Superbugs are dreaded illness because of their ability to resist commonly used antibiotics. This can obviously become a major problem because 1) they are relentless and often take much time to kick, and 2) they are often contagious and spread like wildfire. So all of us should be interested in how to avoid superbugs, right? Right. Thankfully, by a few lifestyle standards like washing our hands, eating real food, and increasing probiotics in our gut, we can dramatically increase our chances of avoiding these superbugs.
“Did I scare you?!
Just kidding. They’re not everywhere… yet… (dun dun DUHN!) 😉
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’re probably familiar with my strong aversion towards superbugs…but, if not, it’s still okay… ’cause I’m gonna go out on a limb and get really vulnerable with you guys. I’m going to tell you about one of my deepest, darkest childhood fears… don’t judge. 😉
The year was 1990-something…
It was right around bedtime, and my family was all together watching Dateline (or maybe it was Nightline)… either way… Doom & Gloom. There was a particularly riveting episode this night.
The topic… Staph Infections… of the flesh-eating variety.
My wide-eyed, unsuspecting, 10 (or 11)-year old self sat captivated in front of the TV, paralyzed in fear… and a gripping fascination.
I consumed every second of their foreboding story of a woman’s life-threatening battle with a deadly form of flesh-eating Staph infection. They showed vivid images (which I will spare you in description of), and spoke of the nearness of these bacteria… lurking in public restrooms… community pools… and yes… even playgrounds.
And I thought, Oh… Dear… God… this is the end of us.
(don’t worry Mom, I don’t remember having nightmares that night. 😉 )
Needless to say, they painted a gruesome picture that my unassuming young self took and ran with. Fast forward to today… I’ve armed myself with a little more knowledge on the subject , and luckily, am much less afraid since I know we actually have more power over the fate of our future in health and treating infections than I may have previously thought! (although, admittedly, I’m still a little freaked out by the occasional Dateline exposé! 😉 )
So, even though I’ve written a few times about various superbuggy things… For arguments sake, I want to make sure everyone’s on the same page, and cover a few basics before diving into the hows of reducing your risk of getting caught by one of these menacing critters!
What’s a Superbug?!
I think Websters does a nice job of defining them succinctly…
SUPERBUG: a pathogenic microorganism and especially a bacterium that has developed resistance to the medications normally used against it
Layman’s terms: A superbug is a type of infection that is hard to treat because it’s built up a resistance to commonly used antibiotics.”
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