Antibiotics were foreign to us, until the 1920s where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin and revolutionized the field of medicine, extending the human lifespan by many years. By the 1940s, penicillin started to be mass produced and became well-known and scientists continued to research until the current date. They’re medicines which specifically target and fight bacteria so that they’re unable to multiply. Despite their benefits, there has been an increase in misuse of antibiotics – where there are cases of overuse (prescribed when not necessary), underuse (not prescribed when needed), incorrect dosage (due to lack of expertise of the medicinal professional) and lastly being sold over the counter without any prescription.
These antibiotics were misunderstood as magical pills in the general public and can be more dangerous than you think. There are certain side effects that are more dangerous and could be life threatening if not treated early enough. Mild ones include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and headaches.
Some of the dangers include:
𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: when antibiotics are not used in the correct situation, the chances of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase day by day. This means the current set of antibiotics cannot be used to solve the same disease compared to previously as the bacteria have gotten stronger. This makes it a very dangerous situation as these bacteria will get stronger and it will be harder to fight these infections.
𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: this is slightly scary as allergic reactions can be built up over time. However, it is also possible to have side effects from the antibiotics and these are different from an actual allergy. Allergies are more serious such as itching and possibly a rash. This could lead to further complications such as decrease in blood pressure, shortness of breath and increase in heartbeat.
𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗮: this is when a bacterium, Clostridium difficile (C. diff) multiples when the current gut flora is disrupted, and causes this infection. It is also possible to be a carrier and not fall sick, but if you are infected, the symptoms will develop in the first 5 days. There will be watery diarrhea 3-5 times a day and abdominal cramping. More severe infections have a swollen abdomen, weight loss, nausea, 10 times of watery diarrhea and dehydration.
Take everything you do with caution and remember to finish your current course of antibiotics even though you are feeling well enough after a few days. Antibiotics should always be used sparsely and only when needed instead of eating it regularly. This will ensure they can still save countless lives in the near future and help fight infectious diseases.
Whenever we fall sick, the first thing we think of are antibiotics to solve the issue. Antibiotics can help treat bacteria infections as they function to stop their growth/ reproduction, so we can be cured of the disease. If antibiotics are taken when the disease is mild, it will build up antibiotic resistance and soon common diseases cannot be solved with antibiotics in the near future.
Prevention is better than cure, so always remember to take care of yourself by eating a healthy diet, getting enough rest and also drinking enough water daily. It’s impossible to avoid falling sick, but do remember not to be fully dependent on antibiotics for any common flu/ sore throat/ cough.
Healthtalk (Emunity) 4 – How to boost your immune system
E-munity is a highly nutritious powdered beverage that combines the polysaccharides found in Cordyceps Mycelium, Shiitake, ABM mushroom, and Maitake mushroom with antioxidants in Cassia seeds and Blueberries which developed based on the nutrition immunology theory.
Take E-Munity regularly to nourish your body,
prevent cancer, and achieve optimal health.
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We all have heard about ‘Time and tide waits for none’. In the same way, health doesn’t wait for anyone as well. If you don’t tend to it, it will not wait until you finally decide to do it.
We chase life at the cost of our health. Once we finally have the time to sit and look back, we would have already done irreversible damage to it.
Remember that there isn’t success by compromising your health and happiness. People consider health as something you have to ‘do’ like a routine in life. It’s not. Taking care of your health is a way of life.
