If you’ve ever taken antibiotics that don’t work, then you know about antibiotic resistance in a very real and personal way. I still remember the frustration of enduring antibiotic after antibiotic with all their side effects with no benefit at all.
While I love natural remedies, there are times when antibiotics can be the best treatment option for a severe infection. With MRSA on the rise, it’s more important than ever that these powerful drugs do their job when we need them to.
Overuse of antibiotics in the livestock industry is one of the biggest causes of antibiotic resistance. Recent news of MRSA and staph bacteria in meat has been a major wake up call for us all. Just last month, the FDA took action to ban the use of one type of antibiotic in livestock. While this ban is a step in the right direction, much more still needs to be done to protect these drugs and keep them working.
The good news is antibiotic resistance is getting more attention in the media, in government and in the medical community. And antibiotic resistance is a reversible problem that we can fix by taking the right actions personally and on a government level. In fact, you have more control over antibiotic resistance than you may think.
What you can do
On a personal level, you can follow simple tips for using antibiotics wisely and effectively. Using these drugs properly will help you get better faster and reduce the negative side effects too.
On a broader scale, you can make a real difference by staying informed and supporting a group called Keep Antibiotics Working.com. Keep Antibiotics Working is a coalition dedicated to stopping antibiotic resistance and providing you with an easy way to help. Their Action Alert Network will help you tell your representatives and the FDA what needs to be done to protect antibiotics. You can also stay informed on the latest updates about antibiotic resistance on their News and Press Center pages.
To your best health,
Michelle
Microbiologist and Natural Health Advocate
