The Center For Disease Control has just come out with a report about resistance to antibiotics, and how it’s becoming an “urgent” threat. Here’s the deal: The overuse of antibiotics in this country is widespread. Over 70% of the antibiotics sold in the US are used on animals, which is a big problem, and largely due to Factory Farms. Aside from that improperly prescribed antibiotics are given out like M&M’s in out-patient settings. Many patients are taking them for sore throats and ear infections, when the illness is viral (doesn’t need or respond to antibiotics,) rather than bacterial.
All this overuse has has encouraged many deadly bacterium strains to get sneaky! Rather than be stomped on, they’re finding ways around these drugs and have evolved to develop resistance (meaning they won’t be deterred), by many of these ubiquitous antibiotics. This is very scary when it comes to some serious bacterial infections. 23,000 people in America die from bacterial infections that don’t respond to antibiotics.
So, what can you and I do to minimize our risk, and to help the situation long term?
1. Make sure you regularly take probiotics to make sure that your gut is healthy. This will help prevent bacterial infections in the first place. I love Tula’s CocoKefir – a delicious way to get your probiotics.
2. Regular hand washing: Since bacterial infections can be contagious, make sure you are religious about washing your hands.
3. Make sure you and particularly your children, are properly immunized.
4. Avoid using “anti-bacterial” products, which promote this overuse. And instead use natural products – especially look for an all-natural hand sanitizer.
5. Try to buy certified organic meat and dairy products. If they are organic, they will be from animals that are not treated with growth hormones and/or antibiotics.
