Cold Medicine
Cold comfort: sometimes the best medicine is no medicine at all With cold and flu season reaching its peak, the nation's top health experts are feverishly waging a cold war of their own. Even if your throat is sore and scratchy and your sniffles are now officially Niagara Falls, they want you to just say no to antibiotics. They have their reasons.
Everyone around you is coughing and hacking. You've already felt the first telltale sign of the misery to come. What should you do? Just about anything except take antibiotics, according to the nation's leading public health experts.
"Antibiotics are powerful drugs. In fact, sometimes we imagine they are wonder drugs that can treat any infection," says Julie Gerberding, M.D., director of the Centers for Disease Control. "But the truth is antibiotics only work against bacteria, not the viruses that cause colds and flu."
The misuse and misunderstanding of antibiotics is so vexing that the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have joined forces on "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work," a public health media campaign aimed at consumers, especially parents of small children.
"It's so important to get smart about antibiotic use and work with your doctor to get the right remedy, especially during cold and flu season," Dr. Gerberding says.
Too much of a good thing
Widespread unnecessary use of antibiotics, particularly among children, has led to an alarming increase in global antibiotic resistance, according to health officials. Over the last decade, almost every type of bacteria has become stronger and less responsive to antibiotic treatment when it really is needed.
Pressure to prescribe
Patients go to the doctor expecting to leave with a prescription. And they do. Doctors often do not have enough time to explain why antibiotics may not be the best medicine. Plus when it's unclear whether the infection is viral or bacterial, doctors may yield to patient demand for antibiotics.
The right medicine
Colds caused by viruses may last two weeks or longer. There is always a chance a viral infection will lead to a bacterial infection. So you should see your doctor if your illness gets worse or lasts a long time.
RELATED ARTICLE: What to do for cold and flu:
1 Get plenty of rest.
2 Increase fluid intake.
3 Use a cool mist vaporizer or saline nasal spray to relieve congestion.
4 Soothe sore throats with ice chips, sore throat spray or lozenges (only for older children and adults).
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