explains. We are holistic beings our spirit, our emotions and our physical well being are intertwined. Believe me I understand I've been there the pain isn't just like a physical pain for I wish it was as that is easier to deal with and most people understand and can sympathise with physical pain not everyone understands nor sympathises with emotional pain as I'm sure those of you who have felt this know. Because we are holistic beings emotional pain if not dealt with can manifest in physical ailments. I have written many times on this site how stress manifests in physical ailments. I have a well tested exercise (below the Daily Mail article) that will help heal a broken heart but the pain won't disappear overnight but practising this exercise regularly will help you cope and lessen the pain, it really does help. You won't forget the memories and pain, I'd be lying if I said you will, but you'll realise life goes on and life is worth living and your broken heart will heal albeit it may have a scar. All life's experiences teach us something and serve a purpose, those experiences teach us understanding, empathy and compassion so those of you who have been there can in turn help others hearts heal. There will come a time when your heart will laugh again.

 

The PHYSICAL pain of breaking up: From chest pain to drug-like withdrawal symptoms, we reveal the real effects of heartache

• Emotional pain activates the same pathways in the brain as physical pain, so rejection really does hurt and people often feel a pain in their chest
• Studies show withdrawal symptoms for an ex are like cravings for cocaine
• During a break up, stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released
• These have damaging affects on the body, from the skin to the muscles 
• The lovesick also may switch healthy behaviours for more unhealthy ones

You feel miserable, you don't eat and you can't sleep.

But a break up also affects the body in other ways.

Doctors agree the stress hormones released after a split wreak havoc on the body and damage health.

From bad skin and weight gain to digestive problems and heart attacks, we reveal how a break up affects the body...

From bad skin to weight gain and heart attacks , we reveal how a break up affects the body...

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

They say love is a drug, and it turns out people do suffer withdrawal symptoms from their partner after splitting up, similar to the cravings drug addicts experience for cocaine.

The anguish experienced during a split activates the same part of the brain that is stimulated during addiction, according a Stony Brook University.

Analysing brain scans of the broken-hearted, they found similarities between romantic rejection and cocaine craving.

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND DIFFICULTY SLEEPING 

After a break up, people are at risk of suffering depression and anxiety, conditions which can bring on insomnia, and are also in turn made worse by a lack of sleep.

Psychologist Dr Susan Quilliam says the anguish of a break up brings back deep-seated memories about being abandoned as a child that everyone holds – even without knowing it.

She told MailOnline: ‘Human babies cannot survive on their own. They might die of lack of warmth or food.

‘A human is programmed to need human contact, and to be affected when human contact is withdrawn.

‘We are programmed to suffer when we are abandoned, so we don’t lose our mothers, so we are cared for.’

‘But at some point everyone in childhood thinks "oh my god I’m alone I’m going to die".

‘So a break up revokes those emotions and makes us feel insecure, angry and sad.’

The anguish of a break up activates the same part of the brain that is stimulated during cocaine addiction, a Stony Brook University found. Pictures are scans of brains on cocaine (file photo)

People go through a similar bereavement process during a break up as when someone has died, she added.

‘They go through the bereavement cycle, typically shock, denial, grief, anger, blame, self-blame helplessness, fear of the future, depression and then acceptance,' she told MailOnline.

‘If people feel abandoned but don’t feel anger, they come depressed, they lose confidence in their ability to have a relationship in the future. 

They (couple) go through the bereavement cycle, typically shock, denial, grief, anger, blame, self-blame, helplessness, fear of the future, depression and then acceptance 

 Psychologist Dr Susan Quilliam

‘They become anxious, they may relive conversations and the break up in their minds. They may not sleep, which makes anxiety and depression worse.’

Remembering the reasons for the break-up, and trying to remember why it is a good idea can help prevent sinking into depression, she said.

‘Particularly if a break up is wise, and you know it happened for a reason, you can come out a lot wiser. It can leave people stronger.

‘It can be the kick up the bum that leads you to learn how to love.’

And remembering an old Japanese saying is particularly helpful, she said.

‘They say the Japanese Kitsuki bowl is the most beautiful bowl. But if it is broken and melded with gold it is even more beautiful.'

Just as a person can be more beautiful if they have suffered a break up and have had to put themselves back together again, she added.

