Dr. Mercola January 29 2008 41,132 views
Doctors in Britain will soon be told to stop prescribing antibiotics for coughs, colds and sore throats. Overuse of the drugs is fuelling the spread of deadly antibiotic-resistant super bugs. A new government program aims to diminish the use of the drugs.
Most colds, coughs and flu are caused by viruses, which cannot be treated with antibiotics since antibiotics only work on bacteria.
Overuse of antibiotics has been blamed for the rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis. If antibiotic use is not curbed, doctors could run out of effective treatment for some diseases.
I am not opposed to antibiotics; they do have an important use under the right circumstances. However, I do believe that well over 95 percent of the time antibiotics are prescribed, they are completely unnecessary, and even worse, cause serious side effects that are sometimes fatal.
Additionally, this unrestrained use of antibiotics in the past has now caught up with us and led to new super-bugs, such as the drug resistant MRSA -- which is why you should never ask your doctor for antibiotics when you suffer from colds, coughs, sore throat, ear aches and flu. These are caused by viruses, which cannot be treated with antibiotics anyway, and usually clear up on their own.
Several common antibiotic ingredients have become less effective due to the increase in drug resistant bacteria, including:
The Dangers of Antibiotic Misuse
Unnecessary use of antibiotics can also leave your body susceptible to gut infections like clostridium difficile by stripping your natural, healthy bacteria from your gut. Clostridium difficile can then take hold and might cause death in vulnerable people, especially the elderly.
By killing not only bad bacteria but also all of the good bacteria, antibiotics weaken your already compromised immune system, which can lead to all sorts of diseases and additional ailments. Antibiotics are also linked to:
The bottom line is that, more often than not, simple infections -- from ear infections to even some urinary tract infections -- clear up without a need for antibiotics, particularly if you’re eating right, exercising, and leading an overall healthy lifestyle.
Healthier Options For Common Ailments
Keeping your immune system in good working order will prevent most bugs from proliferating and causing disease in the first place. Eating a proper diet based on your nutritional type will help you do just that by keeping you in optimal health. Avoiding sugar and fruit juices will also help.
Here are some other, healthier options for preventing or treating ailments that are commonly mis-prescribed with antibiotics:
Ear infections -- Avoiding pasteurized milk is one of the best proactive solutions to prevent ear infections. If your child does develop an ear infection, a simple solution is to put a few drops of breast milk in the ear canal every few hours. This usually works to clear up the infection within 24 to 48 hours and is far safer, less expensive and a better solution than putting the child on antibiotics. Simple wounds -- As a natural antimicrobial remedy for wounds, try raw honey instead, which is a natural antimicrobial that works wonders when applied topically. Common cold and flu – The most helpful remedy for reducing cold transmission is to wash your hands frequently with plain soap and water. Remember that antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary here as well and cause far more harm than good. rawSimple zinc lozenges can help speed up your recovery from a cold, if you do get one, by almost half. But perhaps one of the best tricks I ever found for treating colds and flu’s is simply putting a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ears. Sinus infections – Drink hot liquids such as tea or chicken soup, and apply warm compresses to your face. Irrigating your sinuses using a nettie pot filled with a saline solution can also speed up your recovery.
Ear infections -- Avoiding pasteurized milk is one of the best proactive solutions to prevent ear infections. If your child does develop an ear infection, a simple solution is to put a few drops of breast milk in the ear canal every few hours. This usually works to clear up the infection within 24 to 48 hours and is far safer, less expensive and a better solution than putting the child on antibiotics.
Simple wounds -- As a natural antimicrobial remedy for wounds, try raw honey instead, which is a natural antimicrobial that works wonders when applied topically.
Common cold and flu – The most helpful remedy for reducing cold transmission is to wash your hands frequently with plain soap and water. Remember that antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary here as well and cause far more harm than good. rawSimple zinc lozenges can help speed up your recovery from a cold, if you do get one, by almost half. But perhaps one of the best tricks I ever found for treating colds and flu’s is simply putting a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ears.
Sinus infections – Drink hot liquids such as tea or chicken soup, and apply warm compresses to your face. Irrigating your sinuses using a nettie pot filled with a saline solution can also speed up your recovery.
If for some reason you do have to take an antibiotic, always make sure to supplement with probiotics: There is a common confusion that one should wait until finished with the antibiotic to start taking probiotics. Even though the antibiotic is killing the good bacteria, that is exactly when you need it the most. So I would triple the dose of probiotics, as it will tend to prevent the common diarrhea complication many have with the antibiotic.
