Sore Throat? Bronchitis? No Antibiotics For You
You've probably heard over and over again that antibiotics only work on certain illnesses, not colds and sore throats. I still wanted them when I had a terrible case of bronchitis, convinced it would stop my hacking cough, several years ago. But scientists are now saying I was completely wrong, and they're hoping to educate the public once and for all. According to the Associated Press, "Repeated warnings that antibiotics don’t work for most sore throats and bronchitis have failed to stop overuse." But in a strange twist, probably just to shut patients up, doctors have been prescribing these drugs for "most adults seeking treatment at a rate that remained high over more than a decade, researchers found." The findings show reducing inappropriate prescribing “is frustratingly, disappointingly slow,” Dr. Jeffrey Linder, a physician-researcher at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told the AP. Most sore throats and bronchitis are ca...