Physical

Circle of Wellness
Resist Antibiotics For Better Resistance
Physical - Body

At the first sign of a sniffle or cough, many people run for antibiotics. With busier schedules and no time to be sick, popping pills has become a substitute for bed rest and clear fluids. But antibiotics are powerful drugs and can do more harm than good by strengthening the bacteria that cause health problems in the first place. In Canada alone, over $25 billion is spent on pharmaceuticals.

Bacteria are relatively simple organisms and multiply rapidly. This allows them to quickly develop resistance to many antibiotics after only a few generations. Overusing antibiotics, or taking them improperly, may make the bacteria develop resistance, forcing us to seek stronger antibiotics.

The end-result of this cycle is the “super bug”, and medical science is finding difficult to tackle these super-resistant strains. Even though many of the bad bacteria are killed, the ones that survive multiply and create populations of drug-resistant bacteria. As a result, bacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis, have re-emerged with drug-resistant strains.

Another issue is that broad-spectrum antibiotics attack all types of bacteria, both good and bad.

According to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has increased in the last decade. Almost all significant bacterial infections in the world are becoming resistant to the commonly prescribed antibiotic treatments.

Often people take antibiotics for symptoms associated with illnesses like the common cold, but while bacteria and viruses often cause similar symptoms, antibiotics do absolutely nothing to fight viruses. The best way to fight most viruses – and other germs – is to let the body’s own defences do the work.

Nature has endowed us with powerful immune systems that become increasingly more efficient at fighting harmful microbes the more often they are allowed to encounter them. Our bodies are equipped to fight bacteria and other infections with their in-built defence mechanisms. Antibiotics are meant to aid our immune systems in severe cases of infection. But by overusing antibiotics, we don’t give our immune systems the opportunity to develop properly. This is creating a twofold problem by a) making the bacteria stronger, and b) not giving our immune systems a chance to develop better defence mechanisms.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance has become a global problem. In September 2001, WHO launched the first global strategy to deal with antibiotic resistance, known as the WHO Global Strategy for Containment of Anti-microbial Resistance. The strategy involves countries introducing legislation and policies that govern the development, licensing, distribution, and sale of anti-microbial agents.

But we can also adopt personal strategies to make sure we do our part in curbing the problem:

▪ Wash your hands with soap or other natural cleaners instead of using hand sanitizers.

▪ Do not take an antibiotic for a viral infection; ask your doctor if an antibiotic is necessary. If not, let your body’s immune system fight the illness.

▪ Ask your doctor for antibiotics to treat your specific illness and avoid broad-spectrum antibiotics.

▪ Take an antibiotic exactly as the doctor recommends without finishing the prescription early or skipping doses.

▪ Do not save antibiotics for the next time you get sick. Discard any leftover medication after you have completed the prescribed treatment.

Antibiotics and children

A study by the CDC shows that paediatricians were 65% more likely to unnecessarily prescribe antibiotics to children if the parents expected it, compared to 12% if parents did not. This proves that parents are often a driving force in antibiotic sales.

But antibiotics can be detrimental to children. The CBC recently reported on a study that showed a correlation between children developing asthma if they used antibiotics before the age of one. The study also suggests that children who grew up around cats or dogs were less likely to develop allergies that lead to asthma as they develop immunity to the germs that the pets bring home.

Children’s immune systems are fine-tuned by learning to fight-off harmful microbes. Without exposure to bacteria and other disease-causing agents, a child does not gain resistance and is more prone to sickness throughout his or her life. Parents should see a doctor before giving their children antibiotics.