Preston was not alone in his dilemma. According to Time Magazine [January 21, 2002] more than 14,000 people are expected to die this year from infections caught in hospitals. Because germs are increasingly resistant to antibiotics, conventional antibiotics are often no longer effective. More powerful drugs may be used to control infections, but stronger drugs also cause dangerous side effects, and are more expensive to treat.  Due to world conditions and the growth of antibiotic resistant germs, infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In the U.S. alone, infectious disease-related deaths have nearly doubled since 1980.

In the face of this grim news, there is hope on the horizon. Researchers in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere are taking a closer look at the antibiotic properties of plant oils in the hope of finding natural alternatives to man-made drugs.

This is the main idea in a newly-published book called "What To Do When Antibiotics Don’t Work". Author Dirk Van Gils describes nearly 50 infectious illnesses and their treatments using essential oils and other plant medicines. In this concise, well-documented and easy-to-understand book, Van Gils studied the clinical practices of a group of doctors in France, leading experts in the field of modern plant medicine.

Oils derived from plants, commonly known as essential oils, have many anti-infectious properties. Essential oils may be used to combat a variety of infectious illnesses. These include many of the commonly-occurring illnesses such as Colds and Flu, Sore Throat, Chickenpox, Hepatitis, Herpes, HIV, and Tuberculosis. They are also effective against the instruments of bio-terrorism, such as Anthrax and Plague.

According to Van Gils, tests prove that medicinal essential oils can be as effective against bacteria as antibiotic drugs. In addition, germs cannot develop a resistance to essential oils as they can to antibiotics, because essential oils contain many chemical compounds which are lethal to germs. Unlike antibiotics, essential oils are natural substances, and are not harmful to the human body when used properly.

The book came out just in time for Perry Preston. With the support and supervision of his doctor, Preston used medicinal essential oils to fight his infection. After taking three-times daily doses of essential oils for only seven days, the foul-smelling pus discharge from Preston’s wound was stopped. His flesh turned to a healthy pink color. A week later, doctors ordered blood tests. The happy result: no evidence of any remaining bacterial infection.

Dirk Van Gils is an author, teacher, and instructional designer. He was born in The Netherlands and has lived in Brazil, Indonesia, and Spain. He currently resides in the United States with his wife Toni. After receiving his Master of Science degree from Brigham Young University, he taught college and supervised the development of international training programs. Dirk speaks several foreign languages fluently.

In 1995, Dirk became the international sales manager for a company specializing in complementary and alternative medicine. He worked closely with alternative health care professionals from many countries, including naturopaths, herbalists, complementary health care physicians, nurses, and homeopaths. During this time he became interested in the medicinal use of aromatherapy and essential oils. Today, he devotes his time to writing, teaching, and research.