It’s no mystery that we have a massive over-use of antibiotics problem in our culture. Once the miracle cure for anything that ails you, has now been linked to auto-immune conditions, obesity, and the rise in drug resistant bacteria. The use of antibiotics on the human ecosystem is like an atomic bomb, wiping out any and all types of bacteria present. It’s able to end internal wars when used appropriately but over use can lead to the end of civilization as we know it.
For these reasons, many of the parents in my practice are weary about putting their kids or themselves on antibiotics. For clarification, I cannot prescribe antibiotics nor can I tell you to not go on them. We just strive to have good relationships with our practice members so many want to know what I would do and are comfortable asking. What I do is give circumstances about how I would approach the situation if my kids needed them. Thankfully, at the time of writing this, my 3 boys of 4 yo, 2 yo, and 3 months, have never been on antibiotics nor needed them.
If my boys or wife, or even myself had need for them, I would be just as cautious as my practice peeps are. As a kid, I was on antibiotics more than I can remember. Eventually, someone realized I was allergic to them and they were causing more harm than help. I would say my repeated doses were a major contributor to the horrific eczema that I had in college.
Fortunately, the nurse practitioner at my college was severely wrong about my diagnosis, and pretty much every other kid that walked into her office in the late 90’s, early 2000’s. If you were a female not feeling well, her top differential diagnosis was that you were pregnant and she automatically gave you a pregnancy test. For college males, you automatically had an STD. In my case, she tried to label my eczema as scabies. Ridiculous and not possible to say the least.
I digress….
What is a parent supposed to do with facing the potential for antibiotics? If the illness is viral, the antibiotic is useless and wipes out anything beneficial that would have helped the body fight. But if it’s bacterial, the antibiotic will still wipe out everything but can have benefit. Most doctors and most parents don’t want to wait for a culture to see the the type of bug that is causing the problem. This doesn’t fit the profile of the parents I see.