non therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock

[jan251]

There was a news story today about a silly occurrence at a town council meeting. Silliness aside, I got curious about what the mayor was referring to with regard to concern about antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases. As far as I can tell, the topic was banning the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock in this town in TX. I'm guessing this is the proposed resolution http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:J1o1JcIhvGkJ:agendas.georgetown.org/AttachmentViewer.aspx%3FAttachmentID%3D15571%26ItemID%3D10264+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us I don't know what became of the resolution, nor do I know much about the topic; I just thought it was interesting that it was even proposed.

 

(And possibly, many of us could use a little levity. As an aside, am I the only one here who has accidentally started laughing while watching their child perform their usual compulsions/rituals, possibly because the alternative would be crying?)

Edited May 5, 2015 by jan251

[rowingmom]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/12/09/livestock-antibiotics.aspx

 

Use of antibiotics in healthy livestock account for about 80 percent of all antibiotic use in the US, so in order to halt the growth of antibiotic resistance, we really must address this source.

According to a 2009 report by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on this subject, factory farms used a whopping 29 million pounds of antibiotics that year alone.

 

Besides promoting growth in livestock, antibiotics are also used to compensate for the crowded, unsanitary living conditions associated with large-scale confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Since the animals are routinely fed low doses of antibiotics, the bacteria become resistant far more easily than they do when you’re aggressively treating an active infection until all the bacteria are eradicated.

 

As a result of this agricultural practice, you end up ingesting these drug remnants through the animal products you consume. And, since you’re now getting very low doses of antibiotics through your food on a regular basis, the promotion of resistance continues in the human population as well.

Even vegetables may be contaminated with antibiotics if the farmer uses manure from treated cows as crop fertilizer... The only way to avoid it is to make sure you’re eating organically-raised, grass-fed or pastured meats and animal products, as organic standards do not permit hormones and antibiotics to be used in livestock for growth promotion purposes.

 

Use of glyphosate is also implicated in the development of antibiotic resistance:

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/05/glyphosate-residue-testing.aspx

 

The chemical technology industry, led by Monsanto, is responsible for a crisis in both human and environmental health, and they're fighting tooth and nail to keep up appearances that all is well. This is understandable when you consider that they stand to lose just about everything. They can't stay in business unless toxic chemicals remain the norm and the hazards minimized. But the fact is that if you're eating foods contaminated with glyphosate, you're compromising your health in a number of ways, as this chemical:

• Acts as an antibiotic (glyphosate is in fact patented as an antibiotic); preferentially affecting beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogens to overgrow
• Inhibits enzymes that detoxify chemical compounds. This appears to be one of the previously hidden mechanisms of harm, because by inhibiting these enzymes, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of chemicals and environmental toxins you may be exposed to
• Readily promotes antibiotic resistance by activating certain genes in the bacteria, as demonstrated in the study mentioned earlier
• Decimates your microflora and its ability to produce essential amino acids like tryptophan that converts to serotonin, an important neurotransmitter, 90 percent of which is produced in your gut

Edited May 5, 2015 by rowingmom

[kim]

Jan,

 

Thanks for posting the video, a good laugh is invaluable,imo. The way she cracked up was almost funnier than "the flush." She still controlled herself better than I would have.

[nicklemama]

When I was a girl growing up in Oklahoma the pastures had cattle in them. My grandfather raised cattle. They all fed on grasses plus some feed. In the summer, I would occasionally go with my grandparents to feed the cows on Fridays. I haven't lived in Oklahoma in 21 years. Now when you drive in Oklahoma there are rarely any cattle to be seen. My dad says they are all in feed lots. Being fed GMO corn and being given antibiotics. My how times have changed.

[rowingmom]

My how times have changed.

 

And how our health and the health of our children is deteriorating.

[sarojane]

I think all our kids are the canaries in the coal mine in regards to our planet, they are the warning that things are truly messed up.