Do you know
the saying that sometimes you have to feel worse in order to get better? Well,
I was told that several times and I have to admit that they are mostly right.
Antibiotics or other kind of drugs can make you feel sicker but finally you
will feel better. Unfortunately the latter isn’t always the case anymore.
Although
antibiotics have been the gold standard for treating bacterial infections since
the development of penicillin, they still should be used with caution. Many
people are not aware of the fact that frequent, long-term use and misuse (for example
not finishing the course) can lead to antibiotic resistance and therefore some
people can’t be helped anymore when they are sick. In order to avoid the
latter, new antibiotics or strategies are being developed. A Dutch biotech company is taking machinery from bacteria-killing viruses, called phages, and is using it to target the medically important bug Staphylococcus aureus.
In order to cure
the host, newly formed phages degrade components of the bacterial cell wall
using enzymes, called endolysins. Once the cell wall is breached, the contents
of the cell spill out and consequently, the bacterium dies. A serious advantage
is the fact that researchers state that resistance is very unlikely to occur
because phages work independently from the host’s metabolism.
Personally, I am
not a big fan of antibiotics or medicine in general because I think that
sometimes it is just better to rest. Many people already go to the doctor when
they just have a cold and then the doctor prescribes them a syrup or another
kind of drug. But this way their immune system doesn’t get the chance to
“fight” the bacteria themselves leading eventually to a compromised immune
system and therefore they will be more susceptible for bacteria.So people, when you are just having a cold or you are feeling queasy do not immediately take a drug to get better. Instead try to rest, to eat some citrus fruits and to avoid stress, sugar and saturated fats. This will strengthen your immune system.
