I have been an emergency room doctor for fifteen years and I used to see nothing wrong with people going to doctors. I also used to believe that pills had overall beneficial effects and that folks would be prescribed medications only when it was in their best interest.
I have changed my mind.
Over the years I have seen a constant parade of people whom I believe are worse off because they went to doctors and took pills.
Oh, sure, if your appendix is ready to burst go to a doctor. If you fall and you can't walk because the bone is sticking out of your leg, oh, all right, go see a doctor. If you have chest pain, can't breathe and feel like you're dying of a heart attack and would rather not let nature take its course, by all means, come see me in the ER!
Of course there are legitimate reasons for seeking the advice of a doctor, a practitioner of traditional western medicine, but, in so many cases not only is it not necessary, the plain truth is you would probably be better off to stay home and read a book. Really.
Let me explain.
Say, for example, you have a cough and your nose is plugged and when it does work there's green snot pouring out of it. You think, "Oh, I'd better go to the doctor and get some antibiotics. The last time I had this the doctor gave me a prescription for....... (fill in your own favorite antibiotic). Yes, the medical profession has trained you well. Job security, you know.
Are you aware that most cases of bronchitis and sinusitis are viral illnesses or related to allergies. Antibiotics do not kill viruses nor do they treat allergies. They kill only bacteria. Ergo, an antibiotic will not cure your illness. Oh, sure, you'll get better and you'll think the antibiotic pills did it, but, in truth, time and your immune system are what did it.
Also, antibiotics have been known to have adverse effects on the body. They can kill off the good bacteria that live happily and harmlessly on your skin, in your mouth, in your gut and in other unmentionable places, and, in so doing, allow more virulent bacteria or yeast to prosper and make you sick. They also can cause allergic reactions, sometimes life-threatening ones.
What! Antibiotics can make you sick? You bet.
So why in the world would you ever want to take one for a viral illness? Probably because you've been lead to believe that every ache and pain needs a pill and that every infection needs an antibiotic.
But you understand what I told you, right? This ain't rocket science. Would you like an example or two?
There is a diarrheal illness called pseudomembranous colitis, a fancy name for the diarrhea from hell. It is a condition caused by a toxin produced by clostridium difficile (c. diff for short), a bacterium that lives harmoniously in everyone's bowel. "C. diff. colitis", as we doctors lovingly call this condition that causes you to defecate uncontrollably, is caused by taking antibiotics: and just about any antibiotic can do it. C.diff can kill you.
You see, the good bacteria in you gut keep the c.diff bacteria under control. If the good guys get killed off by that antibiotic you took for your bronchitis then c. diff can grow in large numbers and produce its toxin. Believe me, after you have spent a day or two on the crapper, with a potentially life-threatening illness you will see the wisdom of avoiding unnecessary antibiotics.
Another problem with antibiotics is that over the years, since the successful introduction of penicillin, antibiotics have been prescribed so much that bacteria, the little bugs we are trying to kill, have become resistant to them, necessitating the development of more and more powerful drugs to kill the stronger bacteria. You might have heard of one of these bacteria, MRSA (methecillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus). MRSA seems to be everywhere now and is just one example of the fact that bacteria will continue to outsmart us. The unnecessary use of antibiotics has been a major factor in the development of resistant bacteria.
Another example of the ability of medications to cause harm is a condition called Steven Johnson's Syndrome and its ultimately lethal cousin, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). These conditions can develop as drug reactions to certain antibiotics and unless the patient has a previous history of such a condition, the doctor has no way of knowing that it will happen. TEN causes huge blisters to form everywhere, with subsequent sloughing of the skin. It's the equivalent of having second degree burns over your entire body.
What a shame if you die a slow painful death after taking a medication you did not need in the first place.
Now that's what I call having a bad day.
Marlene Buckler, MD, FACEP
http://www.StayOutOfMyER.com
A Doctor's Guide To Avoiding The Emergency Room
Dr Buckler is an emergency room doctor and a Fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). She has been practicing emergency medicine for more than fifteen years.
Learn more about a healthy life style and how to keep yourself out of the emergency room at http://www.StayOutOfMyER.com
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