Antibiotics do save lives, but common ailments like a runny nose, coughs and some earaches mend better under the “watch and wait” method–usually settling down with no intervention, according to a recent Scandinavian study published in Pediatrics magazine. “Antibiotics do not help most children,” doctors Keith Sehnert and Lendon Smith write, and “family doctors should often wait for 24 to 48 hours before prescribing them.”
Overuse of antibiotics is rampant, according to the World Health Organization. Some studies show that more than 70 percent of ailments for which antibiotics are prescribed are viral in nature; meaning an antibiotic treatment does little good. The WHO has long warned that overuse of antibiotics is likely to breed superbugs that will then prove resistant to available medicines. Such overuse can also cause recurrent infections, and recent studies show that it’s detrimental to one’s overall health, given that the antibiotics destroy so-called good bacteria along with the bad.
The Belgians are leading a Europewide move to stop misuse and abuse of antibiotics. Just over a year ago they launched a national campaign to inform doctors and parents on the dangers of overuse. In the first 12 months they noted a 6 percent drop in prescriptions.
What To Do?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued easy-to-follow guidelines.
Sometimes you shouldn’t avoid antibiotics. In cases of respiratory illness and some ear infections, they are crucial to full recovery. But if you are not convinced by the doctor’s prescription, and are truly against using antibiotics at all costs, find a licensed doctor who practices holistic or naturopathic medicine who agrees with you.
