By Elise Jones, blog editor
As long as I can remember, if I was really sick there was hope my illness could be treated by an antibiotic to be cured quickly. It was the mentality of my grandparents’ and parents’ generation who lived without these quick medicinal fixes and felt what the doctor told them was always best and right.
I hope now we are a much wiser generation and know to question anything that doesn’t sound right or gel with our personal beliefs. As such, there has been a big push by holistic health professionals to try and treat illness with natural remedies before resorting to prescription drugs. As parents know all too well, it is very difficult to find medicine for the under 4-years-old set in a pharmacy. That has taught me many tricks, such as saline spray, humidifiers, steam from hot showers and honey (for over 1 years old only) to treat coughs and runny noses.
But what about antibiotics? It’s indisputable that when a doctor tells you to take an antibiotic, 99% of us do it. Why question that?
Antibiotics were first introduced as a mass market drug in 1942 with penicillin. Then in 1955 tetracycline (the most prescribed antibiotic) was introduced followed by amoxicillin in 1981. It is said that ancient civilizations used mold to treat infected wounds so the benefits of antibiotics and bacteria in treating illnesses have been long know.
What’s the problem then? The overuse of antibiotics is making us sicker. When we use an antibiotic it kills the bad bacteria in our bodies that is causing us to be sick. Over time our bodies can build up resistance to the antibiotics because the bacteria can change and get use to the antibiotic “ingredients”. This causes the bad bacteria to mutate, survive and continue to grow causing more harm. This has contributed to the huge problem of antibiotic resistance creating Super Bugs. source
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Antibiotic resistance—when antibiotics can no longer cure bacterial infections—has been a concern for years and is considered one of the world’s most critical public health threats.”
So what can we do?
- NOT request antibiotics unless there is a bacterial infection. Antibiotics do NOT cure viruses like:
- Colds or flu;
- Most coughs and bronchitis;
- Some ear infections;
- Sore throats not caused by strep; or
- Runny noses. source
- Talk to your doctor about antibiotic resistance and what you are prescribed. Do not pressure your doctor to give you an antibiotic.
- Do NOT save your antibiotic for the next time you are sick or do NOT share your antibiotic with anyone else.
- Take your antibiotic exactly as it is prescribed and finish it!
My goal is to try and treat illnesses with as many natural remedies as possible. Do you have any good ones you like to use?
Have any suggestions or questions for our Green Parenting blog? Email elise@babybites.com.
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Like what you see? Here are some more Green Parenting columns:
- Eat Only What You Can Pronounce
- Non-Toxic Home Cleaning Ideas
- New Year; New (chemical) Rug
- Poisonous Apple & Grape Juice
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