Farming Animals and the Bird Flu Connection

With a flu pandemic imminent in the eyes of many experts, people around the world are left to question when it might happen and how bad it might become. But it is also important to know how this virus erupted, putting us on the brink of worldwide devastation.

While disease is inevitable, we all know that personal lifestyle choices and habits can make a big difference in whether or not we get sick. In the same way, how our society conducts itself and manages the earth’s resources can impact how prevalent a disease becomes for the society as a whole.

One of the world’s prime health issues is in the practice of raising animals for slaughter, which is often so unsanitary that it creates a 'hot zone' for disease. These animals, which include cows, pigs and chickens, live in quarters that are packed together in crammed and filthy conditions. And the waste that they create not only pollutes the environment they are in, but also the local water supplies.

To try and combat this disease potential, farmers fill their animals’ food and water with antibiotics and other drugs. But when it comes to a viral illness like the flu, it cannot be controlled with antibiotics because antibiotics only bolster the body against bacterial infections, not viruses. So, the only way to prevent this dangerous cycle from continuing is to reduce the amount of animal farming that is practiced in the world today.

And the best way you can help protect Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants is by choosing a healthy way of life – vegetarian style. At Down to Earth we have plenty of delicious foods, recipes, cookbooks and friendly personnel to make it fun, tasty and easy to eat a plant-based diet. So be sure to stop by our store this month and check out all the good things we have for you to eat.