\naccording to the george washington university professor lance price, the livestock industry’s overuse of antibiotics is endangering our antibiotics, and the government isn\u2019t doing much to stop it. but you can.<\/p>\n
when i was sick as a kid, i could always rely on a quick trip to the doctor and a prescription for antibiotics to help me feel better within a couple of days \u2014 but after i felt better, it was easy to forget about taking my medication.<\/p>\n
my mom, however, always made sure i finished every last pill. she vehemently told me that if i didn\u2019t finish all<\/em> of my medicine, the antibiotics might not work the next time i was sick. i couldn\u2019t imagine a world where i didn\u2019t have that valuable resource of antibiotics, so i made sure to take every dose.<\/p>\n unfortunately, not everyone is as conscious of the fragile sustainability of antibiotics as my mom. some scientists believe that industrial farmers abuse<\/a> antibiotics when raising food animals, adding low-doses of antibiotics to their feed every day \u2014 even before their animals are sick.<\/p>\n the consistent use of antibiotics creates an environment that allows antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria<\/a> to cultivate and multiply. because the bacteria are often exposed to the drugs, they can evolve and develop a resistance. those bacteria could then potentially make consumers sick.<\/p>\n one of the best things a consumer can do is become informed about the use of antibiotics in food animal production. knowing the potential effects will allow them to make the best choice at the grocery store, and just as price said, \u201chelp drive the marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n i can\u2019t know whether consumers will choose to follow price\u2019s advice and shop for animal products raised without antibiotics. i can only hope that everyone can find a valuable resource, like my mom, to help make informed decisions regarding antibiotics. <\/p>\n after all, it\u2019s a scary thought that on my next trip to the doctor, the medicine might stop working.<\/p>\n \u2014 diana wilkinson <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n there are few people alive today who can remember a time without antibiotics. ever since alexander fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, we\u2019ve relied on antibiotics to save us from all sorts of dangerous bacterial infections. a professor at the milken institute school of public health at the george washington university with a ph.d. in environmental health sciences from johns hopkins university, price<\/a> warns that we might be losing the power of these life-saving drugs.<\/p>\n we\u2019re already seeing the ramifications of antibiotic resistance. the centers for disease control reports that every year at least 2 million people in the united states become sick with infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria<\/a> \u2014 infections that kill 23,000 americans each year.<\/p>\n this is a problem. and according to price, the solution is on your plate.<\/p>\n antibiotics are used in food animals for three different reasons: to treat sick animals (therapeutic use), to prevent the spread of infections (preventive or control use), and to promote growth and production in food animals<\/a>. few people argue against therapeutic use; even price agrees that drugs are needed to treat infections. but as much as 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the united states end up going to healthy animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n defenders of large-scale antibiotic use in food animals say that restricting the use of antibiotics in the agricultural industry would make it harder for veterinarians and farmers to do their jobs. it could limit veterinarians\u2019 ability to treat sick animals, and make it harder for food distributor\u2019s to ensure food safety in the meat we feed to our families<\/a>.<\/p>\n thankfully, consumers have the ability to make their own decisions about antibiotic use in food production, and act on these decisions in their daily lives.<\/p>\n consumers can make a difference.<\/strong> we\u2019re already seeing the power of supply and demand first hand; walmart, the icon of big food business, began offering organic food at affordable prices when the retailer teamed up with wild oats earlier this year.<\/p>\n here\u2019s what concerned consumers can do:<\/p>\n\n
how antibiotic resistance works<\/h2>\n