A Compelling Documentary About the
Causes of Antibiotic Resistance, and How to Fix It
January 03, 2015
Story
at-a-glance
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Antibiotic resistance has turned into a worldwide
health threat of massive proportions
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Two million American adults and children are
infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each
year; 23,000 die as a direct result
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Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
kills more Americans each year than the combined
total of emphysema, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease,
and homicide
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Solutions include improved infection prevention,
more responsible use of antibiotics in human
medicine, limiting use of antibiotics in
agriculture, and finding innovative approaches to
treat infections
By Dr. Mercola
Collectively, microorganisms outweigh the human population by
100 million times. They're all around you, and inside you. Your
gastrointestinal tract alone houses some 100 trillion bacteria.
The microorganisms in your gut, commonly referred to as your
microbiome, are responsible for about 80 percent of your immune
system function, and these gut bacteria outnumber your body's
cells by about 10 to one.
As noted in the featured Frontline documentary, The
Trouble With Antibiotics,1
American farmers routinely use antibiotics to make their
livestock grow bigger, faster (in addition to preventing disease
caused by cramped, filthy quarter, and an unnatural diet). After
decades of this practice, antibiotic-resistance in humans has
risen substantially.
We’ve also come to realize that, scientifically, we’ve barely
scratched the surface with regards to everything there is to
know about bacteria; how they work, and why we might actually
need them.
Far from being a scourge, bacteria of all kinds serve
important roles in human health. It’s a double-edged sword. On
the one hand we need bacteria; on the other, when our microbiome
becomes unbalanced, it can kill us.
Microbes Rule...
For example, it is microbes in the soil that are largely
responsible for plant growth and nutrient uptake. Adding plant
nutrients without regard for nourishing these microbes is a
recipe for crop failure in the long-term.
In recent years, we've also started to gain a greater
understanding of the role gut microbes play in human health and
disease—and it's a very significant one.
We're also seeing that indiscriminately killing bacteria in
an effort to achieve cleanliness and health comes at a steep
price. In fact,
antibiotic resistance has quickly turned into a worldwide
health threat of massive proportions.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention2
(CDC), two million American adults and children become infected
with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, and at least
23,000 of them die as a direct result.
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better
known as MRSA, alone kills more Americans each year than the
combined total of emphysema, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and
homicide.3
The victims include young, otherwise healthy people, raising
suspicions that the
MRSA infections originate from the food they eat.
Drug-resistant tuberculosis, urinary tract infections, and
gonorrhea are also on the rise.
As reported by Frontline, researchers have found that people
living close to confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) also
suffer drug-resistant infections at much higher rates than
others, again suggesting that antibiotic-resistant bacteria
originate from large-scale agriculture.
We've Wasted One of Medicine's Most Important Tools
What we’re seeing is the evolution of bacteria—and we’ve
catalyzed that evolution. As it turns out, the use of
antibiotics in agriculture breeds these hardy bacteria very
efficiently. Over time, microorganisms have learned to teach
each other how to outsmart the best pharmaceutical drugs we have
to offer, and they are winning the battle.
Many experts have issued strong warnings, saying that we are
quickly reverting back to the pre-antibiotic age when
some of the most important advances in modern medicine –
intensive care, organ transplants, care for premature babies,
and surgeries – will no longer be possible.
We're already very close to the end of the road where ALL
antibiotics fail, and once that happens, it will be the end of
modern medicine as we know it. Common illnesses such as
bronchitis or strep throat may turn into deadly sepsis.
Surgeries previously considered low risk or "routine," such
as hip replacements, might suddenly be too risky without
antibiotics, and complex surgeries like organ transplants may
not be survivable anymore.
One of the most prestigious research hospitals in the US
recently struggled with an outbreak of a highly lethal
antibiotic-resistant superbug called Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase (KPC)4—a
bacterium that has developed resistance to multiple
drugs. KPC is not alone in this feat.
A 2013 paper by the Center for Science in the Public Interest
(CSPI) titled "Antibiotic Resistance in Foodborne Pathogens,"5
report that between 1973 and 2011, there were 55
antibiotic-resistant foodborne outbreaks in the US, and more
than half of them involved pathogens resistant to five or more
antibiotics.
How Did This Epidemic of Antibiotic Resistance Occur?
Antibiotic overuse and inappropriate use in medicine is one
factor. As much as half of all antibiotics used in clinics and
hospitals are inappropriately used.6
But the routine use of antibiotics in agriculture is likely at
the very heart of the matter.
First of all, agriculture accounts for about 80 percent of
all antibiotics used in the US, so it's really a primary source
of antibiotic exposure. Second, it is the continuous use of low
dose antibiotics that really allows the bacteria to survive and
become increasingly hardy and drug resistant.
At present,
24.6 million pounds of antibiotics are administered to
livestock in the US every year for purposes other than treating
disease, such as making the animals grow bigger faster. When
eating meat from antibiotic-treated animals, you consume low
dose antibiotics. For example, 80 different antibiotics are
allowed in cows’
milk!
Treated animal products may also be contaminated with
antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22 percent of
antibiotic-resistant illness in humans is in fact linked to
food. In the words of associate director of the CDC Dr.
