Broad Spectrum Rx

I take antibiotics only when absolutely necessary. They often give me a yeast infection and upset my stomach. Much of the time they are not even effective because most of our illnesses are viral and as such are not phased by antibiotics.

My husband, David, has been sick recently with what seems to be a severe cold. When the cough persisted and kept him awake at night, he called our internist, hoping to go in for a visit and some tests to determine the extent of his illness. Instead the doctor simply prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic over the phone and said he should feel better in a couple of days. THIS MAKES ME CRAZY!

David is taking antibiotics for an unknown infection. In doing so, he is compromising his immune system by destroying everything the antibiotics touch, including the good stuff. He is also decreasing the future effectiveness of this particular antibiotic. When in fact, this medicine is likely totally unnecessary. And, guess what, it is not free either!

So why do doctors behave so unprofessionally, prescribing heavy duty drugs without a clue as to the nature of the problem? And why do smart people like David trust that they are doing the right thing? We need to move beyond this reverence for people with Dr in front of their names and take responsibility for the health and well-being of our own bodies, because not all Drs are doing just that. We should take lessons from other cultures – the Chinese, our own Native Americans, among others – who look to nature to supply the remedies for common illnesses. Dosing the common cold with expensive time-release pills is INSANE!