“Stop taking antibiotics for colds”, experts plea. About 30% of antibiotic prescriptions in the US are unnecessary and unhelpful. Antibiotics kill bacteria, but many common diseases are caused by viruses… and treated with antibiotics anyway.
At least antibiotics are supposed to kill bacteria. The more antibiotics are used the more bacteria are able to develop resistance to them, and some of the new strains have the genetic key to quickly spread resistance to other bacteria. Antibiotics are fine to use judiciously, but taking them when you don’t need them or not finishing off a prescription (stopping when you feel better, not when you’ve taken the full antibiotic load) contributes to the growth of antibiotic resistant superbugs.
Already, thousands are dieing globally from superbugs. Hospitals and retirement homes are key locations where superbugs are developing because patients/residents are often given antibiotics preventatively. If the trends continue, those numbers are expected to rise. The real problems begin when common surgeries we take for granted (from simple appendectomies to c-sections) become life-threatening from the risk of untreatable infection, nevermind their own inherent risks!
It’s not just a global problem, it’s impacting the people taking too many antibiotics right now. First, it’s not curing their illness. Second, it’s killing the good bacteria in their stomach. And last but not least, it’s causing them to become carriers of superbugs. That means the next time their immune system is weak, or they need surgery (your skin is a repository of bacteria, hopefully good bacteria, but superbugs can accumulate) the risk of a superbug infection is high.
What can you do? Don’t ask for antibiotics. Common viral illnesses like colds, flu, bronchitis, and sinus infections won’t be improved by taking an antibiotic (besides the placebo effect). Traditional advice is still true: treat a viral illness with rest, fluids, and time. You can also support your immune system with colloidal silver.
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