The Super-Infection Risk Is Alarmingly High

The threat of antimicrobial resistance is increasing with every passing day.

The overuse of antibiotics in the livestock industry and by humans, has produced superbugs that just keep on getting more resistant.

Another huge problem is that the pharmaceutical industry is less than enthusiastic about developing new antibiotics. Blood pressure medication, anti-inflammatories and cholesterol drugs can be cash cows for decades. New antibiotics might have bacteria growing resistant to them in a matter of less than 10 years. With all of the money that it takes to bring an antibiotic to market through research and development, including clinical trials, new antibiotics may very well be money losing propositions for Big Pharma.

The way that these bacteria become superbugs goes back to Darwin's explanation of natural selection. Except when superbugs and antibiotics are involved, it is unnatural selection.

For example, if a 1,000 bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic, that antibiotic may kill off 990 of the 1,000 bacteria, leaving 10. Why did those 10 survive? They may have a mutation that provided resistance to the antibiotic. Now these 10 bacteria don't have to compete with the 990 that are dead. They can then flourish with minimal competition. The next time that the offspring of those 10 bacteria meet up with that same antibiotic, perhaps 40 will survive instead of 10. This pattern goes on, until the antibiotic becomes ineffective.

Antimicrobial resistance refers to the microorganisms that include; bacteria, fungi, viruses and tiny parasites. These antimicrobial infections are treated with antimicrobial drugs, such as; antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials and anthelmintics. These microorganisms all evolve in the same manner as I explained above.

It is apparent that these “superbugs” pose a serious threat to public health.

What Can Be Done?

1. Reduce the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry and only purchase meats that have been raised without antibiotics

3. Improve sanitation

4. Proper hand washing to reduce infections

5. The use of natural disinfectants such as tree tea oil

6. Avoid antibacterial soaps, since these most of these soaps are toxic and add contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Washing with plain soap and water has been shown time and time again to be just as effective.

7. Optimizing vitamin D levels, which improves resistance

8. The use of natural antibiotics such as coconut oil taken internally and manuka honey for treating burns, wounds and diabetic ulcers.

9. The development of new ways of killing microorganisms that don't allow superbugs to develop. One such way is being developed right now. That method is using a mechanical way of killing microorganisms with microscopic spikes that rip open the cell wall of bacteria or the protein coat of viruses. These microscopic spikes then use a minute charge of electricity to finish off the pathogen The great advantage of this over a traditional antimicrobial, is that no resistance can develop to a mechanical kill. This I believe will be the method to save humanity from extinction. Unless we do something now, microbes will finish us off way before Skynet and the cyborgs that were in the Terminator movies.

This is an excerpt from the CDC link below:

"When people go to the hospital, they should not contract a preventable healthcare associated
infection (HAI). Unfortunately, HAIs affect 5 to 10 percent of hospitalized patients in the U.S. per year. Approximately 1.7 million HAIs occur in U.S. hospitals each year, resulting in 99,000 deaths and an estimated $20 billion in healthcare costs."

Link

Scientific American article

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