I might as well be edgy and provoking already from the beginning, since that is a thing I am quite good at, and today I had a long-distance discussion about the abuse of antibiotics. This is a problem that is particularly severe in the welfare states, where people blindly trust their MDs, who sometimes are corrupt by the pharmaceutical industry or often just plane ignorant and conservative. Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics can lead to the evolution of bacterial resistance, mainly by selective pressure, which causes an increase in adverse drug effects and an increased financial burden. Even worse is when the patients quit a treatment half way in because they feel better, and then even pop the leftovers next time they get a sore throat, like it was an aspirin... That is a perfect recipe for creating multi-resistant bacteria!
I can count the number of times in my life where I have had to take antibiotics on one of my hands, and I am certainly not against using it when there is a true indication, but I have a strong belief that our natural immune system is best developed through a natural exercise and not by sliding through in the VIP lane.
I found a scientific article about this problem in Israel and in the beginning of this decade an educational programme improved the antibiotics prescription practices, but I presume that they still have a long way to go. I might as well prepare for fighting for my principles the day my own child gets a slight throat infection.
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