Common Antibiotics

The discovery of certain substances can effectively kill bacteria which has invaded the body has saved millions of lives and improved the health of countless others. These substances, called common antibiotics, are one of the most welcome of medical breakthroughs. In the past simply stepping on a rusty nail could very well result in a severe infection and even death. Now days a simple pill or shot of antibiotics prevents all worries in these cases.

How Do Common Antibiotics Work to Improve Health?

When certain bacteria enter the body, some of them find the environment quite hospitable and multiply very rapidly. Most of the time the body’s own immune system will kill the bacteria before it has a chance to get a foothold in the body. When this happens the bacteria become so plentiful they start to do damage to the body’s tissues. For example, most sore throats are caused by bacteria. That type of bacteria like the warm moist area in the back of the throat. If the body’s immune system is low at the moment, it is possible for the bacteria to start a thriving colony in the throat. This overpowering presence of bacteria causes a sore throat. In almost all cases the body’s defenses will ramp up and kill the bacterial infection in a few days. Otherwise, a doctor could prescribe one of the common antibiotics in order to kill it faster.

Why Can’t Common Antibiotics Cure a Cold?

Many people think they should go to the doctor when they get a bad cold. There really is nothing a doctor can do but maybe offer something to relieve the symptoms a bit. The same type of relief can be found with over the counter drugs. A cold is caused by a virus. Common Antibiotics do not kill viruses. The flu, HIV, herpes, and cold viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics.

A developing problem associated with common antibiotics is that bacteria now days are becoming more and more immune to them. This problem has been caused by the overuse of common antibiotics. When people are given a round of antibiotics to take, they often do not finish taking them. This leaves some of the offending bacteria still alive. The ones left alive will be the strongest and most resistant and when this is done over and over it creates a new resistant strain. This has become a huge problem in hospitals where common antibiotics are given often. In fact, some of the new strains of bacteria are all but immune to even the strongest common antibiotics.