By Staff Writer - April, 30th 2014

There are two million American adults and children that gets exposed and contracts infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year based on the survey by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of them die because of those mere infections.

Studies have shown that every meat you buy in the market contains a small dose of antibiotics except meats that are grown organically. The problem lies in the fact that bacteria not killed by the antibiotic somehow poses a stronger and more developed resistance through mutation.

Now it is discovered that meats sold in American grocery stores and restaurants come from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which houses thousands and thousands of animals congested in one big factory or farm. Most of these work places, if not all, are left unsanitary, and not well-maintained thus exposing these animals to diseases, enhancing the growth of foodborne pathogens and bacteria contamination.

It is also believed that these drug-resistant bacteria can easily be transmitted in kitchens during food preparation. These bacteria could spread in cutting boards upon preparing raw poultry such as chicken, pork, and beef.

As noted by Dr. James R. Johnson, a certified researcher on infectious diseases, he said:

“If other foods go on those boards before the boards get cleaned, or even after they're cleaned if the cleaning isn't 100 percent effective, the other foods, which may not get cooked, or not as thoroughly as poultry, likely would get contaminated and so could possibly pose an even higher risk of transmission to humans than the poultry products themselves.”

To avoid the contamination of these potential harmful bacteria, here are my strong recommendations:

– Use different cutting boards to do specific functions–one cutting board for raw meat and poultry and another for cutting vegetables. Color coding them would be helpful in the food preparation.

– To thoroughly clean the cutting board, use hot water and soap to clean the cutting board. When you simply wipe the cutting board, you are actually spreading the bacteria all over it and not removing the bacteria.

– Make a “do-it-yourself” sanitizer. It's quick and simple. Just mix 3% hyrdrogen peroxide and vinegar. Put it in a spray bottle. Spray on the surface as needed and wipe off the cutting board.

– Try other means. Another alternative to clean the cutting board is coconut oil. It is very effective in eliminating all kinds of microbes. Olive oil can also be made as a substitute and as a conditioner for wooden cutting boards.

Here's why you might think twice before purchasing antibacterial detergents and sanitizers in the market:

You might be one of the many consumers that go to grocery stores to buy commercially made antibacterial detergents to clean your kitchen and sanitizers to wash your hands. However, triclosan, which is almost found in potent antibacterial and antifungal agents  has been detected to contain human blood, urine, and breast milk.  This is the commonly used ingredient in making detergents and sanitizers. You can find it in ingredient labels. Excessive use of this has been deemed proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

As reported by Science News:

“Because triclosan usually kills bacteria, the finding was a surprise, says [microbiologist Blaise] Boles, who works to understand why only some people harbor staph. A person carrying the microbe in his or her nose, he says, has a much higher risk of a staph infection, which can occur in the skin and blood and cause pneumonia and produce toxic shock syndrome.

…In the lab, the researchers found that staph grown with nonlethal doses of triclosan were more ‘sticky,' attaching better to human proteins, as well as to glass and plastic surfaces. Nonlethal doses of triclosan in snot could help staph hunker down in the nose, giving it an advantage over other nose-dwelling microbes, Boles says.”

Another interesting fact to note is that triclosan has been found to have both estrogenic and androgenic activity that relates to hormone disruption in animals.

Caution for those who patronize disinfectant wipes

If you look carefully on the ingredient label of disinfectant wipes products, you might encounter a preservative ingredient called methylisothiazolinone (MI). It can produce serious allergic reactions. It was later found out the possible risks of using this ingredient which was thought to be safe before.

Other practical ways and means to avoid the spread of drug resistant bacteria.

First and foremost, everyone needs to take the issue of antibiotic use seriously. This is of course an issue that must be addressed on a large scale, both within modern medicine and agriculture, but you also need to evaluate your own use of antibiotics, and avoid taking them — or giving them to your children — unless absolutely necessary. I also recommend reducing your exposure to antibiotics by choosing organic, grass-fed or pastured meat and dairy products for your family, as organic standards do not permit the use of antibiotics for growth-promotion purposes. Avoiding this regular low-dosing of antibiotics can go a long way toward safeguarding your health. Aside from that, here are a few other sound methods that can help prevent the spread of infectious bacteria of all kinds:

1. Wash Your Hands… and Make Sure Your Doctor Does Too. Handwashing is one of the oldest and most powerful antibacterial treatments. …

As my personal advice for all those who take careful precautions on what to buy in the market, we should take heed on the ingredients and chemicals that are used that goes with the everyday products that we use at our homes. Stay informed to avoid these dangers mentioned. Promote organic products to live a healthy life. Like the saying goes, “Natural is always best.”

Make sure to read the rest of the article at Mercola.com

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