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Simon · #45 10-19-2007, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stchrissie

MRSA is always in the British press, apparently we are all going to die of it and it is all the goverments fault.

Actually, this is what a physician I know/read has to say about it:

Quote:

Bacteria develop resistance similar to the way that humans develop resistance. Expose yourself to an infection and your body figures out how to protect itself from the infection in the future. Get chicken pox once and you probably aren’t going to get it again. Your body has learned to adapt. Immunizations and flu shots are nothing more than weakened forms of the infections we are trying to prevent.

So how did the superbugs develop? Perhaps an oversimplification, but they developed by being exposed to antibiotics over and over again. The weak bacteria die and the stronger ones multiply. Eventually the stronger ones develop a resistance to the antibiotics. Then, once some bacteria learn how to beat certain antibiotics, they’ll trade their secrets with other bacteria. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen.

The superbugs kill more people than AIDS. They’ll eat your skin and wither your brain. And guess what, folks - they’re all our fault.

Patients:
Next time you request demand an antibiotic for a “sinus infection” that is nothing more than a congested nose, or for a sore throat because “it always turns into strep,” you, John Q. Public, are causing the development of resistant organisms. Take a sugar pill because it works just as well and costs one hell of a lot less.
Every time that you only take a couple of days of your antibiotic prescription because you’re feeling better, the millions of bugs you haven’t killed off are learning how to beat those antibiotics the next time. At some point, when you really need them, your “miracle cure” antibiotics won’t work any more.

Physicians:
When you prescribe antibiotics for rotten teeth, toothaches without abscesses, bronchitis, coughs, and colds, you’re not doing good, you’re doing harm. A lot of harm. I even have an issue with prescribing antibiotics for ear infections, even though I know I’m in the minority on this one. But before you write me off as an extremist, answer this question for me: How is it that a tooth abscess that swells up the entire side of someone’s face doesn’t cause a fever, but an abscess the size of a pencil eraser behind the eardrum causes a fever to 103 degrees? Sorry for the tangent. I’m in rant mode. But I still would like an answer to that question.

What’s the harm, you ask? Not every patient has an extra $150 to shell out for a course of Levaquin or Augmentin — especially when there is no medical basis for prescribing it. That’s a week’s take-home pay for some people.
Those unnecessary antibiotics also cause side effects. Some of those side effects can be life-threatening. I have seen more than a few cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome and at least one of them was caused by an unnecessary antibiotic prescription for “sinusitis” that had miraculously been cured the following day with a few doses of Bactrim.

So patients, protect yourselves.

* If your doctor won’t educate you, educate yourselves. Instead of requesting antibiotics, go to WebMD or eMedicine.com and look up your symptoms. Become smarter than your doctor about these diseases if necessary.
* For nasal congestion, most coughs, many sore throats, muscle aches, and the flu, antibiotics will not help you! Ask for antibiotics if you want, but why not send your money to a favorite charity instead of making Big Pharma more wealthy? At least if you send your money to charity, you’ll feel good about yourself.
* And ask your physician when the last time he or she washed his or her hands. Tough crap if they are offended. You’ll be more offended if you get infected with a superbug because they haven’t done so. Hospitals are dirty places.

Physicians, instead of providing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, take the time to teach your patients.

* Help patients to help themselves. My favorite line to patients requesting unnecessary antibiotics is this: Using antibiotics on virus infections are like using Raid on dandelion infestations. Both drugs kill things, but neither one is able to kill the things we’re trying to get rid of. I’ll help control your symptoms, but you’re body is going to fight this one out on it’s own.
* Oh, and wash your hands once in a while.

Want to know why I’m so passionate about this topic? My daughter nearly died from a strep infection a few years ago. She was in the hospital for 10 days. Fortunately there were some antibiotics that still worked to help cure her. Given her medical problems, I wonder whether we’ll be so lucky if there is a next time.

cheers,