Comments on: Patient Handout: Antibiotics

By: heheli.com » Blog Archive » 9 Common Myths About Infections and Antibiotics

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 08:12:09 +0000

[...] addressed me with this to the Dr Rob’s blog post about infections and [...]

By: Dr. Rob’s Antibiotic Myths « Women’s Health News

Dr. Rob’s Antibiotic Myths « Women’s Health News — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:49:51 +0000

[...] “Dr. Rob” addresses this very issue in his piece (intended as a patient handout), Common myths about infections and antibiotics. His list of common misconceptions [...]

By: Dementedm

Dementedm — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:12:54 +0000

You know,I try to be good and stay off the pills, but with asthma triggered by illness, by the time I’ve been convinced I need prednisone (ugh) and I’m smoking the ol’ nebulizer because my lungs feel like they have roadrash, I want me some good antibiotics. Because the asthma will not resolve if there’s an underlying infection feeding it.

Still, I think there are times when maybe it’s viral. It’s a tough call.

But I’d like to stay out of the ER and the hospital too. And I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve managed to improve on my own without antibiotics (it’s exciting when that happens, I fell, like healthy or something).

I do wait as long as possible, but as soon as the peak flow nosedives at the same time my symptoms aren’t abating, I go for the pills.

Actually, I’d like a list of when antibiotics are a good idea. Maybe my criteria is no good. Maybe I could learn something.

By: gary

gary — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:20:04 +0000

EEJ,

Herbal remedies or supplements may work differently with antibiotics and other prescription drug but the kind of healing alternative medicine provides is definitely not due to a placebo effect. Herbal extracts and homeopathic ingredients do contain active substances that provide therapeutic benefits–particularly in the case of “recurrent” bacterial infections.

By: Do You Need an Antibiotic? » Rebuild Your Back

Do You Need an Antibiotic? » Rebuild Your Back — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:44:09 +0000

[...] medblog, Musings of a Distractible Mind has decided to weigh in on the subject in his latest post, Common myths about infections and antibiotics… Much attention has been given to the fact that antibiotics are given too often. The reason [...]

By: EEJ

EEJ — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:44:48 +0000

Gary,

They “might as well” take a placebo, as it would probably have the same effect as herbal supplements..

By: gary

gary — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:59:00 +0000

This is very informative and likewise a refreshing outlook on the proper use of antibiotics. I definitely recommend this material to people who often self-medicate with antibiotic treatments. I am an herbal enthusiast but I do not dismiss the fact that medications do play an important role in the context of health and would recommend the integration of mainstream medicine with alternative treatments such as herbal supplemenst in the practice of health care. Thus, it would be to our benefit to use antibiotics only when severe bacterial infection has been determined and would threaten life itself. And for recurrent bacterial infections that could only promote bacterial resistance and the depletion of good bacterial flora, the patient might as well try alternative remedies that won’t trigger the same side effects.

By: Dean

Dean — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:17:21 +0000

Dr. Rob, I only have one question…

Does this mean I can shoot that rooster?

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:25:57 +0000

Sid: You can put them in your nose if you want. I won’t stop you.
DDx: Education takes a long time. Part of the purpose of this is to keep myself in line as much as anything. As a people-pleaser, I sometimes do what is good for business and bad for medicine.
Graham and Diora: Agreed – there are many tacts to take. I am thinking if I will add to it. Obviously it has hit a nerve (big bump in traffic).
JK: Hmm….I don’t quite know how to deal with it except perhaps pointing out that we do many things for animals we would never do for people (don’t tend to send kids to slaughter house or neuter them). I agree, however, that this double standard is hard to deal with. That is why I wrote the post. Perhaps a few would be dissuaded from begging.

Thanks to the rest of you for the positive feedback!

By: Dr JK

Dr JK — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:16:51 +0000

rob,
here lies the problem. I practice in a rural farming community. 80% of all antibiotics which are made go to agriculture in the form of feed for cattle, pigs, horses and fowl (not humans). In fact Tamiflu (our national response in the event of a bird flu pandemic) is now routinely being fed to ducks in China. The best way to obtain plasmid formation and the establishment of resistance is to provide low dose, long duration, enteric antibiotics. In fact, there is no DNA evidence that the use of high dose, short duration (as is used in humans) antibiotics actually produces resistance. Vancomycin resistant staph have however been DNA traced to Danish cattle.
Until the agriculture department gets on board, how do you answer the mom who states “Let me get this straight, you are not going to give little Johnny amoxicillin for his ear infection when I am feeding Cipro to the horses? All in the name of the greater good?”