Antibiotics for Respiratory Battles in the Winter: Don’t turn “the potion” into “the poison.”
When winter arrives, the cold wind of the cold, like a naughty little boy, always drills into our collars, bringing not only the cold to the ground, but also the upper respiratory tract to infect this little monster. At this point, antibiotics are often used by many as a “doctrine” against the disease. But do you really know it? Today, together, we walk into the world of antibiotics in the winter of Respiratory Big War, and see how this “therapeutic” is not turned into “toxic”.
The multiple faces of the upper respiratory infection, the little monster.
Upper respiratory infections, in short, are the “floating” parts of the nose and throat. It’s not a single little monster, it’s a bunch of rags. Common flu, tonsilitis, so forth. The modus operandi of these little monsters is different.
The common cold, the little one, is usually mild, makes your nose sneeze like a lump of cotton and sneezes from time to time, like someone tickles in your nose. And the “little monster” of tonsilitis is much more powerful, and it makes your body swollen like two little peaches, and it hurts like a little flame hidden in your throat. It burns worse every time you swallow.
The “corrh” causing the upper respiratory infections, mostly the virus. These viruses are like a bunch of sneaky little thieves sneaking into our bodies and messing around inside. But sometimes bacteria also enter, like streptococcus, and when our body becomes less resistant, they rush in like robbers and stir up the upper respiratory tract.
Antibiotics: Not a “one-size-fits-all” pill
A lot of people who have respiratory infections want to get some antibiotics and feel that they can get better. But antibiotics seem to have a hard time: “I can’t cure anything!” Antibiotics, that’s a very powerful name, as if it could fight every life. In practice, however, it is a “secret weapon” specifically designed to deal with bacteria and has little effect on the virus.
Imagine the virus being a small, flexible group of ninjas, which is haunted in our bodies, while the antibiotics are a big knife, designed to cut off the bacteria of the big head. You can’t cut ninja with a big knife! So, when our upper respiratory infections are caused by the virus, it’s like having an antibiotic that blows a knife to the air, in vain.
For example, common colds, more than 90 per cent of which are caused by viruses, at this point in time, not only do antibiotics not make you much better, but may cause unnecessary trouble.
It’s a “single skill” for antibiotics.
Although antibiotics are “unsatisfactory” to the virus, in dealing with bacteria, it is a real thing and it is called a bacterial “thing”. There are many types of antibiotics, each of which has its own unique “style of combat”.
For penicillin, it’s like a building destroyer. The cytowalls of bacteria are like their nails, protecting bacteria. Antibiotic penicillin can interfere with the synthesis of bacterial cell walls, making the layer of “salvation” poignant. Bacteria are like defenseless soldiers and can easily be eliminated.
And there’s an antibiotic with a sapilin, and it’s kind of like super glue. It combines with some of the critical substances on the bacterium cell wall, making the bacterium cell wall fragile and, ultimately, causing bacterial rupture and death.
In addition, macrocyclic ester antibiotics, such as Archicin, are like a “disturbing molecule”. It runs into the bacteria’ protein synthesis “workshop” and interferes with the bacteria’ process of making protein. Protein is like a “brick” for a bacteria to build, and without “bricks” the bacteria cannot grow and breed, and can only slowly “fast to death”.
Abuse of antibiotics: Open Pandora’s Box
Antibiotics are powerful, but if they are abused, like the opening of the “Pandora’s Box”, there are a number of terrible consequences.
First, the problem of bacterial resistance. Bacteria are actually very smart “boys”, and when they are exposed to antibiotics for long periods, they try to avoid the “attacks” of antibiotics. They change their structure, like putting on a stronger “bullet jacket” for themselves, so that antibiotics can’t find a place to do it. Or they create some special enzymes, decompose antibiotics and render antibiotics useless.
Once bacteria have developed resistance, they will be dealt with with with the same antibiotics, like cutting a tree with a blunt knife that can’t be cut. Moreover, the resistance of bacteria spreads between bacteria like infectious diseases. Imagine that if all bacteria become drug-resistant, then we will face bacterial infections in the future, like soldiers without weapons and helpless.
Secondly, the misuse of antibiotics also disrupts the balance of intestinal strains in our bodies. We have a group of “good partners” in our intestinal tracts, and they’re a good fungus. These good bacteria are very important to our bodies, and they can help us digest food, like a hard-working group of “kids” who turn food into nutrients that our bodies can absorb. At the same time, they protect our intestines from harmful bacteria.
However, antibiotics are “good or bad” and, when killing harmful bacteria, they are also eliminated. It’s like a garden, where there were beautiful flowers and weeds, and in order to get rid of the weeds, the flowers were pulled out and the garden became desolate. When intestinal strains are unbalanced, we can experience diarrhoea, indigestion, and lower body immunity.
