Antibiotics are not the same thing at all they are to cure infections, not prevention, and should be used as a last resort...
Antibiotic Overuse and the Rise of Superbugs

sugimotoBy Ginny Sugimoto, MD, family medicine
Port Orchard Medical Center

Fall is here, and with it, cold and flu season. During this time, it’s not unusual for some of my patients to ask me to prescribe an antibiotic. After all, antibiotics can cure so many illnesses that many people believe they can help knock out a cold or flu. Unfortunately, antibiotics cannot help with colds and flus. And research shows that taking antibiotics when we don’t need them is actually dangerous to our health and wastes money, too.

Antibiotics were discovered about 75 years ago and they are powerful, often life-saving medicines. They fight bacterial infections, such as strep throat, cellulitis (a skin infection), and some types of pneumonia. They allow us to survive many serious bacterial illnesses, such as meningitis, and carry patients through cancer treatment and surgeries without infection.

They are not useful against colds and flus because those are viral illnesses. Other common viral infections that aren't helped by antibiotics include pink eye, upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and sinusitis, and sore throats other than strep throat.

Some ear infections are bacterial, but many are viral and won't be helped by antibiotics. Even bacterial ear infections are often better treated by a wait-and-see approach because these usually go away on their own in two to three days.

Yet health care providers still prescribe far too many antibiotics inappropriately, for instance, for illnesses that are most likely viral. In the United States, about 50 percent of antibiotics prescribed to patients are unnecessary or inappropriate.

Superbugs
This overuse of antibiotics has led to a frightening development that you may have heard about called superbugs. These are drug-resistant strains of bacteria that only respond to our most powerful antibiotics, or in some cases, to no antibiotic, and the problem is getting worse. In fact, many experts believe we are on the verge of being unable to treat some harmful bacterial illnesses using any of our current antibiotics. If that happens, we may once again be desperately searching for ways to combat some bacterial illnesses that were once easily treated with an antibiotic.

The issue is so important that the White House convened a summit last June to address the topic, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the European Union consider this problem one of our most pressing health issues.

One example of a superbug is MRSA. It has led to life-threatening skin infections, such as cellulitis, most notoriously among vulnerable populations in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. MRSA is now also found in nail salons and gym facilities. It is also showing up among populations that weren't previously considered vulnerable. For example, in September there was an outbreak of MRSA skin infections among athletes at a private school in Washington D.C. Most healthy people can weather such infections with treatment, but other people with existing illnesses are at particular risk. Reducing antibiotic overuse is the most effective way to keep a wider population safe from superbugs.

Antibiotic overuse is also problematic in livestock farming. Eighty percent of the antibiotics used in the United States are fed to farm animals, mostly to help them grow faster. The antibiotics kill off most of the bacteria in an animal, but resistant bacteria — superbugs — can multiply. Humans can get sick from this bacteria by eating contaminated food. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are found in much of the meat in our supermarkets. This is why it is important to practice food safety at home, washing hands and surfaces often; keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from produce and ready-to-eat foods; cooking to the right temperature; and keeping foods properly refrigerated.

How Antibiotics Affect the Body
Antibiotics are chemicals that can wipe out bacteria, or prevent bacteria from multiplying so that the body's own defenses can fight off illness. Some antibiotics, such as Augmentin, are called "broad spectrum" because they are effective against a wide spectrum of bacteria. Others, such as penicillin, only fight a few species of bacteria, and are called "narrow spectrum."

While fighting bacteria is a good thing when working to cure a bacterial illness, doctors must be careful about which bacteria are eliminated. That's because our bodies are naturally host to trillions of bacteria, many of which are important for health. Using antibiotics can disrupt the body's bacterial balance. The greatest risk comes from using broad spectrum antibiotics, which are more likely to kill off "good" bacteria in the gut while fighting the bacteria that are causing an illness. Removing this good bacteria can leave the body vulnerable to new illnesses.

For example, in my practice I've seen an increasing number of antibiotic-related cases of a devastating gut infection caused by a bacteria called Clostridium difficile. This bacteria, which is normally present in the gut in some people, is kept in check by other bacteria but can overgrow after antibiotic use and cause a serious, sometimes life-threatening diarrheal illness.

What You Can Do
Scientists are working to develop new antibiotics to combat these resistant bacteria, but there's no guarantee they will be successful. Doctors can help by making sure that antibiotics are used properly, and prescribed only in cases where they will make a difference. Patients can help by understanding when antibiotics will and won't make a difference, and refraining from asking for antibiotics when they are not needed.

Here's what you can do to help cut down on antibiotic use, and misuse:

Don’t push your health provider to prescribe antibiotics. Ask your doctor if they think your illness is viral, and if you can fight it off on your own.
Ask whether the antibiotic suggested is broad spectrum, and if so, whether a more targeted drug is likely to work. Sometimes waiting for culture results, such as with bladder infections, is the best approach so that you can get the most targeted drug possible.
Take antibiotics as directed and take the entire course of antibiotics. Continue taking them even after you start feeling better.
Do not self-treat with old antibiotics or share antibiotics with another family member or friends.
Use antibiotic ointments sparingly.
Avoid infection in the first place by getting vaccines, including the flu vaccine.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially before preparing food.
Avoid antibacterial hand soaps and cleaners.
Practice food safety at home. If possible, purchase meat that has been raised without antibiotics.
I understand when my patients want to feel better quickly and are looking for a fast remedy. But overuse of antibiotics has proved to be dangerous, and we all have a responsibility to change how we think about these powerful drugs.

This article was originally published in the Kitsap Sun in October 2015.
https://www.ghc.org/html/public/health-wellness/sugimoto/antibiotics