Good Morning Readers!

Fall is just around the corner and so are the ubiquitous germs that cause our winter-times blues. Here’s some food for thought. We are doing better, but not good enough in using antibiotics appropriately—especially in children.

I know it’s a real pain in the butt to have a kid home sick from school or for you to be home from work with a cold, but giving an antibiotic when one isn’t necessary only makes sense if you value ineffective treatment. In fact, it does more harm than good. Plus you’ve spent money that you didn’t need to spend on a treatment that isn’t effective. Most pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, and otitis is viral in cause. Antibiotics don’t help viruses. You already know the common cold is a virus, so don’t expect to get an antibiotic.

Where can you spend money that will help shorten the severity and duration of a viral illness? Spend it on fluids, soups, and other appealing foods so you can safely use the Tylenol. Your liver needs glutathione to metabolize the Tylenol. So make sure the ill person stays hydrated and fed so they have sufficient glutathione on board to use the Tylenol for symptoms control.  The reason for the office visit is for the provider to look for clues that the illness isn’t viral, so give your provider the chance to see what needs to be seen and arrive at a proper diagnosis. Spend the money on the babysitter, the humidifier, the chicken soup, the nasal rinse, the decongestant, the cough suppressant but don’t ask for antibiotics for viral illnesses.

 To Your Excellent Health!

 Dr. Kara