GBS and Alternative Remedies and Treatments
About three months ago Marti from Group B Strep International asked if I would be interested in writing up something about all the various “alternative remedies” and “alternative treatments” for GBS and how effective they were.
I said “sure!” And here it is, 3 months later (also available as a 1-page word doc):
Group B Strep and Alternative Remedies
The CDC has a clear protocol for treating GBS in pregnancy; test every pregnant woman for the presence of the bacterium at 35-37 weeks and if found administer an antibiotic IV when water breaks or labor begins.
This is the only treatment that the CDC has found to be effective against GBS, but it works very well. There are two reasons why.
1. Group B Strep Comes Back
GBS is everywhere in our environment. Until a GBS vaccine is developed, it is impossible to eradicate it permanently. GBS colonization will often return to a healthy woman within just hours of using antibiotics.
2. Group B Strep Is Weak
GBS is not a particularly “strong” bacteria. Although many people are colonized, only those with very weak immune systems actually get infected.
This is why the only effective technique against early-onset GBS infection in newborns is an intrapartum antibiotic IV. It eradicates GBS exactly when the baby is susceptible.
Alternative Remedies Target the Wrong Things
Unfortunately, all known alternative remedies fall into one of two equally ineffective strategies: they seek to eradicate GBS before labor (even if effective, GBS will likely return quickly), or they seek to strengthen the immune system of the mother (already plenty strong) or child (far too weak without the help of an injection of powerful antibiotics). Even when successful, they are ineffective.
The following alternative remedies are ineffective against GBS because they seek to eradicate GBS before labor and delivery (or because when used during labor and delivery, they have not been shown to work):
• Oral antibiotics (penicillin, ampicillin, clindamycin, etc..)
• Intramuscular antibiotics (Note: “None has proven to
be effective at preventing early-onset GBS disease.”)
• Chlorhexidine bath or wipes such as Hibiclens (Note: “Randomized clinical trials have found no protection against early-onset GBS disease or neonatal sepsis.”)
• Garlic capsules/suppositories, Boric Acid suppositories (Note: Target MRSA and yeast infections, respectively. Not GBS.)
• Douching with hydrogen peroxide/diluted bleach water/lavender oil/yogurt (Note: douching at all is dangerous.)
• Propolis (Note: Targets salmonella. Not GBS.)
• Tea Tree Oil (Note: Targets staph infections and lice. Not GBS. Very toxic if swallowed.)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (Note: Slightly dangerous, unregulated; no known antibiotic properties.)
• Colloidal Silver (Note: “Lack of proven effectiveness and risk of adverse side-effects, such as argyria.”)
The following alternative remedies are ineffective against GBS because they seek to strengthen immune systems:
• Getting lots of sleep, keeping a good diet, and exercising.
• Vitamin C and Herbal Tea
• Breast feeding (Note: Colostrum helps a baby’s immune system, but unfortunately is not nearly enough to protect a newborn against GBS.)
• Skin-to-skin contact (Note: Soothes newborns and promotes breastfeeding, but does not protect against GBS.)
• Probiotics such as acidophilus/lactobacillus (Note: Targets digestion and bacterial vaginosis, not GBS.)
• Congaplex (Note: “These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”)
• Echinacea (Note: “Has “no clinically significant effects” on rates of infection or duration or intensity of symptoms.”)
• Grapefruit Seed Extract (Note: “Independent studies have shown the efficacy of grapefruit seed extract as an antimicrobial is not demonstrated.”)
• Goldenseal Root, Oregon Grape Root, Astragalus Root, Burdock Root, and NF formula EHB (Note: You should not take any of these when pregnant!)
Another alternative some still recommend is to not test for GBS, but rather to only administer an antibiotic IV if a “high-risk” factor is present during labor. In fact, this was the CDC protocol before 2002. However, numerous studies since have shown that a much more effective protection method is to simply check for GBS directly each pregnancy. Therefore, the CDC changed their recommendation in 2002 and reiterated that recommendation in 2010.
GBS is a horrible disease that kills thousands of otherwise healthy newborns a year, and permanently disables even more. The tragedy is worsened by the fact that there is a universally available easy, cheap, and highly effective prevention method. No more babies need ever get sick or die from GBS.
(Personal note: We followed an alternative GBS regimen of acidophilus, echinacea, garlic capsules, vitamin C, grapefruit seed extract, and garlic suppositories when pregnant with our son Wren. He was 7 pounds, 20.5 inches and perfect after a normal labor and delivery at home. He breastfed then died 11 hours later from a Group B Strep infection in his lungs.)
I’m linking to this on my blog; it’s very important that the word be spread. People need to know the truth.
I’m sorry for your loss! I wish that along with the routine testing and routine administration of antibiotics, the CDC would compel doctors to share the warning signs/symptoms with EVERY mother. Antibiotics given during labor are not 100% effective, but the false sense of security can lead to a fast, deadly ending.
I wish you would edit this to add the warning symptoms of neonatal infection and to tell the parents what to do when those symptoms are present.
…a good start!
Hi there! I was just reading your blog. You are correct in saying there is so little out there about the Dangers of GBS… my son was born just 2 weeks before your Wren, he got pneumonia caused my GBS also. Luckily, we were in the hospital for his birth and the nurse happened to hear him making the noises while breathing. He was my 2nd baby and my 1st was a grunter, so I thought it was similar, but you are right, there is a certain noise that a child in respiratory distress makes and it’s hard to just know it isn’t normal when you hear it. The nurse took him and got him checked out. They started antibiotics right away, while running tests, later to find out it was GBS. My labor had been only 2.5 hours start to finish, so I hadn’t gotten the antibiotics. He was though born at 37w2d, so his risk should have been slightly lower… he was a healthy 8lb baby and healthy in every way, other than the sudden early-onset of GBS. Anyways, all this to say, I’m due in the next 4 weeks to have another baby. I’ve done lots of natural treatments to prevent the GBS, just in case, but I will also get the iv during labor… it’s a scary thing, but the hospital will be monitoring my baby immediately after birth to be sure there are no signs of it happening again.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I appreciate the effort you are putting into getting the word out there about the dangers of GBS. It is a very scary thing that so many people don’t understand how important it is to be tested and to be treated.
If you are interested, you are welcome to email me and see how my 2nd birth goes and whether this baby has any GBS complications… I know you are expecting another baby (or I gathered that from reading your most recent post) so I know you’ll be hightailing even more research… Thanks again.