Big government likes nothing better than to wage permanent “wars” against whatever ails you. The “war on cancer” has been going on for more than 40 years…with no victory in sight. But the war funnels hundreds of billions of dollars to the mindless minions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). So that war’s not about to stop anytime soon.
We are also losing permanent “wars” against high blood pressure and heart disease. These wars go on and on because the government-industrial-medical complex targets all the wrong culprits. Such as salt, saturated fats, and cholesterol. While the real enemy–stress–is hiding in plain sight. And the government itself is the source of most of it for many of us!
Great military planners always caution against waging wars on multiple fronts. But now, the U.S. government is ready to engage in a permanent war on a third front. This time against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Apparently, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will lead the campaign.
He wrote an article titled, “The Perpetual Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance” that ran last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the article, Dr. Fauci warned about the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Years ago, these tough infections only occurred in hospitals or nursing homes. But today, we see these infections outside of healthcare settings among previously healthy individuals.
Dr. Fauci says we need ever more antibiotic drugs to solve the problems created by antibiotic drugs. But he ignores all the natural approaches. And he disregards the importance of building a strong immune system.
A healthy immune system is still required, even with the best antibiotics. In fact, antibiotics only slow bacterial multiplication until your own immune system has a chance to catch up and clear the infection. Indeed, no antibiotic drug works without a healthy immune system. And there is no such thing as “bacterial resistance” to a healthy immune system!
You see, “antibiotic resistance” is actually a natural process.
In nature, microbes can develop chemicals to stop bacteria. This defense mechanism helps the microbe compete in nature. For example, in 1928 Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered the mold plant develops penicillin to help fight off bacteria. But eventually, the bacteria develop a gene that makes them resistant to the mold’s “natural antibiotic.”
In fact, we now know that bacteria from 30,000 years ago already had a gene for “antibiotic resistance.” This gene developed naturally as an adaptation to the “natural antibiotics” produced by other microbes. This natural resistance developed long before the modern era of “magic bullet” medicine.
Since Dr. Fleming’s “discovery” of penicillin, we have created a living laboratory, which encourages the development of ever-more bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
Of course, medical practice also plays a role. In fact, nearly three-quarters of adults receive antibiotics inappropriately to treat a viral infection. (Antibiotics only work for bacteria–when they work at all.) This inappropriate treatment helps breed more antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Believe it or not, animals receive three-quarters of all the antibiotics in the world today. Farmers use small doses of antibiotics to promote growth. In fact, the doses often aren’t even big enough to treat infections. They’re just enough to make a nice, fat chicken breast. Or T-bone steak. But this situation also contributes to the problem of antibiotic resistance.
So, welcome to another permanent war. But bacteria have a natural advantage. They can change and adapt more quickly than we can.
Of course, Dr. Fauci–who is happily leading this permanent war–knows something about permanence. He’s been a permanent fixture in Washington for years. In fact, he was there when I worked at the National Institutes of Health 30 years ago.
During the 1992 presidential election debates with Bill Clinton, President George H.W. Bush was asked to name an American hero. He somewhat awkwardly picked Dr. Fauci when pressed for an answer. Bush I has come and gone; Clinton has come and gone; and even Bush II has come and gone. But Dr. Fauci remains…happily fighting an unwinnable war using the wrong weapons.
When I first started working in Washington, complacent government bureaucrats (the real permanent power in Washington) used to brush off many of President Ronald Reagan’s needed government reforms by simply outlasting him and his excellent team of elected and politically appointed officials. My ultimate superior, Reagan’s Undersecretary of Health, Don Newman (a successful pharmacist), told me that arrogant mid-level bureaucrats called themselves the “B team,” meaning they were there “before” you and would “be” there long after you.
What’s the bottom line for you?
Avoid antibiotics whenever possible. Never take one for a cold or other viral infection. And keep your immune system strong year-round by taking 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily.