antibiotic resistance

By Ben Chan

How often do you hear of someone using their spouse’s antibiotic medication that was prescribed for a prior illness but not entirely if ever used? Or, a teen sharing her friend’s birth control pills?

Ah, our body’s microbiome, the bacteria living in symbiotic harmony in our gut, that newly discovered source of wellness, its mysteries only slowly being revealed. Our microbiome is an inner ecology of Planet Us.

Urgent care centers and retail clinics top the list when it comes to the inappropriate use of antibiotics, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine

Even with the advent of the antibiotic era, infectious diseases are a global health concern.

 I have been writing for years (1) about the emergence and spread of bacteria that are resistant to virtually all antibiotics, and that it was only a matter of time until they reached the US. Time's up.

Recently, I had the pleasure of filming a segment on the top medical, science and technology innovations of 2017 at Reuters TV in Times Square, New York with host of CCTV Bianca Chen.

Those of us who are intent on eating only as nature intended apparently want to extend that prescription to our pets.

Of all the problems we don't need, an increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics is near the top of the list.

Bacteria that are resistant to one, multiple or even all known antibiotics, commonly known as superbugs, are one of the leading concerns in the medical and scientific communities.