The Truth about Antibiotics

Americans have an interesting relationship with antibiotics. We rely on them to alleviate a number of conditions, but we worry about antibiotic resistance and largely criticize farmers who use antibiotics on their animals. It begs the question, are antibiotics good or bad?

What Are Antibiotics?

An antibiotic is a medication meant to slow down and destroy the growth of bacteria in the body. A great deal of bacteria in the body is good and even necessary for health, but the bacteria targeted by antibiotics is known to cause infections like meningitis, salmonella, sinusitis, and many more. The antibiotics essentially slow the bacteria down enough that the body’s natural defense mechanisms can then step in and finish the healing process.

Are Too Many Antibiotics Bad?

You’ve heard the phrase that too much of a good thing is bad, and that logic certainly applies to antibiotics. An over reliance on antibiotics can lead to the formation of new bacteria that are able to resist the effects of antibiotics. When antibiotic resistance occurs, the medications or drugs that used to cure an illness can no longer do their job. Instead, the bacteria survive and continue to cause more harm by multiplying.

Antibiotic resistance can be understood in a sequence of four steps. First, a sick body contains many germs, only a few of which are already antibiotic resistant. The antibiotic enters the body and kills most of the bacteria causing an illness, including the healthy bacteria that protects the body. With most of the good and bad bacteria gone from the body, those few antibiotic resistant bacteria are now able to take over and multiply. They can then even spread their drug resistance to other bacteria, which makes the problem worse.

Preventing Antibiotic Resistance

People who rarely use antibiotics and always follow the doctor’s instructions are not at as much risk, but those who continually overuse and misuse antibiotics can quickly promote the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The key to avoiding this problem is to first try to regain your health without the use of antibiotics, only take what is prescribed to you if necessary, and safely discard all leftovers. You should also take a probiotic with your antibiotics to ensure that your body is replenished with healthy bacteria at all times.