Avoiding Antibiotics: Good or Bad Decision
Some people think it is better to err on the side of taking an antibiotic versus not taking, why? They think that even if they don’t need the antibiotic it won’t hurt taking it to kill off potential issues. The science disagrees with thinking antibiotics should be used based on the “better safe than sorry” approach to medicine. Antibiotics are designed to kill harmful bacteria, it does nothing for a cold/flu or other non-bacterial situations. There is also the issue of killing off good bacteria when killing of harmful bacteria. In America thousands of people die from antibiotic resistant bacteria each year. It is projected to rival cancer by the year 2050.
Resources:
Mayo Clinic, Healthy Lifestyle, Consumer Health: Mayo Clinic Staff, July 11, 2023
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/antibiotics/art-20045720
Last Viewed: 20231231
Keck Medicine of USC, Everyday Health, The Pros and Cons of Antibiotics: Heidi Tyline King October 3, 2018, updated November 3, 2023
https://telehealth.keckmedicine.org/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-antibiotics/
Last Viewed: 20230101
Institute For Health Metrics and Evaluation, Antimicrobial resistance poses threat in all 35 countries in the Americas: Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project, August 8, 2023
https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/antimicrobial-resistance-poses-threat-all-35-countries-americas#:~:text=August%208%2C%202023%20%E2%80%93%20569%2C000%20deaths,The%20Lancet%20Regional%20Health%20%E2%80%93%20Americas.
Last Viewed: 20230102