Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria. When antibiotics first came out they were considered to be miracle drugs. They were able to cure people of illnesses that were previously incurable. When people got sick they would go to the physician and get a shot of antibiotics or a prescription for antibiotics. These drugs became so popular and so relied upon that it almost became a given that a trip to the physician would result in a prescription for or a shot of antibiotics. For many years, this was the standard of medical care. The physician’s thought was to give an antibiotic “just in case”. If it cured the illness, great! And if it did not, well then no harm in trying.
However, an unexpected thing happened with the use of so many antibiotics over the years. The bacteria that these drugs killed got smarter. They found ways to resist the antibiotics. These bacteria became known as resistant bacteria. For many years this was not a problem as drug companies continued to find ways to overcome the bacterial resistance. For example, bacteria began to form a self-protective component such as a beta lactam ring, making it resistant to amoxicillin. The drug companies then produced a component to break open that beta lactam ring and kill the bacteria. An example of the drug companies’ response would be the addition of clavulanate to amoxicillin. This combination drug is known as Augmentin. As time passes, however, the drugs are losing pace with the mutating bacteria. We now have some highly resistant bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staph aureus (MRSA).
If physicians continue to prescribe antibiotics at the rate they are now, very shortly we will lose the ability to treat bacterial infections because they will all be resistant to antibiotics. It’s ironic that the use of these very same miracle drugs, which have cured so many people, is slowly causing it to be impossible to cure people anymore.
So what’s the solution? Simple. Only use antibiotics when they will work. Although this sounds obvious, it is really not happening yet. Because the expectation of getting an antibiotic with every doctor visit has become so entrenched in society, patients demand them and doctors give them out to save time and to appease the patient rather than explaining why they won’t work. Not all illnesses are caused by bacteria. As a matter of fact, bacteria do not cause the vast majority of illnesses. There are viruses, fungi, cancer, toxins, parasites, infestations, allergies, rashes, bumps, bruises and broken bones all having nothing to do with bacteria. It would be so easy if antibiotics cured everything, but they don’t. Most illnesses in children such as cough and colds, sore throat and flu, and stomachaches are viral in origin. Over the years, people have become used to wanting a pill for all illness when the reality is that some illnesses just need to run their natural course. Although people seem to understand that an antibiotic won’t cure chicken pox or HIV (both caused by viruses) they have a hard time believing that those same antibiotics will do nothing for a green runny nose (also viral).
Studies show that certain types of physicians and physicians in certain fields of medicine are more likely to prescribe antibiotics. Doctors who know better have many excuses for handing out antibiotics like candy. “The patient demanded it; I want to make sure I’ve covered every possibility; It’s always been done this way; It takes too long to explain why they’re not necessary; If I don’t give it to my patient, they’ll just go to another doctor who will give it”. It is easier for those doctors just to give the parent what they want. The proper care, however involves using antibiotics only when they are necessary. The most frustrating thing for me as a physician is to do what is best for a child by refraining from prescribing unnecessary antibiotics and find out the following day that the parent went to the Emergency Room that night and got an antibiotic for an illness that was clearly viral. Some parents just cannot grasp the concept of an antibiotic-free treatment.
Studies also show that many people don’t know that viruses cause almost all of their colds and sore throats and that antibiotics don’t kill these viruses. Many people have never even heard of bacterial resistance. Physicians and parents need to start working together to minimize antibiotic over-usage. The parent should question every prescription for an antibiotic. A sore throat is viral unless a strep test shows otherwise. A stomach virus is viral, and a runny nose is viral. No child should be given an antibiotic unnecessarily. If bacterial resistance continues to spread, we will soon be back in the same position that we were in before we had antibiotics. Ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, and meningitis were incurable. It is important that we prevent this widespread bacterial resistance from ever happening again.
Written by Dr. Michael Bornstein, who has 30 years of experience as a pediatrician.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article, including text and images, are for informational purposes only and do not constitute a medical service. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health professional for medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment.
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