CHEST PAIN

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Cardiologists advise a fortnight after a break up or a divorce, there is a high risk someone will suffer a heart attack, as the body is flooded with stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline

Intense emotional pain can activate the same networks of nerves as physical pain, according to Colombia University psychologists.

So being rejected or grieving over a lost love can actually really hurt, and feel a bit like being punched.

Researcher Edward Smith took MRI scans of participants’ brains and then asked them to look at pictures of old flames.

He found an overlap between the pathways for emotional and physical pain.

Rejection stimulated the same nerve signals that cause pain when a person spills tea on themselves or stubs their toe, he said.

HEART ATTACK

After a break up or a divorce, the body is flooded with stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

This leads to the heart beating faster and triggers abnormal heart rhythms.

Dr Graham Jackson, a retired cardiologist and now chairman of the Sexual Advice Association said he often saw people dying of a heart attack within the first fortnight after a break up.

He told MailOnline: ‘It seems to happen the next day after the break up – up to one to two weeks ‘

‘People start worrying, the adrenaline levels go up, the body goes into "fight or flight mode" and the stress can cause sudden heart attack and death.

‘They go pale, the heart starts beating too fast. When it does that, you have a narrowing in the arteries which is not normally significant, but it comes significant, when stressed.

‘Even if you don’t have a heart attack this can cause irregular heartbeat and rapid heart beat.

‘People who have this kind of stress, it’s like putting your heart on cocaine. Stress can even bring on the symptoms of a heart attack even if the arteries aren’t blocked.'

Women tend to die suddenly in the short term after a break up, but more men die of heart attacks in the long run.

Dr Jackson said men whose lives leave them tend to fare badly, he said.

‘They don’t look after themselves, they don’t eat well, they don’t exercise, they don’t go to the doctor. So they die,’ he explained.

Skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, alopecia and acne deteriorate after a break up, due to a cocktail of hormones surging through the body

BAD SKIN

The stress hormones released after a break up can aggravate the skin.

Dr Daron Seukerman, a consultant dermatologist at SK:N clinic, Harley street, London, told MailOnline: ‘A break up is naturally one of the biggest things that can happen in a person’s life, comparable to bereavement.

‘A cocktail of stress hormones flood the body and can damage health in all sorts of ways.

‘Every dermatologist is aware that where a patient is going through a break up certain conditions can deteriorate.’

He said a mixture of studies and anecdotal evidence shows stress and depression is linked with a deterioration of psoriasis, eczema, alopecia and even acne.

Not only do stress hormones trigger changes in skin, people might become distracted after a break up and let their treatment regime slide.

‘One of the things that can happen is patients might have a daily regiment of treatment for their skin problem- moisturisers and so on,’ he said.

‘But because they’re stressed and it’s not their priority, they let it slide and skin gets worse.’

However, he did have some good news for those prone to comfort eat after the loss of romance.

‘There’s no evidence eating more chocolate would give you more acne,’ he said.

DIFFICULTY WALKING

People who have gone through a divorce are 23 per cent more likely to suffer from mobility issues such as difficulty climbing stairs or walking short distances, according to a University of Texas study.

Sammy Margo, a chartered physiotherapist said people come in with a painful area of the body, and it turns out that they haven’t been in an accident, but have experienced their relationship break down.

She told MailOnline: ‘We don’t treat people for overdoing it or lifting heavy weights. We now treat people for sitting at desks for long hours, and stress.

‘If I talk to someone with a neck problem, usually they haven’t done anything mechanical to set the problem off.

‘But it comes up in conversation that they’ve had a break up or a divorce. The stress causes muscle spasms and tightness.

‘If this happens over the part of a body that is already weak, muscles shorten, tighten and this causes pain.

‘And it’s no less of a pain, you’d get a similar tightness in the shoulder from whiplash as from break up pain.’

People who are stressed are also more vulnerable to injury.

‘You’re more likely to crash your car or trip up,’ she added. 

LOSS OF APPETITE, WEIGHT GAIN AND DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

Stressed people lose sleep, do less exercise, and drink more alcohol, all of which can lead to them piling on the pounds

People are often too lovesick to eat in the first few weeks after a break up. 

This is because when stressed, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus produces a hormone which suppresses appetite, according to Harvard Medical School scientists.

The brain also sends messages to adrenal glands on the kidneys to pump out adrenaline, which triggers the body’s fight or flight response, which puts eating on hold.

But in the long term, Yale scientists discovered stress causes weight gain, especially around the middle.

