Editorial Commentary:

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has been begging conventional medicine to stop overprescribing antibiotics for decades. Even so, a recent study in the Journal of Hospital Infections found that 37% of 600 antibiotic prescriptions were considered unnecessary and another 45% were considered to be inadequate.

Considering that antibiotic use in infants has been associated with doubling the incidence of asthma, and other studies have revealed that 76% of adults who visit a primary care physician because of a sore throat are given an antibiotic, even though viruses (that are not affected by antibiotics) are the primary cause for upper-respiratory-tract infections.

The problem is twofold: patients want their doctor to *do something* when they are sick (magic bullet) and don’t always appreciate hearing that they need to drink fluids and rest while their body heals itself. So often they press the doctor for antibiotics.

The second problem is that many doctors *cave in* and provide useless prescriptions for antibiotics. Some MDs have admitted that they do this because the patient pressures them, or are fearful they will lose a patient. Understandable. However, this is what contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Perhaps it’s time that medicine *grows a spine*, and elevate themselves to the same evidence-based standards that they demand from our profession. It’s also OK to “just say no!”. In fact, educating the patient (“you don’t need, and will not benefit from”) is a primary function they need to adopt. It’s the only way to preserve the power of antibiotics when they ARE needed.

You will find many more articles like this at the Antibiotic Abuse Page.


There’s a lot more info like this in the Section