Antibiotics in animal feed can harm children
Its been a long time coming, and holistic doctors and other health advocates have been saying the same thing for years, but the American Academy of Pediatrics has finally publicly stated that antibiotics in our livestock feed has become a serious problem and health risk:
“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) technical report says the practice of adding antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs to the feed of healthy livestock, commonly done to promote growth and prevent disease among animals in crowded conditions, often leaves the drugs ineffective when they’re needed to treat infections in people, especially the youngest among us.”
Antibiotics are used more in animals than humans and unlike us, farmers don’t need to treat a specific illness with antibiotics; indiscriminately and without a veterinarian ‘s input, antibiotics are pumped into the water livestock drink and the food they eat. And this is where it becomes problematic for humans.
Children with compromised immune systems are the most at risk. Because of overprescription by doctors, for things like colds or other viral illnesses that antibiotics can’t help with and a constant source of antibiotics in the food we eat, people may become infected with a bacteria that the antibiotic will not be able to kill. While it is true that these types of infections are very rare there are still more than two million people affected annually in the US and more than 23,000 die from them.
Dr.’s are now recommending that parents both stop asking for antibiotics when they aren’t necessary and that they stop feeding their families animal products that have been raised with antibiotics. Obviously the agriculture and farming industry doesn’t like this however, it seems that the winds of change are blowing.
We will continue to watch stories like these and hope they become more prominent. We encourage everyone to challenge the status quo and demand better food for themselves and their families. This movement is becoming a force to be reckoned with!