It makes the cells less sensitive to the hormone insulin, and so the body produces more insulin in response.

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Emotional tears are more watery and less salty than 'everyday' basal tears causing eyes to look puffy

But insulin turns sugar into fat, increasing the rate at which fat is stored in the body and leading to weight gain. 

It also causes the body to crave sugar and fat, which leads to mindless eating.  

Stressed people also lose sleep, do less exercise, and drink more alcohol, all of which can lead to them piling on the pounds.

Stress also diverts blood away from the digestive system, which can lead to stomach pain, diarrhoea and constipation.

PUFFY EYES

Scientists have discovered that we shed different 'types' of tears.

Basal tears are released to keep the eyes moist, and reflex tears are released in response to irritants, such as when a person chops onions.

Tears associated with emotional crying are called 'psychic' tears and are produced by the lachrymal gland, located in the upper corner of the eyelids.

They are more watery and less salty than 'basal' and 'reflex' tears. 

Emotional tears overflow, spill down the cheeks (often leaving trails of mascara) and drain through tiny ducts in the back of the nose.

So because of the process of osmosis, the water moves into the saltier tissues of the eyes, which makes them swell up and look puffy.

Lots of rubbing with tissues can also make them red and sore.

 ___________________________________________________________

CUTTING TIES RITUAL

If you have ever experienced a broken relationship you will understand when I say it feels as if part of you is missing, this is because in effect is what has happened. When you have deep feelings for someone your auric field reaches out to that other person like a tentacle to be with them. People who are deeply in love will often say that their loved one is with them. However when that relationship breaks up suddenly it does literally, create this sensation that part of you is missing.
This is not the same as when a relationship ends due to the other person passing over in death so do not try this ritual to get over a bereavement. Grieving is a natural process.

CUTTING TIES RITUAL WHEN A RELATIONSHIP HAS ENDED


There are several rituals this is the one I have used and recommend.
It is done through visualisation and can be performed as much as necessary in the passing of time, you will find you wont feel you have the need to do it.

Visualise you are standing opposite the one you wish to cut ties with and visualise a ribbon of each associated colour with each chakra for example red for base, orange for sacral, yellow for solar plexus, green or pink for the heart, blue for throat, indigo for third eye and purple for crown. These coloured ribbons join each of you together.

As you face one another smile and send love. at the same time visualise a pink cloud surrounding both you feet, pink is associated with love.

Now visualise a pair of ornate golden scissors cutting each ribbon in turn starting at the base chakra, as you cut each ribbon each end curls back to each person and at the same time the pink cloud rises up to obscure the other.

All the time smiling and sending them love to see them on their way. Gradually as you cut you will obscure the person you are cutting ties with and with the final tie complete you have sent them away with love to live their own life and yours.

You will have to do this a few times and every time you think of them do this visualisation, You will notice as time passes you wont think of them so much and you will be able to do the ritual quicker and easier and it will no longer hurt if your thoughts do turn to the person you are cutting ties with.
Do not do this ritual after a bereavement or when you are in an actual relationship with someone. It should only be used when the relationship is over and no longer serves a purpose. To allow you both to move on, one neither hating the other, that is why you smile and send love as you send them on their way.

Astrid Brown (Author)

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COULD DEPRESSION BE PREVENTED?

I came across this interesting article today and certainly there are many similarities such as the lethargy. Depression however it's caused still has a physical affect on the body be it the changes in the brain's neurotransmitters or the extreme lethargy so it's much more than an an emotional disease. I hope there will be more research on this theory.

ARTICLE BELOW IS FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Could depression be an INFECTIOUS DISEASE? Condition is caused by parasites, bacteria or virus and could be prevented with a jab, expert claims

• Dr. Turhan Canli is a professor from Stony Brook University, in the U.S. 
• Argues depression should be re-conceptualised as an infectious disease
• Condition is caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses, he claims
• People with depression show sickness like those suffering infection
• If his theory is true, a vaccination against depression could be possible

Depression should be re-defined as an infectious disease rather than an emotional disorder, argues one scientist.

The condition could result from a parasitic, bacterial or viral infection and future research into the condition should search for these micro-organisms, argues Dr. Turhan Canli, of Stony Brook University, U.S. 

If his theory is true, he hopes a vaccination to protect against depression could be developed in future.

