While reading Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, I came across one phrase that really stood out to me, "the only reason contemporary animal cities aren't as plague-ridden or pestilential as their medieval human counterparts is a single historical anomaly: the modern antibiotic."
First of all, the modern antibiotic is probably the worst thing to happen to the human food source. I say this because now modern antibiotics are being overused and the long term result will create weaker immunity for both the animals and humans. Separating sick animals and disposing of them would be a more productive means to the human immune system than pumping animals with lists of expensive antibiotics. Granted some antibiotics are necessary, all of them are most likely not especially growth hormones.
Antibiotics get rid of a certain strain of one particular bacterium...however bacteria adapt incredibly fast, meaning their DNA can change in a matter of seconds. DNA changing means now the antibiotic that worked does not work anymore and perhaps no antibiotics will, the bacterium might become antibiotic resistant through mutation as a result of antibiotics.
Don't get me wrong, antibiotics are a good development, but I would argue that in the United States today, the USDA and EPA set such high standards of health and safety that all of the excess antibiotics are unnecessary and potentially harmful to the health of humans.
However, having taken antibiotics myself I can't imagine that all of those antibiotics would be good for a livestock's digestion system (from having problems of my own with some medications). Therefore this leads me to think that Pollan found an exception to the rule rather than what actually happens at farms/feedlots across the country. If he had gone to 40-50 farms and shown how they operated I might be more convinced. But as a scientist this observation of one feedlot isn't convincing me of anything.
Well, you definitely caught my attention with this one. I am that person that refuses to take medicine. It's simply not my style. My reasons are far less rational than what you have mentioned above but regardless our view on the topic stands the same. When you mention that these antibiotics will create a weaker immunity for animals and humans I was sold. That thought in itself is what bothers me the most about antibiotics. In most cases, our bodies have the ability to fight off foreign enemies.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that if Pollan had visited several more location I would have been more apt to sympathize with what he had to say. The more proof the better in a situation such as this.
I didn't really get into details with this, but the most dangerous part about antibiotics is that people do not finish the entire dosage which leaves microbes still alive that survived the antibiotic and then creates "super germs."
ReplyDeleteAs most females know, from going to the doctor during an upper respiratory infection, doctors usually will not give females antibiotics for a simple bacterial infection because antibiotics will kill all of the flora in the body, including the flora that is of healthy concentrations and necessary for biological functions.