Without evidence of benefit, an intervention should not be presumed to be beneficial or safe.

- Rogue Medic

One Reason Why Understanding Evolution Matters

 

How well prepared are we for the drug resistant bugs that are moving up in the rankings of our causes of death in America?

According to this, and according to a lot of other sources, we are not very well prepared.
 

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Then there are a couple of minutes of questions and answers.

 

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The bacteria are evolutionarily more successful than we are. We appear to have been put here for the purpose of transporting and feeding bacteria.

The problem with bacteria evolving resistance to medications continues to increase.

We need new influenza vaccines each year because the mutations of these viruses in farm animals and humans result in different strains. Eventually, we may be able to have a universal vaccine that recognizes a less mutable part of influenza and causes immunity.

Even then, there will be people who do not understand that they may have an infection that appears minor to them, while it is still infectious to others who may not be able to be vaccinated or who may not develop immunity from vaccination. They act as if infecting others is a personal choice, rather than reckless behavior.

Antibiotics are too often prescribed to protect Press-Ganey scores.

Is there anything sane about this?

This is the invisible and irrational hand of the market at work. Our actions seem to be designed to assist the bacteria in eating us.
 

Homeopathic malaria vaccines are available in the store. The only way that malaria is affected homeopathic vaccines is to be fed. Then the malaria can spread to more people. There is no magical memory that develops in water when you hit the water over the head just so.[1],[2]

This is a bit late for Homeopathy Awareness Week (April 9 – 16), but it is always good to remind people that there is no need to take a procrastination pill and avoid real medicine.
 

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Homeopathy may not be as harmful as giving antibiotics for viral illnesses, but the basis for both is the same – Just do something, no matter how useless or dangerous.

While gullibility would seem to predispose any species to an excess of Darwin Awards, our less sapient examples seem to reproduce more than adequately before their reality moments. The rest of us seem to be intent on trying to make it safer for the ignorant to remain so.

If the Biblical literalists are correct, and we were created in the image of a perfect being, why would that perfect being have any kind of alimentary equipment? Is that any less literal than 6 days, 6 millennia ago?

Footnotes:

[1] 179. Bad Air
A Gobbet ‘o Pus
Dr. Mark Crislip
Less than a 5 minutes Podcast in mp3 format.

[2] Neal’s Yard promotes homeopathy for measles. This could kill real children
By Tom Chivers
Science
Last updated: April 8th, 2013
The Telegraph
Article

Read some of the comments. They are just as ridiculous as any of the other science denialist groups. They do not like it when people point out that using their product kills people. Then read the article below about the sources of the research that “proves” homeopathy works, even though nobody can ever reproduce the results under research conditions.

[3] More rubbish homeopathic research from Boiron
Published Wednesday 10 April 2013
Dr. Edzard Ernst
Article

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