Writing in the journal Biology of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Dr Canli said: 'It is time for an entirely different approach.

Depression should be re-conceptualised as an infectious disease caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses, argues Dr Turhan Canli, a professor at Stony Brook University, U.S.

'Instead of conceptualising major depression as an emotional disorder, I suggest to re-conceptualise it as some form of an infectious disease.

'I propose that future research should conduct a concerted search for parasites, bacteria, or viruses that may play a causal role in the etiology of major depression.'

He divides his theory into three arguments.

He said patients with depression exhibit sickness-like behaviours.

They lose their energy, have difficulty getting out of bed and lose interest in the world around them, displaying the same symptoms as people who have an infectious disease.

Studies of the patients with depression also show the presence of inflammatory markers in their brains, he said.

These inflammatory markers might indicate the immune system has been activated in response to some kind of pathogen, which could be a parasite, bacterium or virus - this being what is causing the symptoms of depression, he argued.

HIGH-FLYING WOMEN 'FACE DEPRESSION', STUDY FINDS

Women in positions of power at work are at risk of poorer mental health than women further down the career ladder, a study has found.

Researchers found that while men tend to feel better the more authority they have, the reverse is often true for women.

‘Women with job authority – the ability to hire, fire and influence pay – have significantly more symptoms of depression than women without this power,’ said Tetyana Pudrovska, of the University of Texas, who carried out the study.2

‘In contrast, men with job authority have fewer symptoms of depression than men without such power.

‘What’s striking is that women with job authority in our study are advantaged in terms of most characteristics that are strong predictors of positive mental health,’ she added.

‘These women have more education, higher incomes, more prestigious occupations, and higher levels of job satisfaction and autonomy than women without job authority.

‘Yet they have worse mental health than lower-status women.’

His second argument is that there are examples of parasites, bacteria or viruses affecting emotional behaviour throughout nature.

The best known example is Toxomaplasma gondii (T.gondii), a parasite which lives in the intestinal tract of a cat.

There, it lays eggs which are dispersed into the environment when the cat excretes.

When a rat comes in contact with these eggs and becomes infected, it becomes attracted to the scent of cat urine.

The rat’s behaviour is through parasitic cysts being deposited across its brain, activating the same pathways involved in sexual arousal.

He says one third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with T.gondii. The infection is associated with markers of inflammation, as observed in depressed patients.

Of patients with a diagnosed major depression or bipolar disorder, those with a history of attempting suicide had higher levels of antibodies created to fight T.gondii bacteria.

‘Yet, large-scale studies of major depression and T. gondii or systematic searches to discover other potential parasitic infections have not yet been conducted,’ Dr Canli argued in his paper.

Similarly, he cites a number of studies in which rodents’ emotional behaviour changes when they are exposed to bacteria.

Large studies looking at associations between viruses and depressions exist already too, he said.

He cites an analysis of 28 studies, which found a link between viruses and depression. These included the Borna disease virus (BDV), the herpes virus responsible for cold sores, varicella zoster virus, which causes chicken pox and and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever.

One study found BVD virus was 3.25 more likely to be found in depressed people than in non-depressed people, he said. Another found BVD in the brain’s of two out of 30 depressed patients.

His final argument is that re-conceptualising depression as an infectious disease is useful when thinking about the genetics of the disease.

If his theory is true, he hopes a a vaccination to protect against depression could be developed in future

The search for specific genes linked to depression has come up empty, he said, adding: ‘Perhaps, we have been looking at the wrong organism.’

While studies have looked for internal changes in human genes, which might explain depression, 8 per cent of the human genome is based on external changes, such as from viruses.

Bacteria, viruses and parasistes could transfer genes into our cells, leading to changes in our genetic structure.

They could also be passed during birth or through contact between parents and their children, he said.

He concluded that large scale studies involving patients with depression and people without the condition should be carried out to see if parasites, viruses or bacteria could be the cause.

He added: ‘Such efforts, if successful, would represent the ‘end of the beginning’ , as any such discovery would represent the first step toward developing a vaccination for major depression.’ 

