*Threat, not thread, sorry.

Anyways the Ontario Medical Association is calling for federal governments to try and curb antibiotic resistance before it becomes too big of a problem, and antibiotic resistance IS becoming a problem.

http://www.euronews.com/2013/01/25/french-authorities-fear-drug-resistant-tb-from-easter-europe/

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is becoming a huge problem in eastern Europe and could spread into Asia and the rest of Europe and tuberculosis is already endemic in southeast/south Asian nations such as India and Burma which could also exacerbate the issue of drug-resistant tuberculosis strains.

http://gizmodo.com/5880320/ndm+1-the-bacterial-gene-thats-resistant-to-15-different-antibiotics

There's also NDM-1, a bacteria strain which is resistant to 15 differtent antibiotics which have been found in puddles in New Delhi, India and New Delhi's water supply.

Anyways, if your doctor prescribes antibiotics follow the damned directions and complete the prescribed dosage dammit.

There's too many idiots who already neglect antibiotic directions and think "Oh I feel better now I think I'll just stop taking my antibiotics." or "I think I'll save the other half of these antibiotics for the next time I get sick."

Also, if you get a fever, wait three days, if your fever is gone in three days or if your condition improves drastically then it means you have a viral infection which doesn't need antibiotics. Or go to the doctor but he/she might just tell you the same thing I just said.

Any thoughts?

I think antiseptics such as dettol can also be dangerous when used to clean up germs, they say they kill 99.9% of germs, so that 0.01% is resistant, so if the same antiseptic gets used often enough germs build resistance.

That's why autoimmune illnesses are becoming more prevalent in wealthy nations. Everybody in America, England, Canada, France, etc. uses antibacterial antiseptics to clean their stuff. And because of this our parents at the peak of their fitness have better immune systems than our generation despite the improvement in medical science.

Indeed, over sanatization has become a problem. That's not to say we should all be slobs, but mis-use of antibiotics, and just any medication ingeneral, has lead to it being less effective when you really need it.

This is why I only take things when I feel like I am about do keel over.

To be fair I thought the thread name was a hilarious pun.

My brother has very bad skin - he is easily prone to infections. Not to long ago, a medium sized cyst appeared under his armpit. So he went to the doctor, received some antibiotics from the doctor, everything was fine. He was pretty persistent with the dosage but a couple days later, my mom counted the number of pills taken and there were many left - someone hasn't been taking their medicine lately! Surprisingly the cyst vanished about a week later.

Is it bad I assumed your username referred to him right after reading that?

There's still bacteria in him then, it's just dormant and its mutated so its stronger. Yeah just because you feel better doesn't you're completely free of whatever bacteria you've got if you stop taking your antibiotics.

Indeed. Your body has just gone on the offensive and is in the process of mopping things up. Its like war. Even though victory is within sight, you still need to clean out any remaning enemies, else your efforts can be undermined, and the tides could change.

By keeping up with dosage, you clean out all the bacteria, preventing it from "regrouping" and getting stronger.

Here's the thing too, too many people buy antibiotics off the counter in places where they don't regulate such things (like most 2nd and 3rd world countries), and generally take them until they feel better (something the 1st world is also guilty of). That's a problem, as by stopping when 'you feel better' you essentially allow the pathogen more resistant to antibiotics to recover, as it's not completely removed. In addition, using antibiotics when one has a viral sickness (like the flu) is going to do nothing at best, or destroy your normal microbiota and make you more sick.

Also, most sanitizers are switching from antibiotic-based to alcohol-based, which bacteria really don't form resistance to. However, it is best if your body learns how to deal with illnesses, instead of just relying on antimicrobials.

EDIT: Fun fact, there's a 10:1 ratio of bacteria:our own cells. Most of them reside in our gut, providing a large bulk of immunity there.

Yeah in India there's no antibiotic regulation so antibiotic resistance is becoming a problem over there. Its good that more sanitizers are becoming alcohol-based. That should help buy us some time before antibiotic resistance becomes a severe issue in the next couple decades if federal governments don't do anything and if people aren't educated about antibiotic resistance.

Yeah I'm pretty glad my health class in high school went over antibiotic resistance and I'm glad that my health teacher was as worried as I am about antibiotic resistance, I just hope the rest of the class listened.

I don't count on it. Even in my microbiology class, a bunch of students kept arguing heavily with the professor about taking antibiotics when they have a cold is a good thing.

The average high school student? They'd be lucky if they know how to even wash their own hands.

Hang on, college students (possibly majoring in a STEM major, am I right?) were arguing that its good to take antibiotics when you have the common cold? Yeah there really needs to be a more education about antibiotic resistance. Anyways I think the majority of the class listened, I mean she was a good teacher so her class was fairly interesting.

It's always annoying when this happens in class, I think it's good for students to ask why something is true or even telling the professor any doubts they have about something, but people who flat-out deny something and argue with a professor shouldn't be taking up a spot in a university if they're just going to sit there refusing to learn.

But... isn't the average cold... a virus?

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLbvsxRS4Rk4pzOeeZqOJHqLwHZVupBWi6l9Te7RdXlOVGUCd88w

Most wish to be nurses, but yea. It's a reason why I have the highest grade in the class.

If I remember, the main thrust was "to prevent secondary infections" and "I don't have health insurance and it makes me feel better."

Yes

Nano-Machines..

yes! As long as it's funded by the war economy.

Man I didn't see this coming since I was 6. Just evolution at work. I tried to tell people, but they just laughed at me.

Edit
Now your also stacking it with the fact that a lot of the western world has no access to good dirt to help immune functions properly grow and learn what to and what not to respond to and your in for some rough time in the future. No people will not listen, bad things will happen unless good people choose to act.

This is why I never take antibiotics my doctor prescribes. Antibiotics are the new aspirin.

That's why if I get sick... I let it run its course... no medicine unless I absolutely need it. More than likely the reason why I don't get sick as often and when I do... it lasts at most 3 days

Same, I only get sick about once a year, and even then its easy 3 day cold or some such.

Especially the stomach flu... which I've had more than a few times... I let that run it's course every time I got it... it slowly got to the point that I never get it anymore. Gotta love the immune system..

This is what happens when people put their unyielding faith in western medicine.