Antibiotics are so widely prescribed--often unnecessarily--that drug-resistant bacterial strains have begun to develop. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the 100 million prescriptions written by office-based physicians each year in the United States, half are unnecessary because they are prescribed for ailments that are not affected by antibiotics, such as the common cold and other viral infections.
In an attempt to reduce the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a final rule including new labeling regulations for antibiotics has been released.
The final rule focuses on reducing the number of inappropriate prescriptions given to children and adults for common ailments like ear infections and chronic coughs. Antibiotics are often prescribed for illnesses that are caused by viral, rather than bacterial, infections. This increases the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can then be passed on to others, making bacterial infections more difficult to treat. Also, many patients with viral infections would get better without any antibiotic treatment.
The new rule requires labeling on all systemically absorbed human antibacterial drugs advising that the drugs should only be used to treat infections that are caused by bacteria. It also requires a statement encouraging physicians to advise their patients about the correct use of such drugs.
The rule was created through a joint effort of the FDA, the CDC, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through their Public Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance.
Several bacterial species have already become resistant to every approved antibiotic and other bacterial species, including those that cause pneumonia, meningitis and sexually transmitted diseases, are becoming increasingly resistant.
Science Blog February 5, 2003
Some people may believe that I never advise the use of antibiotics--this is not true.
I do believe, however, that they are widely over-used. Even the conservative Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that traditional doctors prescribe twice as many antibiotics as are needed.
Based on my observations the unnecessary use of antibiotics far exceeds the 50 percent level; it is likely that more than 90 percent of antibiotic prescriptions could be avoided.
Most unnecessary antibiotics are used to treat infections that are the result of not following simple health guidelines. Neglecting these guidelines will cause the immune system to become impaired, making it temporarily susceptible to infections that are present in the environment.
Unfortunately, much of the public still believes the battle is against external parasites, viruses and bacteria. A healthier strategy is to take personal responsibility for your capacity to resist these infections by the application of these foundational health strategies:
Consistently after applying these health strategies, many of my new patients comment that they just don’t get sick like they did before.
I am fortunate that nearly all of the patients who come to my practice seek to avoid antibiotics, so often I don’t need to educate them on the potential complications of unnecessary antibiotic use.
Unfortunately, many well-intentioned physicians come across this challenge regularly in their practices and capitulate to their patients’ demands for antibiotics rather than spending time arguing with them and risking losing them as patients.