Living in a post antibiotic world…a reality I would rather not experience – Part 3

This is part 3 of a 3 part blog on antimicrobial resistance. In this final instalment I am expanding on the primer presented in Part 1. 

Part 1 – 5 Easy Things You Can Do To Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance and a  primer on the issue of antimicrobial resistance 

Part 2 – Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use

Part 3- Antimicrobial Resistance – The Science Stuff 

I am again starting with the good news. After the good news I am going to really geek-out and talk about the research and science around antimicrobial resistance. At the end of this blog I have included a list of some resources that will give you lots more information about antimicrobial resistance.


The Good News...

There are things we can do  - 5 Easy Things You can do to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance 

There are  Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use


The Best News…
Using fewer antimicrobials may effectively eliminate antimicrobial resistant ‘superbug’ populations!

Microbes compete with each other for resources. Studies suggest that carting around antimicrobial resistance is hard work and superbugs require more resources to reproduce – in more scientific terms, there is a fitness cost associated with antimicrobial resistance. Paying the fitness cost of antimicrobial resistance makes evolutionary sense as long as there is a selective pressure to do so - i.e. antimicrobials keep killing your competition and clearing the way for your offspring. Eliminating the selective pressure to have antimicrobial resistance (eliminating the use of antimicrobials) will put superbugs at a competitive disadvantage since they require more resources to produce offspring. In the absence of antimicrobials superbugs will have to either drop their antimicrobial resistance or be overtaken by the competition. 

I feel like a harbinger of the fall cold & flu season…I guess I kind of am…except that, the main impetus for this post is actually Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) - a cold virus that is typically associated with summer colds!

You can find out more about EV-D68 here.

The best thing you can do for a cold or flu is prevent it! Check out Cold & Flu Season - Part 1: Prevention for the 5 Things You Can Do To Survive The Cold & Flu Season.

If you do start to feel the beginning of a cold or flu drop everything and rest ASAP – lots of sleep/rest now may save you 5-10 days of dragging yourself around at ½ speed. In the first 24-48 hours of the onset of a cold/flu try taking 3 doses (2 pellets) at 4 hour intervals of either:


Oscillococcinum (Anas barbariae): effective in treating the first stages (first 48 hours) of influenza (fever, chills, body aches & pains, etc.)
or
Aconite 30c or 200c: great for acute illness with sudden onset, especially after a shock or exposure.  Symptoms include: excitement, anxiety & fear; restless; a dry cough; and burning heat with a flushed face.

If the 'prevention' and 'nip-it-in-the-bud' ships have sailed and you are now SICK a great place to start is by following the recommendations provided in Cold & Flu Season - Part 2 Treatment. With colds and flus I generally only recommend homeopathic intervention if:

1. If there is either no improvement or a worsening of symptoms
2. If the symptoms are intense (headache, fever, etc.) or unbearable (aches & pains, sleeplessness, etc.)

EV-D68 is a respiratory virus that is currently circulating in the USA and has been impacting children and youth quite hard. Some reports have indicated that 15% of children with the virus are ending up in the intensive care unit. Most cases will be mild and self limiting with symptoms typically last for five to 10 days.

EV-D68 symptoms are similar to common cold: runny nose; cough; sneezing; fever; increased respiratory rate; and wheezing. The concern is that this particular strain of the virus appears to be causing respiratory distress – difficult/forced breathing -  particularly in children with a history of  respiratory illness, such as asthma.

Just like most colds & flus EV-D68 spreads via bodily secretions such as saliva, nasal mucus, or sputum – coughing, sneezing, close contact with infected patients and contact with contaminated surfaces.


Prevention