Antibiotics

Antibiotics were a good thing when first introduced back in the nineteen thirties and they still are, we in modern society have just turned them into “too much of a good thing”. Whether it’s for humans or animals the overuse of antibiotics can lead to serious complications. That’s the crux of the intense debate going on right now over the use and misuse of antibiotics. For years doctors and veterinarians have prescribed antibiotics when they have indeed been necessary and when they haven’t been so necessary. What has resulted is drug resistance in even the most minor of infections, and in the instance of humans created a weakened immune system. Does that mean we should ban the use of antibiotics? No, we just need to manage them better. One side argues that overuse in the animal industry contaminates the human food chain and ups the possibility of drug resistance in people; the other side argues antibiotic use in animals is minuscule when compared to the rampant overuse in humans. Both sides make some valid points. With antibiotics as with just about everything moderation would seem to be the key to success.