ANTIBIOTICS AND INFECTIONS
Western medicine has developed new methods of fighting these bugs, most notably antibiotics. These are drugs designed to stop bacteria and parasites from multiplying. There are many different kinds of antibiotic, and each works in different ways, so not all antibiotics will kill all bacteria. The drug needs to be matched to the bug if it is going to be effective.
Antibiotics do not work on viruses or fungi. There are other drugs which are effective against fungal infections (and some newer drugs which look promising against some viruses), but in reality, we have no drugs which fight the majority of viral infections. The immune system generally takes care of them. This is the reason why your doctor may say ‘it’s a viral infection, so I am not going to prescribe antibiotics’. It is not that the doctor wants you to suffer longer with that headcold, or gastro. It is that antibiotics don’t work at ail on viruses.
If you are prescribed antibiotics for an infection it is important that you finish the whole course, just taking a few tablets and then stopping is more likely to lead to a major problem with antibiotics; bacterial resistance. This is when bacteria undergo a minor change which makes antibiotics less effective, or powerless. Several bugs have developed resistance to antibiotics. For example, gonorrhoea is now often resistant to penicillin, and other antibiotics are needed. There is a real danger that, over time, more antibiotics will become useless if we abuse them. The other reason you should finish the entire course of antibiotics is to fully treat the disease you have. An effective course of treatment requires the right amount of the appropriate antibiotic, for a long enough time to kill the bugs.
Antibiotics can sometimes have unwanted effects, as well as the desired effect of preventing bacteria multiplying. Some of the more commonly encountered problems are nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhoea. The antibiotics can not only upset the bad bacteria, but also some of the good guys, who normally help us digest and absorb food. They can also sometimes irritate the lining of the gut, causing symptoms like indigestion.
Another frequently reported side-effect of taking antibiotics is vaginal thrush (candidiasis), again because of the disturbance to the normal bacterial balance in the gut.
Some people are allergic to various antibiotics, most commonly to penicillins. People can have allergic reactions to all kinds of things, and drugs are a common trigger. If a person has had an allergic reaction in the past to a particular drug it is best to avoid it in the future. There are usually suitable alternatives.
*62\52\4*
