In another JAMA study published today, kids with sore throats are often prescribed unnecessary or incorrect antibiotics.
The problem may stem from the inaccurate assumption that every sore throat is strep throat. JAMA reports that of the children with sore throats who seek medical treatment, no more than a third actually have strep. The bacterial infection seems to have become a catch phrase for any throat ailment.
Prescribing the wrong medication can not only complicate treatment of the current illness, but may also increase a child's resistance to drugs. This problem can be easily avoided if doctors test for strep throat prior to writing a prescription. J. Todd Weber, MD, director of the CDC's Office of Antimicrobial Resistance, says: “If we are going to get serious about preserving the effectiveness of [antibiotics] we have to employ the tests we have, and we don’t have many, that can reliably determine if the drugs are needed.” [via WebMD]
If taking an herbal route to healing, slippery elm and licorice can be helpful in soothing sore throats.
Interests: Anything with an ING: dancing, biking, listening, talking, writing, reading, watching, eating, drinking, running, thinking, working, dreaming, surrendering, laughing, smiling, acting, traveling, singing, surfing, driving, shopping, thanking, observing, welcoming, connecting, loving, learning, sharing, practicing, asking. I love supermarkets in other places, lyrics to songs, seeking out gluten free food, responding to questions and surveys, finding deals and bargains, doing public relations for anyone/anything I believe in, good conversation, sociological observation, the beach, early mornings, condiments and spices, vitamins and minerals, alternative medicine, nutrition, holistic health, fitness gum, coffee drinking, gun chewing and sitting in the steam room.
Inspiration: Books: Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
Music: Linkin Park and The Cure
People: My mother and all of those that have come before me that have fought their own battles and didn't give up.
Places: Carl Schurz Park, New York, NY
Movies: In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Stealing Beauty, Beautiful Girls, When A Man Loves a Woman, In America, Magdelene Sisters, The Notebook, Run Fat Boy Run
Things: Causes worth fighting for: Lupus and other auto-immune disorders, Organ Donation and impoverished and at-risk youth.