Thank you for the July 10 editorial about antibiotic use in livestock.
The most troubling aspect of constant use of antibiotics in livestock is that human patients are often asked to forgo similar “preventative” antibiotic use so we won’t contribute to bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
A sick child with a likely viral infection will not get antibiotics, while millions of livestock animals in close quarters receive a daily dose. It is as if we have placed our food above our children in importance.
Small local farmers are providing world-class alternatives to the overuse of antibiotics. Purchasing locally rewards those who use antibiotics appropriately while growing our community. Those looking can check with the farmer’s markets, http://www.maloney medical.com or the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
Christopher Maloney, N.D.
Okay, so he is lying when he tries to imply he’s somehow a legitimate doctor with his naturopathic title, “N.D.”, but other than that…he’s actually reasonable. UPDATE: That’ll teach me for not reading such quackery more closely (and at 1:30 in the morning). Antibiotics have nothing to do with treating viruses. They are for bacteria. I expected too much from Maloney.
Of course, there is still the issue of the paper allowing Maloney to put his bogus website in his letter. They’re putting the health of Maine residents at risk by allowing him to link back to his quackery without any sort of disclaimer – especially given the fact that he’s actually making a real point and now spewing some naturopathic, anti-science bullshit.