At Last!

Not that I expect anything to come of it, but someone is finally talking to the US Congress about something I’ve been harping on for years – the overuse of antibiotics. The Mother Earth News article (with a link to the full testimony) can be found here.

Bacteria have the ability to adapt themselves very quickly to one chemical hitting them. The more we use antibiotics, the more they are able to fight off the effect of that one chemical. That is why we now have strains of bacteria like MRSA – Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. This strain is resistant to standard antibiotic treatments. Unless we take steps, soon there will be a strain of bacteria that resists all treatment.

When you have a minor bacterial infection, try treating it first with natural alternatives such as garlic or tea tree oil. And for a viral infection like the flu, don’t ask your physician for an antibiotic – it won’t work anyways.

While this woman’s testimony only talks about the use of antibiotics in our food animals, it’s an important first step. The next step is to educate the public to NOT flush unused prescription medication – this gets that medication (including antibiotics) into our water supply.

If, for some reason, you have unused prescription medication, check with your pharmacist to see if they either have or know of a safe disposal mechanism. This will keep that chemical out of our water supply.