Sub Therapeutic dosage a bad idea!
Shocking, shocking I say! I was stunned today as I opened my copy of Science News Magazine and read that the U.S. FDA is actually thinking about regulating antimicrobials in our wastewater. Maybe we should disband the FDA for interfering in our god given right to a free market founded on the most sacred principles of our very existence, greed. And . . . don't forget the need to sell shit to really stupid people through advertising . . . Yea, let's not forget that one either.
Microbes in wastewater treatment plants are trading mexB, along with other evolutionary tricks, to become resistant. Yep, gene jumping is doing its work in your shit. Do yourself a favor: Don't buy over the counter antimicrobial "health" products. Get yourself and your loved ones vaccinated (Only Therapeutic Dosages, please) on schedule. Maybe talk to a scientist from time to time. And, never believe the "5 out of 8 doctors agree" stupidity that is so ubiquitous.
The apocalypse will not come upon us as a zombie attack. It will occur via a sneak attack of super bugs. But then I am a fan of real science fiction.
Comments
My spouse is a physician whose duties include monitoring other
doctors and advising them if they appear to be overprescribing antibiotics.
This (overuse) has become a little less common as older docs retire, but I think the main reason is that all the recent research on our microbiome, especially the gut, has made it easier for all to say hey, do you really want to fuck up your healthy gut flora?
Some patients expect a presciption if they are sick. Education takes time, but the microbiome knowledge allows for a simple quick reason for not prescribing antibiotics.
Prescribing culturelle instead of antibiotics is a thing.
I am not a physician but I play one in real life.
Doctors (various fields) tend to like me because I usually arrive with a full list of symptoms and a partial list of expected outcomes (prognoses). I then expect them to work out what I have missed by making sure they know my limitations. I use this strategy to filter out the "know it all" ones that should have chosen a different career path. In short, I expect to be treated as a collaborator.
The best situations are those in which a med-student is shadowing a physician. I then get to "trick" the attending into explaining to the shadow some aspect (complete with technical details) of the situation that might otherwise get short shrifted.
I think I'll go back to Dr. Bronner's castile soap
Very nice stuff, especially in some of its scented variants (as long as one isn't allergic to the scent!)
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
For a minute, I thought you were talking of microbeads
Which is another thing we should be avoiding in our soaps and washes.
What's interesting is that I just finished watching the "Adam Ruins Everything" episode on bathroom products, which touches very briefly on how we need to be mindful of what goes down our sewer pipes. The entire show is a good watch, currently in its second season, and I fully recommend folks here give it a watch.