A View on Antibiotics and Ear Infections
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/25/172588359/pediatricians-urged-to-treat-ear-infections-more-cautiously
This article is an interesting one that has a few reasons for pertaining to me. It is a synopsis of how to handle children with ear infections. Being written for both parents and doctors, he stresses both that parents should be less tense on throwing their children to the doctor and asking for antibiotics at the first mention of ear pain. Also, he stresses that doctors should prescribe antibiotics only for severe cases of definite ear infections.
The reason being found that nowadays, typical ear infections can resolve in a few days with pain medicine, and would prevent microbial resistance to antibiotics. I find this article interesting in that I had quite a few ear infections when young, and my mom was always very worried about me having taken so many antibiotics. Even to this day she forewarns me about keeping an eye out for the good bacteria in my colon, as she's worried that the antibiotic use when I was young has shot my GI tract. It is ironic that I currently have contracted an ear infection - but a viral one. The doctor I visited here in Germany told me that 95% of the time, ear infections are viral - I assume he's referring to adults with ear infections, so I wasn't given any antibiotics.
Also this brings me to German and European views on healthcare. In short, they are much more stingy with their antibiotics than in the US. This article refers to parents as wanting the antibiotics not just wanting to cure their kids infection, but to also give their child comfort. It also cynically states that no parent enjoys being woken up at night to a screaming child.
I wonder if the German doctor told me the truth about 95% of ear infections are viral... or maybe he was just trying to prevent a greedy American from getting hands on their antibiotics to cause a raging resistant infection. Probably not, but an interesting idea none the less. I've heard of many doctors and health professionals in Europe that do not condone the large use of antibiotics that is seen in the US. But now, with some pain medicine and rest, my ear seems to have returned to normal, crisis avoided.
This article is an interesting one that has a few reasons for pertaining to me. It is a synopsis of how to handle children with ear infections. Being written for both parents and doctors, he stresses both that parents should be less tense on throwing their children to the doctor and asking for antibiotics at the first mention of ear pain. Also, he stresses that doctors should prescribe antibiotics only for severe cases of definite ear infections.
The reason being found that nowadays, typical ear infections can resolve in a few days with pain medicine, and would prevent microbial resistance to antibiotics. I find this article interesting in that I had quite a few ear infections when young, and my mom was always very worried about me having taken so many antibiotics. Even to this day she forewarns me about keeping an eye out for the good bacteria in my colon, as she's worried that the antibiotic use when I was young has shot my GI tract. It is ironic that I currently have contracted an ear infection - but a viral one. The doctor I visited here in Germany told me that 95% of the time, ear infections are viral - I assume he's referring to adults with ear infections, so I wasn't given any antibiotics.
Also this brings me to German and European views on healthcare. In short, they are much more stingy with their antibiotics than in the US. This article refers to parents as wanting the antibiotics not just wanting to cure their kids infection, but to also give their child comfort. It also cynically states that no parent enjoys being woken up at night to a screaming child.
I wonder if the German doctor told me the truth about 95% of ear infections are viral... or maybe he was just trying to prevent a greedy American from getting hands on their antibiotics to cause a raging resistant infection. Probably not, but an interesting idea none the less. I've heard of many doctors and health professionals in Europe that do not condone the large use of antibiotics that is seen in the US. But now, with some pain medicine and rest, my ear seems to have returned to normal, crisis avoided.
posted by Unknown at 6:12 AM
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