Well there you go! The studies are finally catching up with the wisdom of alternative medicine, which has been saying for years and years that antibiotics are over prescribed, oh yes. Writing prescriptions for antibiotics in the case of a sore throat, cold, flu or bronchitis has been doing more harm than good. With the millions of visits to the doctors office over the last few years, doctors have been unwilling, it seems, to take the time to explain why antibiotics would not work for someone’s viral infection and just went ahead and knowingly prescribed an ineffective antibiotic anyway.
This has turned into a major problem, as new antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are becoming rampant, lessening the potency of antibiotics as they are – even when they could be helpful. Antibiotics are not only creating monster germs, but when ill prescribed can wreak havoc on an already vulnerable system. The word biotics is described in the dictionary as: “Of or having to do with life or living organisms.” In other words, anti-biotics kill living organisms. They do not only kill bacteria responsible for bacterial infections – which are NOT the major cause of sore throats, bronchitis or most colds – they also kill good bacteria in the system needed to digest food and derive nutrients from our food.
What is called ‘good flora’ or friendly bacteria is one of the most important lines of defense our body has against invaders. This friendly flora as it were, covers our skin, lines our mouth, lives in our stomach and gut and basically coats every surface of the body. The problem with antibiotics, even when we do have a bacterial infection, is that the antibiotics clean house and not in a good way. It is absolutely essential, if you have taken or are taking any antibiotics, that you replenish the friendly bacteria in your system with what are known as pro-biotics, such as acidophilus.
A medical convention meeting in San Francisco today will address this issue of the over-prescribing of antibiotics to the medical industry in hopes to curb such behavior in the future and stop creating havoc in the systems of people who do not benefit from the use of antibiotics. Remember, colds, the flu, most sore throats and bronchitis are not bacterial, but viral infections and do not respond to antibiotics. If your doctor tries to prescribe them for you in these cases, do not accept! If and when you take antibiotics, make sure you replenish your friendly flora so as to not open yourself up as a reception center for “bad” bacteria to settle in.
Antibiotics are largely over prescribed and very much over-used in today’s world. Just look at the ridiculously over-the-top use of antibacterial hand soap EVERYWHERE you go. They are using this stuff on our kids hands in school every day prior to lunch and though the intention is well and good, the effects may not be. Wiping out the good flora on the hands, especially in children, can open them up to receiving other bacteria and skin conditions that are not so easy to over-come. A better practice would be to get some essential oil based hand sanitizer which offers the same protection without destroying the good flora.
The word is out – doctors are over prescribing antibiotics and have been for many years – oh yes. It is time the public became aware of this information. Physician and researcher Dr. Jeffrey Linder, from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted the study with his colleague Dr. Michael Barnett. The study is published in the JAMA Internal Medicine today.
Written by: Stasia Bliss