Really, we crossed the threshold for antibiotic resistance in 2017. Sure, it’s been around for decades, but we are now living in a world where it’s much more pervasive. According to the numbers, every 11 seconds an American catches an antibiotic-resistant infection.
There’s good news, too. C. diff (which causes diarrhea and is often caught in hospitals) is one of the bigger antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Fortunately, fecal matter transplants (FMT) are more effective than antibiotics at treating C. diff. By boosting the gastrointestinal tract with good bacteria from a healthy donor, doctors are more effectively treating C. diff.
And it’s good that we have solutions like FMT. It’s not just that antibiotics no longer work, it’s that in many cases the ones they do have side effects worse than the illness. When treating tuberculosis, which still causes regular outbreaks in the US and abroad, treatment requires taking very harsh antibiotics for months.
You can take steps to stay healthy and avoid antibiotic-resistant bacteria:
-Hygiene, especially frequent handwashing, is the first, best step. It’s the number one way that hospitals cut back their infection rates.
-Self-care. Just because antibiotics can’t fight an infection doesn’t mean your body can’t. Sometimes antibiotic resistance means a more serious fight for your body, but not always.
-Get treatment when symptoms last too long or get too serious. Heading to the doctor for every green booger, earache, or cold can make you much more likely to pick something up or get an antibiotic prescription and grow it yourself.
-Take care of yourself in other ways, to help keep your body and immune system strong. Make adjustments to sleeping, eating, and exercising until you’re doing your best. For additional support, supplement with colloidal silver.
