Whenever I happen to read about any kind of problem that is in the realm of health care, there always seems to be a lot of blame that gets passed around the table.
There was a recent article in the news that spoke specifically about "Superbugs" and the anti-biotic resistant mutated strains of common infections.
The blame game was started!!
Please note that these comments are direct quotes from public forums and, in no way, represent my thoughts or opinions on the subject.
My personal top ten 'blame' arguments include (in no particular order):
1.
"It is because of all of the hormones and anti-biotics that are prevalent in the meat that we eat."
2.
"Doctors are over-prescribing antibiotics and have been over-vaccinating us for years."
3.
"Patients are misusing/overusing anti-biotics."
4.
"People need to stop going the doctor pushing for anti-biotics for every little sniffle or cough."
5.
"It's because of Harper* - he fired all of the scientists." (I am not lying, this is a direct quote.)
*this person actually wrote "Harpo", but spoke of the Canadian government and made it clear that the nickname referred to Harper.
6. This one was particularly funny:
"They need to push more herbal remedies..."
"Only if the herbal remedies are proven by the scientific method."
- soooooo medication?
7. This argument never seems to get old apparently:
"The doctors are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies."
8.
"It's because we are sinners and God is punishing us... We must follow and learn through Christ."
9.
"We overuse cleaning and sanitizing products."
10.
"Leave it to mankind to assume we're going to win the evolutionary arms race. Bacteria are superior to us in every way."
So, it's settled!
The reason there are drug-resistant superbugs is because of God, the government, doctors, patients misusing antibiotics, being overly clean, vaccinations, simple evolution, 'whiney' people, the hormones and antibiotics in our food, and that we are not ingesting 'natural' substances.
I guess the truth is that we may never know exactly why we are dealing with drug-resistant strains of common bugs.... And really, even if we DO find out PRECISELY what the cause is, there will still be countless groups of people who will not believe the discovery.
So my biggest question is - what do we do about it?
I am absolutely 100% satisfied by allowing the qualified professionals work on determining the exact cause. These individuals have studied and attended schooling for that very purpose, and we, as a democratic and self-sustaining people in Canada, have licensed these qualified professionals to do exactly what they do.
So instead of focusing on playing the 'blame game' and fabricating my own opinions based on reading the research of others... Rather than making any kind of assumption or even educated guess... All I would like to know is what to do if I, or anyone I care about, were to ever come into contact and fall ill with a 'super bug'.
Because really, at that point in time, if there is no concrete and scientifically proven cause, then how will assumptions and blame help?
I know, I know, many people feel as though if they do not know what the reason is for something, then they cannot deal with it.
Trust me, it takes years and years of tortured practice to 'get the hang' of simply accepting what is what and focus on the next step rather than obssess over the cause.
Many of my illnesses do not have proven causes. In fact, I have symptoms daily that *could* be attributed to a LONG LONG list of ailments and situations and medications. Sure, I can make a very educated guess, but I will never know absolutely 100%, so what good does it do me to obssess about it?
I have very much gotten in the habit of writing down every possible cause if I have new symptom.
For instance - yesterday I had that narcoleptic sleeping pattern that I also had back in February. I THINK I know the probable cause, but I wrote down:
What I ate, what the weather was like, what activities I participated in, how much I slept and what kind of sleep was it, if I had nightmares or not, if I was sore or in more pain than usual, what time I took my medications, I measured my arms, waist, and legs to check for swelling, added any excitement or psychological stress or nervousness, checked the temperature in my house, checked the wind report (any drastic weather changes), and where I am currently in my cycle.
Some things are there simply because they just ARE.
Instead of backtracking to find blame, sometimes it is more beneficial to write it all down and simply move forward. If it continues or happens again, I know that I have much of my environment documented, so if I NEED to look back and happen to see any trends, then I can narrow it down to a few main assumptions. But I will never know for certain.
Take nausea for example:
Sure, I become less nauseous when I take Gravol. With that said, usually when I take my Gravol, I am also taking other medications. I am also on my way to bed - I am much more relaxed and calm and have let go the stresses of the day. I also cuddle with my puppy. I put on my oil diffuser and read before bed. I also brush my teeth and wash my face and wear comfy pajamas. So, in theory, my nausea is reduced from Gravol... But you *could* make the observation that there is a correlation between puppy cuddles and reduced rates of nausea and vomiting.
Maybe that's all anyone really needs - puppy cuddles.
The point is - who cares? I feel better. Awesome! I'll keep that routine going.
As for a true, scientifically proven, cause for any of my symptoms:
Always waiting.
Always in the dark.
Always continually learning and figuring things out.
😊