What are antibiotics? Why are they both good and bad?
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Bacteria can be good or bad. We prescribe antibiotics when the bad bacteria create symptoms. Sometimes, we don’t know if you have a bacterial infection (which can be treated with antibiotics) or a viral infection (which can not be treated with antibiotics). You may ask, why not just err on the side of caution and just treat for a bacterial infection? Because this is how superbugs are made. We have two major strains which are the direct result of our irresponsible use of antibiotics. These are called ESBL’s and VRE’s. They are two strains which are resistant to really strong antibiotics that we have on the market. This means, if you get them, you need antibiotics that may very well take you out with the bacterial infection.
Antibiotics are chemicals that are toxic specifically to bacteria, but not so much to other lifeforms such as us.
Antibiotics are very good, if not for antibiotics, there is about 50:50 chance or worse you would have died of one childhood illness or another and never lived long enough to ask the question.
Bacteria can be good or bad. We prescribe antibiotics when the bad bacteria create symptoms. Sometimes, we don’t know if you have a bacterial infection (which can be treated with antibiotics) or a viral infection (which can not be treated with antibiotics). You may ask, why not just err on the side of caution and just treat for a bacterial infection? Because this is how superbugs are made. We have two major strains which are the direct result of our irresponsible use of antibiotics. These are called ESBL’s and VRE’s. They are two strains which are resistant to really strong antibiotics that we have on the market. This means, if you get them, you need antibiotics that may very well take you out with the bacterial infection.
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