In the dizzying urban life of Japan, which I abandoned, doctors prescribe antibiotics as a matter of course for colds. To keep up the fast pace and meet clients without being all boogery, the trick is to go straight to the doctor, get the antibiotics and take them all, then go back for more, because in the case of everyone I know who is still doing this, it is the only thing that will clear it up. They are aware that it is an abuse, and do not appreciate being reminded of that. Frankly, the "success" one achieves in that lifestyle, while glittering, is so utterly shallow, once you step back and look at it, as to be absurd. The price yet to be paid is enormous.
I totally agree. In fact, I have not had either a cold or the flu this year which I believe is attributable to taking Echinacea for two weeks before we flew to New England for Christmas, during our stay, and even after returning to the South.
While I have been eating well --too well--and drinking plenty of water, whenever I'm going to be where people may be ill, I begin taking Echinacea again in the tincture form, which is under my tongue upon arising in the morning.
In fact, I think that the best way to stay well (and I'm 65) is to avoid doctors and the pharm industry.
Lets realize that the "homeopathy," centered on "like cures like" -- and "Naturopathy" are not the same... Homeopathy is a small portion (my least favorite) of what is taught in Naturopathy. (I do NOT take Belladonna to "cure" arthritis caused by accumulative Nightshades.)
See: nccam.nih.gov/.../homeopathy for the following:
3. What kind of training do homeopathic practitioners receive?
In European countries, training in homeopathy is usually pursued either as a primary professional degree completed over 3 to 6 years or as postgraduate training for doctors.14
In the United States, training in homeopathy is offered through diploma programs, certificate programs, short courses, and correspondence courses. Also, homeopathic training is part of medical education in naturopathy, A whole medical system that originated in Europe. Naturopathy aims to support the body's ability to heal itself through the use of dietary and lifestyle changes together with CAM therapies such as herbs, massage, and joint manipulation..e Most homeopathy in the United States is practiced along with another health care practice for which the practitioner is licensed, such as conventional medicine, naturopathy, chiropractic, dentistry, acupuncture, A family of procedures that originated in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body by a variety of techniques, including the insertion of thin metal needles though the skin. It is intended to remove blockages in the flow of qi and restore and maintain health., or veterinary medicine (homeopathy is used to treat animals).
Laws about what is required to practice homeopathy vary among states. Three states (Connecticut, Arizona, and Nevada) license medical doctors specifically for homeopathy.
e. Naturopathy, also known as naturopathic medicine, is an alternative medical system that emphasizes natural healing approaches (such as herbs, nutrition, and movement or manipulation of the bod
If we don't blame the doctors, who then? They, unfortunately, have been pushing drugs, drugs, drugs for decades. They, with their obscenely wealthy suppliers (Big Pharm), have successfully educated the American public to be a people who believe that a legal drug is the best way to address any and all maladies. People did not arrive at these conclusions on their own. A doctor's responsibility is to teach; this is done consciously and/or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally. I will have earned a Chiropractic degree later this year. My responsibility is to assist those who come to me in their quest for better health and I will do my utmost to share what I know. Some want to know, others are not ready yet and some may never be ready but I must give them the opportunity.
shaneperrone, I understand your thought process on this. I worked in a busy clinic for a couple of years and was awe struck over and over by people coming in with demands. BUT, I do believe it is the doctors responsibility to offer other alternatives with a positive attitude. If the physician would educate the patients as to what would work best for their condition, whether it be vitamins, dietary supplements, food elimination, chiropractic care, etc, people would develop a new respect for the physician.
Since your parents seem to understand that the antibiotics are not the answer, why not give the patient the help they need. Educate them.
Despite the "well meaning" excuse drs just don't get it , and we are generaly healthier to stay away. Soverignty is what it is all about for me, and mine. That is why I read Dr Mercola!, I am doing my research! Cheers!
Good Article.. one can only hope this is read by all doctors.. Interesting part from the article.. "If antibiotic use is not curbed, doctors could run out of effective treatment as certain bugs become resistant to more and more drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to invest the billions of pounds needed to research and develop new antibiotics because they are not very profitable." So the drug companies have moved on.. they have stopped thier antibiotic campaign.. Its not profitable.. That's good for us.. Maybe now we can transition to less antibiotic use..