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The other concern I have that actually more serious is our antibiotic crisis. CRISIS is the proper word as everyday our fight against highly evolving bacteria is getting weaker.
Historically, the medical and scientific community changed that tide of sure death less than 70 years ago with the creation of safe and powerful antibiotics, starting with penicillin, but in that same time the tides have been turning towards the bacteria once again as the bacteria get resistant and we have less in our antibiotic arsenal to kill them.
As we speak there are hundreds of well documented cases of bacterial infections worldwide that are completely resistant to all available antibiotics. For the most part, the general public is ignorant or in abject denial of this worsening fact.
You are more aware and informed than most as you are actually reading and learning about this issue now- by becoming aware the least we can do is try what we can to avoid adding to the problem and also spread the word so public pressure to mobilize both our government and private sectors to put more effort into this will exponentially grow Iike the bacteria do.
It’s complicated, but the major cause contributing to this crisis involves the combination of antibiotic overuse in general in many industries around the world, not just in healthcare (farming, animal husbandry, food processing, veterinary, over the counter access to antibiotics in many countries, etc)
Add to that the ingenious fast mutating reproducing bacteria which can in one bacterial generation become resistant to antibiotics, the lack of financial and academic support towards good antibiotic stewardship and the fact that most of the Pharma industry has abandoned the expensive and years long research and development process of creating new antibiotics and the result is that you come to today’s reality.
Have you ever had an issue where for a simple routine bladder or dental infection treatment the short course of antibiotics lead to a gut infection that landed you or your loved one in the hospital?
It’s ironic isn’t it that the very class of medications that save lives and treat infection can lead to causing other life threatening infections? It’s such a common problem that a long ago abandoned practice of using fecal bacteria to recolonize the gut post antibiotic or at the same time of antibiotic treatment, is having to be used again as a standard of care.
So then, what can we do?
1. LEARN from reputable and trust worthy sources about this issue (like you are now)
2. Avoid antibiotics whenever possible (blessedly, most infections are viral and antibiotics won’t work anyways)
-remember that antibiotics are sometimes used long term for inflammatory treatments like in acne treatment (question whether this is still necessary)
-remember that most old reasons for “premedication get” for heart issues and past joint surgeries are not valid anymore (check with your board certified doctor)
3. Eat well and make sure your body is full of healthy bacteria to begin with so they won’t
get wiped out the next time you do need antibiotics (read “Probiotics”)
