Think the Antibiotics in Your Food Are Decreasing? Think Again, by Dr. Joseph Mercola

There are natural antibiotics that don’t lead to the antibiotic resistance and other adverse effects that man-made antibiotics do. From Dr. Joseph Mercola at lewrockwell.com:

Story at-a-glance

• An estimated 35,000 Americans die each year from drug-resistant infections. Globally, the death toll attributed to drug-resistant infections is thought to be around 4.95 million annually
• When animals are given antibiotics, it causes unnatural growth by altering their gut microbiome. In the process, some of those gut bacteria become antibiotic-resistant. Contaminated meat can then become a source of drug-resistant infections
• Between 2015 and 2017, antibiotic use in U.S. food-animals declined by 42%, but the downward trend didn’t last. In the years between 2017 and 2022, antibiotic use increased by 12%, 4.3% of that rise occurring in 2022 alone. Other data show the number of animals raised in 2022 was lower than 2021, so more antibiotics were used in a smaller number of animals
• Antibiotics are also massively overused in human medicine, and have risks besides the promotion of drug-resistance. Fluoroquinolones have been shown to increase your risk of aortic rupture, which can lead to death. Several oral antibiotics have also been linked to the development of kidney stones, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer
• Natural antimicrobials that do not appear to promote drug resistance include garlic, ginger, echinacea, goldenseal, myrrh oil, thyme oil, oregano oil, clove extract, olive leaf extract and colloidal silver

Antibiotic-resistant infections are a vastly underestimated health threat. An estimated 35,000 Americans die each year from drug-resistant infections.¹ Globally, the death toll attributed to drug-resistant infections could be as high as 4.95 million annually,² and it’s only getting worse.

Agriculture has played a central role in this trend. As of 2020, 69% of the U.S. antibiotic supply was bought up by the meat industry,³ and most of these antibiotics are given to animals that aren’t sick; rather, they’re used for prophylactic and/or growth promotion purposes.

When animals are given antibiotics, it causes unnatural growth by altering their gut microbiome. In the process, some of those gut bacteria become antibiotic-resistant. Contaminated meat can then become a source of drug-resistant infections.

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