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Good Germs, Bad Germs

Health and Survival in a Bacterial World
nftaussig
Jul 17, 2013nftaussig rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
In the past, mathematicians distinguished between causation and correlation by saying that there are a lot of sick people in hospitals, but hospitals do not make you sick. The second part of that statement is no longer true. As Jessica Snyder Sachs points out in her excellent book Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World, nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections now kill more Americans than car accidents and homicides combined. The principal cause of these deadly nosocomial infections is anti-biotic resistant bacteria. In her well-researched account, Snyder Sachs explains how the overuse of anti-biotics in medicine and the raising of livestock selected for the evolution of anti-biotic resistance. She also details the horrific consequences of this resistance, from the increasing prevalence of allergies in the industrialized world to nosocomial infections. As Snyder Sachs explains, humans (and other animals) live in a symbiotic relationship with our microflora, a relationship that has been disrupted by full-spectrum anti-biotics that kill not just the harmful bacteria that cause infection but also the helpful bacteria that facilitate the digestion of our food and keep those harmful bacteria in check. She also explains how maintaining a healthy ecosystem of microflora, particularly in the colon, can keep allergens, auto-immune disorders, and bacterial infections in check and the research into how to control infections without producing still more drug resistance. Her account is well worth the effort it takes to read this book, which is accessible to the educated lay reader.