Tired of trying various types of antibiotics to cure your illness? Don't worry, like many other people around the world you are a victim of bacterial antibiotic-resistance. Wondering why? The answer to this question is simple, physicians and hospitals have over prescribed antibiotics, even for illnesses that are not caused by bacteria. Since there is no accurate diagnostic testing for bacterial infections, physicians prescribe antibiotics when symptoms of common infections are shown in patients. However, it is probable that the patient could have a viral disease, thus the use of antibiotics is unnecessary. Bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics through overexposure. According to recent studies, 70% of children have at least received one type of antibiotic since birth. This overexposure to antibiotics causes strains of bacteria to survive the exposure and pass on that resistance trait to successive generations. Eventually, the antibiotic wipes out all vulnerable bacteria, and only resistant bacteria remain.
             There is no suggestion that antibiotic use should be stopped, the aim is to reduce the level of prescription in cases where they are not need. Over use of antibiotics may relate to misinformation or misunderstanding about which infections benefit from the use of an antibiotic. For example, if a patient suffers from a common cold and is experiencing a slight throat irritation, the wise decision would be to decline antibiotic use and try other forms of cold medications like Tylenol or Motrin. What people don't realize is that viruses are not alleviated with antibiotics.
             In many cases, the overuse of antibiotics in human medicine is to blame, but use of antibiotics in animals also contributes to the evolution of antibiotic-resistance.
             The use of antibiotics in food animals is a strong contributor to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment, because it involves feeding low doses of an...