While no one will deny the life-saving abilities of antibiotics, in April of this year the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that if we don't change the way we produce, prescribe and use them, we will enter a "post-antibiotic era." Margaret Chan, the general director of the WHO and a maternal and child-health doctor, explained what's at stake during a keynote address at a conference on combatting antimicrobial resistance: "Things as common as strep throat or a child's scratched knee could once again kill. Some sophisticated interventions, like hip replacements, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy and care of preterm infants, would become far more difficult or even too dangerous to undertake."

How does over-prescribing happen? When parents come to the doctor's office or ER with a screaming child suffering from a sore throat or earache, it's not immediately apparent whether they have a viral or bacterial infection. Considering antibiotics don't work on viruses, and some bacterial infections will go away on their own, often the best course of action is to wait 24 to 48 hours to see whether the symptoms get better or worse. Yet, some doctors prescribe the antibiotic right away, feeling pressured by parents who just want their child to get better. Or, doctors worry that they won't be able to schedule a follow-up within 48 hours,保濕精華 so they send families home with a prescription just in case, even if it's not ultimately needed. Many of these drugs are "broad spectrum" instead of targeted-meaning they can wipe out many kinds of microbes indiscriminately, getting rid of the bad micro-organisms along with the trillions of good ones a healthy body needs. This is why the WHO is asking both doctors and patients around the world to use antibiotics only when absolutely necessaryreenex 價錢.

Khalil has been reading up on home remedies instead. "But I grew up in a completely medicated environment-my mom is a pharmacist-so when I talked to her about my concerns, she was pulling her hair out," she says. A neurologist friend also counselled Khalil against withholding antibiotics from Alex. "She said, 'Are you crazy? I've seen people die from infections. You have to treat it.'" Amid all the confusing advice, Khalil is also contemplating having tubes put in her son's ears, which is often recommended for kids who suffer from multiple middle ear infections and are experiencing hearing loss or speech delay. Although she's anxious about the surgery, she feels she needs to weigh those fears against the ramifications of antibiotic overusereenex cps.