Breaking Antibiotics and Viral Infection Myths

It's admittedly a puzzling question. The rampant antibiotics viral infection myths out there are so bizarre that just popping them willy-nilly has become a fad.

Have you ever felt like a glorified petri dish, sniffling and coughing through a cold, wishing for a miracle to slay that virus, like Sylvestre Stallone in a Rambo movie? That's where you might've heard the term "antibiotics" thrown around quite a lot. It's a potent weapon in the fight against infection as a whole. But hold your horses (or tissues, as the case may be now) – antibiotics are like calling in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for a shoplifter. They are very impressive and that's exactly the reason they aren't quite fit to fight a virus.

But why don't these germ fighters not work on this one thing? Kofuku is here to be your very own Bill Nye and maybe along the way, you'll deduce just why antibiotics are ineffective for viral infections.

Okay, picture this, there's an epic showdown happening and on one side, we have the well-organised Bacterias, single-celled organisms with rigid cell walls and the ability to self-replicate! Oh, but on the other hand, we have the Viruses, much smaller and simpler yet they can hijack our human cells to reproduce.

General Sun Tzu had said, “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable at night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” Antibiotics embody this. They are so precise when they strike at all the weaknesses in the bacterial cell wall, that it essentially dissolves their defenses, shutting down their cloning factories. The sad thing is, he also said, “All warfare is based on deception” and viruses are big-time Sun fans. They are sneaky and have no cell walls because they rely solely on our cellular resources to make more virus babies. Antibiotics, precise as they are, simply have no target to latch onto.

If you thought, surely it couldn't get worse than that, then you're very wrong. Not only are Antibiotics ineffective for viral infections, but it also contributes to an actual public health crisis – antibiotic resistance.

India is among other countries like China and the Russian Federation to have over 40% of infections from resistant bacteria, observed particularly in some antibiotic-bacterium pairs.

The Bacteria have really come a long way from the og, penicillin. A study even estimated that if this resistance was left unchecked by 2050 deaths by Antibiotic resistance may increase to 10 million each year.

Every time we take antibiotics unnecessarily, we contribute just a bit more to antibiotic resistance, unknowingly favouring the survival of resistant bacteria. These jacked-up bacteria are tougher to treat, extending illnesses and increasing healthcare costs.

The tangent was very much needed because we had to honour the science guy by being absolutely thorough. Now that you know what happens if you needlessly take antibiotics, let's find out when and why you should actually take it.

After that mortality rate scare, you might be tempted to ditch your antibiotics entirely. But as ironic as it is, these medications are lifesavers when it comes to actual bacterial infections. Earaches, strep throat, bladder infections – these are all where antibiotics excel best. Doctors can usually tell the difference between viral and bacterial infections based on symptoms, physical examination, and sometimes even rapid tests. It's not like they literally study for it or anything.

For all its uses, antibiotics are still useless against viral infections. Since it's not really an option to curl into a ball and curse antibiotics to the moon and back, here is some actual advice that will help you cope with the infection:

• Rest Up: Your body is basically being run over in every way. This is the optimal time for you to catch up on those all-nighters. Trust your immune system to do its job.

• Hydrate: Fluids help loosen congestion and keep your body hydrated. If you can't stomach just drinking gallons of water, then go for broths and herbal teas both of which can help you retain some moisture back into your cells.

• Over-the-Counter Relief: Pain relievers and cough syrups can help manage symptoms and make you feel more comfortable. Most of them are available over the counter but it's always better to check in with your family doctor before medicating. Push comes to shove, have a cup of your Nephews Woodward’s gripe water and sleep the infection away. However, make sure to not one-shot it as it is pretty weak all things considered.

• Soothing Strategies: A warm gargle for a sore throat, a cool mist humidifier for congestion, and a heating pad for muscle aches. These are what heaven is made of, thankfully it gives immense relief during this vulnerable time even back here on earth.

Despite many Karen‘s rants, vaccinations are our best defence. It can train our immune system to recognize and fight off specific viruses before they even have a chance to do serious damage. Antiviral medications take care of the after part and are designed to specifically target viruses and make sure they don't open a cloning business on the side. For high-risk individuals, this could make or break their recovery period as it can shorten the duration and severity of illness.

While antibiotics didn't turn out to be the answer for viruses, there are other weapons in our arsenal. One such weapon is knowledge. Everything in this blog was meant to impart to you the importance of simply knowing the right things, either to prevent or to heal. Both of these are significant to breaking every antibiotics viral infection myth.

Here's to safer and myth-free healthcare!