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HOPEFULLY A NEW GENERATION OF ANTIBIOTICS

I am glad to see this development as there has been no significantly new antibiotics for sometime. Over prescribing of antibiotics is something that really annoys me, it's all too easy to blame doctors but its the public who are at fault and its the public who have created the super bugs such as MRSA, through their ignorance, though there's been plenty of attempts to educate them on the use of antibiotics. Many countries sell antibiotics over the counter without a doctors prescription, this is wrong as taking antibiotics for relatively minor conditions leads to the bacteria developing resistance to the antibiotic. If you are ill enough to feel you need antibiotic please see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. Even ointments containing antibiotics, however how much are still antibiotics at the end of the day and the body does have the capacity to deal with minor infections, if the condition continues to worsen please see a doctor. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses or fungal conditions, so going to the doctor when you have a cold and asking for antibiotics is pointless. Doctors I have to say are now aware of this more. And one of the worse culprits for leading to resistance is failing to finish the course prescribed, this leads to the bacteria developing immunity to the antibiotic, so if you are prescribed an antibiotic finish the entire course even if you are feeling much better. When I was a young nurse I was trained to gown up i.e. to wear gloves, a mask and a protective gown when administering antibiotic injections, this was to prevent us becoming sensitive to the antibiotic, this no longer is the case, for the less we are exposed to antibiotics the less we are likely to develop allergies and for bacteria to become resistant. I hope in the future people will become aware to how valuable and wonderful antibiotics are and not take them for granted and listen to medical advice.

ARTICLE BELOW FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Could HORSE MANURE develop a new generation of antibiotics? Mushrooms on dung could be effective at killing bacteria

• Substance, known as copsin, can be found on the gray shag mushroom
• Scientists say that copsin has the same effect as traditional antibiotics
• It belongs to a different type of biochemical family because it is a protein
• As well as antibiotics, it may also be possible to use copsin in the food industry to tackle pathogens such as Listeria

Scientists claim the rise of untreatable bacteria is one of the biggest health threats facing the world.

To prevent minor infections killing people globally, researchers are in a race against time to develop new and better types of antibiotics.

Now scientists in Switzerland believe they have found one solution to the problem in an unlikely place: the gray shag mushroom that grows on horse dung.

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ARE WE FINALLY WINNING THE WAR AGAINST SUPERBUGS?

Scientists in Switzerland believe they have found a substance that can lead to a new type of antibiotic in an unlikely place: the gray shag mushroom (pictured) 

The substance, known as copsin, has the same effect as traditional antibiotics, but belongs to a different type of biochemical family because it is a protein.

The researchers led by Markus Aebi, a mycology professor at ETH Zurich, discovered the substance in the common inky cap mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea.

Copsin belongs to the group of defensins, a class of small proteins produced by many organisms to combat microorganisms that cause disease.

The human body also produces defensins to protect itself against infections. They have been found, for example, on the skin and in the mucous membranes.

The gray shag mushroom grows on horse manure. It contains a substance known as copsin, The three-dimensional structure studied by ETH researchers shows the compact form of copsin on the left

For Professor Aebi, the main focus of this research project was not primarily on applications for the new substance.

'Whether copsin will one day be used as an antibiotic in medicine remains to be seen. This is by no means certain, but it cannot be ruled out either,' he says.

The ETH professor is now looking at how fungi have used defensins and other naturally antibiotic substances for millions of years to protect themselves against bacteria - without becoming resistant. 

Scientists have created the first viable alternative to antibiotics, marking the next step in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs

Scientists have created the first viable alternative to antibiotics, marking the next step in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs.

A small test study has found the new drug is effective at targeting the bacteria that causes MRSA.

Researchers believe the likelihood of the bug developing a resistance to the new drug is 'very limited'.

A version of the drug is already used in specialist creams to treat conditions including acne, eczema, rosacea and skin irritations.

Dutch biotech firm Micreos claims Staphefekt is the first endolysin - a bacteria-killing enzyme - available for use on human skin.

While targeting MRSA and other strains of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, the drug's make up means it leaves 'good' bacteria unharmed - important in the case of long-term use.

The firm unveiled its discovery at the EuroSciCon meeting, Antibiotics Alternatives for the New Millenium, in London last week. 

'Fungi have internal instructions on how to use these substances without resulting in selection of resistant bacteria. How to decode these instructions is an intriguing problem for basic research,' explains Professor Aebi.

In addition to being used as an antibiotic in medicine, it may also be possible to use copsin in the food industry as well.

This is because copsin kills many pathogens including Listeria, a type of bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning and is therefore feared, especially in the production of non-heat treated foodstuffs such as raw milk cheeses and dried meats.

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