In addition, the abuse of antibiotics can cause allergic reactions. Some people are allergic to antibiotics and may have rashes when they are used, as if they were full of red larvae, itching and suffering. Serious allergies can even cause respiratory difficulties, shock and endanger life. It’s like you think it’s a cure “saviour”, and it turns into an enemy that threatens your life.
Upper respiratory infections, when to use antibiotics.
Since antibiotics can’t be used at all, when will they be needed when the upper respiratory infections occur?
In general, in the case of common colds, antibiotics are mostly not required. The common cold is caused by the virus and is self-restrictive, i.e., if we do not take the medicine, if we rest and drink more water, the body will in a few days “leave” the virus itself.
However, if upper respiratory infections combine bacterial infections, the use of antibiotics is required. How do we determine if there’s a co-infection? At this point, the doctor will assist in the judgement through some tests. For example, regular blood tests, if white-cell count and the proportion of neutral particles increases, there may be bacterial infections. And C reaction protein, if this indicator rises, also suggests a possible bacterial infection.
In addition, we can make our own preliminary judgements through some symptoms. For example, the presence of white or yellow puss on the body of tonsils, with severe fever and longer durations, may combine bacterial infections. And, for example, when coughing, if the coughing is yellow and green, it can also be a sign of bacterial infection. However, these are only preliminary judgements, and ultimately it is for the doctor to determine whether the use of antibiotics is necessary.
The “secretary” of the rational use of antibiotics
If doctors judge the need to use antibiotics, then we have to do so in the right way, so that antibiotics can do their best, while reducing side effects.
First, you must take it on time. Antibiotics are like a well-trained “army” that can effectively eliminate bacteria only if it is “expedited” at the required time and dose. If it is not taken on time, it is like having the army move in a moment and back, the bacteria take advantage of the “counterattack” and it is easy to produce resistance. For example, the doctor ordered that we eat three times a day, each time, strictly in accordance with this requirement, not when we want to eat, nor increase or decrease the dosage.
Second, we can’t stop. Some friends, having had antibiotics for a few days, felt less ill and thought they were well and stopped their medication. It’s very wrong! Symptoms may have been reduced only temporarily and not completely eliminated. As if the enemy had not been completely defeated on the battlefield, you had withdrawn early and the enemy would soon return. It is therefore essential that the medicine be finished in accordance with the treatment prescribed by the doctor in order to ensure that the bacteria are removed from their roots.
Thirdly, don’t change drugs. Every antibiotics has its own characteristics and scope of application, and the medicines prescribed by doctors are carefully selected in the light of our condition. If we feel that this drug is not working well, we can simply switch to another antibiotics, which can not only cure the disease, but also exacerbate it. Moreover, frequent changes increase the risk of bacterial resistance.
The Antibiotic Trap in Life
In our daily lives, there are a number of “traps” that can easily trap us into the use of antibiotics, and we must be careful to avoid them.
Many families have a “family medicine box”, which may contain some of the antibiotics left over from the previous illness. When there are respiratory infections in the home, some parents turn out these pills for their children. This is a very dangerous act! The condition of the child may be completely different from the previous one, and there are strict requirements for the type and dose of antibiotics available to children of different ages. With the wrong medication, not only is the disease incurable, but it may also cause bodily harm to the child.
In addition, there may be irregularities in the use of antibiotics in some small clinics. Some doctors give antibiotics to patients in order to make them feel better, whether they are bacterial or not. When we go to the hospital, we have to be careful, and if we have any questions about the medication prescribed by the doctor, we have to ask them in time or go to a regular hospital to examine it again.
Also, some superstitiously import antibiotics, which they think must be better than domestic production. In fact, the key to the efficacy of antibiotics is whether they are right, not whether they are domestically produced or imported. As long as it’s an antibiotic that suits our condition, it’s the best antibiotics.
Summary: Scientific antibiotics to protect respiratory health
Antibiotics, while an important “weapons”, are by no means a “one-size-fits-all” panacea in the winter of Respiratory Operations. We need to know its characteristics, when it should be used, when it should not be used, to avoid the misuse of antibiotics and to protect the “ecological environment” of our bodies.
Only the scientifically rational use of antibiotics will enable it to exercise its greatest power in the fight against bacterial infections, helping us to overcome the upper respiratory infection of this “little monster” and to protect our health. Let us act together in the right way to use antibiotics and, in this cold winter, build a strong line of defence for our upper respiratory tracts and spend every day with joy and health. Remember, rational use of antibiotics is the key to winning this health war!
