1.

Essay
Antibiotics, their use, and the growing resistance to them has become a very
controversial issue in todays society, with opinions on every side of the issue. There is
a growing number of bacteria that is becoming resistant to current antibiotics, meaning
there are less and less antibiotics that can be used to kill bacteria. Part of the issue of
antibiotic innovation is that pharmaceutical companies do not find a financial gain in
developing antibiotics because they are costly and come with little financial gain. When
looking at this issue, it is important to understand that pharmaceutical companies
operate in a capitalist environment where their existence is based on profit. I believe
governments need to intervene to help increase the production of antibiotics because
this is becoming a life and death issue. One way is to enlist help from the worldwide
scientific community and other countries and jointly research antibiotic development as
a joint government. By pooling resources, no single country would have to take the
burden of funding the development alone. This would also give the scientific community
access to various cultures, people, and bacteria to help produce antibiotics that will
work. Governments also need to find a way to subsidize pharmaceutical companies to
help reduce the financial burden they have to take to develop these
medications. Another thing that should happen is a worldwide education campaign
about antibiotics and enforcement on policies that reduce the use of antibiotics in
healthcare and food production.

A different perspective on this issue is the idea of hoe medications are priced. Because
antibiotics are expensive to develop and dont have a true chance to make a profit,
prices for them, especially new ones, are very high and society, as a whole, does not
want to pay the price. One thing that is discussed, on top of finding ways to bring down
the cost of research and development, is to educate society on the cost of antibiotics in
hopes to gain support for paying the price, as well as a movement to help find ways to
drive down the cost. The issue is that society needs to truly understand the lifesaving
role antibiotics play in fighting infections and that they are needed and their
development needs to continue, even at a high price tag (Sukkar, 2013).

Another response to this crisis is to find natural ways to boost the bodys natural
immunity. Gautam Dantas, an assistant professor of pathology at Washington
University School of Medicine, states there are four ways to boost the bodys natural
immunity that can help fight antibiotic resistance. These methods include avoiding
sugar since bacteria feed off sugars, eat fermented foods at every meal, ingest healthy
fats, and to relax and be mindful. The research he conducted shows that these
methods are ways to help the body be as healthy as possible which will help the
immune system be as efficient as possible (Body Ecology, 2016).

Antibiotic resistance is a crisis in our current society that needs to be addressed.

Antibiotics are widely used, which is creating the resistance, but not widely developed.
Research shows that more antibiotics are needed in a very rapid manner, but they
arent being researched and produces at a rate that meets the need. This,
unfortunately, touches every aspect of society. We are starting to see bacteria that are
resistant to every antibiotic in production, without a proper response, this will become a
deadly crisis that will be hard to stop.

Body Ecology. (2016, March 24). 4 Natural Ways to Boost Immunity and Fight Antibiotic
Resistance. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from https://bodyecology.com/articles/4-natural-
ways-to-boost-immunity-and-fight-antibiotic-resistance

Sukkar, E. (2013, November 13). Why are there so few antibiotics in research and
development pipeline? Retrieved July 21, 2017, from http://www.pharmaceutical-
journal.com/news-and-analysis/features/why-are-there-so-few-antibiotics-in-the-
research-and-development-pipeline.html

2. Reflection Statement
The articles I read in this class and as it relates to antibiotic resistance really made me
more interested in science as a whole and antibiotic resistance in particular. These
articles showed scientists in a very interesting way, they showed them involved in
political discussions, but doing so in a way where recommendations are based on
science and not the emotional arguments I normally hear with politics activism. The
scientists portrayed in a very professional manner and showed they were people that
cared about the particular issue, but in a way that was testable and provable by science.
It seems like they present the research and give their recommendations based not the
research and wait for the outcome. I respect this type of activism because it is honest
and transparent which makes it very hard to argue and refute with any kind of truth.

These articles used science to really show how the issues (antibiotic resistance for
instance) can have an effect on the world. It connects to all parts of society because it
is something that can effect everyone. A good portion of the population, for instance,
ingests antibiotics either through prescriptions or through food and also face resistant
bacteria. Because of this, the antibiotic resistance issue effects humanities, economics,
and government because all societal institutions can have a say in it. The
pharmaceutical companies want to make money and government deals with the safety
of people and how to help populations. Because of these connections, it is important to
make decisions based on scientific explorations in order to help the most people.

This class was the first class I took involving physical science, especially as it relates to
the planet and the human body. Entering this class I was nervous because most of my
schooling has been in social sciences, as the class went on I realized how fascinated I
was with science and biology, especially when we learned about things that effect the
human body, either through our anatomy and physiology, or how outside things
(antibiotics) alter how our body works. I find myself wanting to learn more about how
the body works and how it responds to various stimuli.