Its cough & cold season. Do you need antibiotics?Most people fall sick in winter and generally depend on allopathic medicines and antibiotics to accelerate the recovery process. However, is it really necessary be dependent on antibiotics to such an extent is a question that we need to ask ourselves. This is because antibiotics work on a limited number of cold and cough issues and they also make our immune system weak to some extent. These are the conditions during which you can avoid using antibiotics. Infections Even healthy people can have cold and cough issues especially as the weather changes or if they do not adhere to healthy eating habits. It is more common for kids as they usually get affected by cold and virus. Antibiotics cure your regular cold and cough issues but if the issue is more severe, taking antibiotics might prove to be a bad idea. Bronchitis, sore throats, and sinusitis are some of the respiratory infections that are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not cure cold and infections that your body has developed due to viruses. These types of infections last up to seven days and some infections like viral bronchitis might last for three or more weeks. In such cases, your immunity is going to help you and even if you feel better after taking antibiotics it is only because of a strong immune system. Body resistance Your body resists to the ingestion of antibiotics especially when you overuse or take it regularly. This might lead to antibiotic resistance which creates bacteria that resist antibiotics. This might create more severe medical conditions and therefore you should avoid consuming antibiotics inappropriately. Other side effects Regular consumption of antibiotics has other harmful side effects that disturb the natural balance of your body. For example, we all know that some helpful bacteria help us to digest food and these bacteria are usually present in our digestive tract. Antibiotics kill these good bacteria which might give rise to issues such as diarrhea. Excessive consumption of antibiotics affects heart rate, damage kidney, tendons, and other vital organs as well. Therefore, we must avoid eating antibiotics as much as we can. When do we need it? If you have a throat infection then your doctor will most probably prescribe an antibiotic for a speedy recovery. Individuals who suffer from asthma and other lung diseases caused due to smoking might need antibacterial treatment. If your fever lasts for more than a week then you can consult a doctor before taking antibiotics. Seeking the advice from a doctor is important because he might suggest you alternative methods like he might give you a suppressant for dealing with cough or inhaler to solve your issue quickly. This might negate the need for antibiotic use. Doctors used to prescribe antibiotics for every cold and cough issue earlier but considering their various side effects, the use of antibiotics has gone down significantly these days.