Srinivasan:7
“The more you use an antibiotic, the more you expose
a bacteria to an antibiotic, the greater the likelihood that
resistance to that antibiotic is going to develop. So the
more antibiotics we put into people, we put into the
environment, we put into livestock, the more opportunities
we create for these bacteria to become resistant.”
In the featured documentary, researchers using state of the
art genome sequencing were able to compare E.coli samples found
on supermarket meat with E.coli samples collected from patients
with drug-resistant urinary tract infections. In this way, they
were able to genetically link more than 100 urinary
tract infections to tainted supermarket meat products...
Avoiding antibiotic-resistance is but one of several good
reasons to avoid meats and animal products from animals raised
in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This is partly
why grass-fed and grass-finished antibiotic- and hormone-free
meat is the ONLY type of meat I recommend—again because it is
repetitive low-dose exposure that allows bacteria to adapt and
develop strong resistance. Most Americans eat meat several times
a week, and that kind of exposure can add up.
The US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meanwhile, has known for
more than 12 years that routine use of antibiotics in livestock
is harmful to human health, yet it has taken no meaningful
action. Promptings to voluntarily reduce usage has not resulted
in positive change. On the contrary, the most recent FDA report
shows that antibiotic usage actually increased by 16
percent between 2009 and 2012, and nearly 70 percent of the
antibiotics used are considered “medically important” for
humans.8
Another contributing factor is the genetic engineering of our
foods. As Jeffrey Smith explained at a recent GMO Summit, it's
possible that
GMOs from food can transfer genetic material to your normal
gut bacteria, conferring antibiotic resistance and turning them
into superbugs. GMOs have been scientifically proven to activate
and deactivate hundreds if not thousands of genes, and we have
no idea about the risks associated with this, as no one has
studied it.
What's the Solution?
The impending superbug crisis has a four-prong solution:
- Improved infection prevention, with a focus on
strengthening your immune system naturally. Avoiding sugars,
processed foods, and grains is foundational for this. Adding
in traditionally fermented and cultured foods is equally
important, as this will help optimize your microflora
- More responsible use of antibiotics in human medicine
- Limiting use of antibiotics in livestock animals, along
with a return to biodynamic farming and a complete overhaul
of our food system
- Innovative new approaches to the treatment of infections
from all branches of science, natural as well as allopathic.
Fortunately, Mother Nature gives us a cornucopia of
botanicals with inherent antibiotic activity that does not
promote resistance like antibiotic drugs do. Natural
compounds with antimicrobial activity include:
What You Can Do Right Now to Avoid Promoting Antibiotic
Resistance
When it comes to avoiding antibiotic-resistant disease, one
major key is to keep your immune system healthy and strong. This
is primarily done through lifestyle choices such as proper
diet,
sleep, stress management, and exercise. In terms of diet,
remember to opt for whole organic foods, raised without
antibiotics and preferably locally sourced.
Optimizing your own immune system function will help keep you
safe from developing a potentially lethal infection in the first
place. I also urge you to consider the following strategies,
which will help curtail the spread of antibiotic resistance in
general. While the problem of antibiotic resistance needs to be
stemmed through public policy on a nationwide level, the more
people who get involved on a personal level, the better.
Such strategies include:
- Use antibiotics only when
absolutely necessary. For example, antibiotics
are typically unnecessary for most
ear infections, and they do NOT work on viruses. They
only work on bacterial infections, and even then, they're
best reserved for more serious infections.
- Avoid antibacterial household products,
such as antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, and wipes,
etc., as these also promote antibiotic resistance by
allowing the strongest bacteria to survive and thrive.
- Properly wash your hands with warm water and
plain soap, to prevent the spread of bacteria. Be
particularly mindful of washing your hands and kitchen
surfaces after handling raw meats, as about half of all meat
sold in American grocery stores is likely to be contaminated
with pathogenic bacteria. Avoid antibiotic soaps that
typically have dangerous chemicals like
triclosan.
- Take common-sense precautions in the kitchen:
Kitchens are notorious
breeding grounds for disease-causing bacteria, courtesy
of contaminated meat products, including
antibiotic-resistant strains of E-coli. To avoid
cross-contamination between foods in your kitchen, I suggest
adhering to the following recommendations:
- Use a designated cutting board, preferably wood, not
plastic, for raw meat and poultry, and never use this
board for other food preparation, such as cutting up
vegetables. Color coding your cutting boards is a simple
way to distinguish between them
- To sanitize your cutting board, be sure to use hot
water and detergent. Simply wiping it off with a rag
will not destroy the bacteria
- For an inexpensive, safe, and effective kitchen
counter and cutting board sanitizer, use 3% hydrogen
peroxide and vinegar. Keep each liquid in a separate
spray bottle, and then spray the surface with one,
followed by the other, and wipe off
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Coconut oil can also be used to clean, treat, and
sanitize your wooden cutting boards. It's loaded with
lauric acid that has potent antimicrobial actions. Olive
oil is another alternative. The fats will also help
condition the wood
- Purchase organic, antibiotic-free meats and
other foods. Reducing the spread of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a significant reason for
making sure you're only eating grass-fed, organically-raised
meats and animal products. Besides growing and raising your
own, buying your food from responsible, high-quality,
sustainable sources is your best bet, and I strongly
encourage you to
support the small family farms in your area.
Copyright 1997- 2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/03/antibiotic-resistance-microbes.aspx
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