Many of adult patients insist (and a few demand) antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections--you know: mild coughs, the sniffles, colds, nasal congestion. But most colds and such are caused by viruses, which means that the class of drugs known as antibiotics--developed to kill bacteria and only bacteria, not viruses--won't do these persistent patients a bit of good. most upper respiratory tract infections in healthy adults are caused by viruses; hundreds of viruses can cause cough, nasal congestion, body aches, and sore throat. But, unfortunately, antibiotics can only kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria; they have no effect on viruses, which are much wilier and harder to kill. Luckily, however, if you have a healthy immune system, your killer T-cells are quite capable of finishing off a virus infection in due course, without any assistance from the medical community. Your cold symptoms will usually go away on their own in 7 to 10 days. So the next time you visit your physician for cold symptoms, please do not ask for that antibiotic. Instead, * If possible, go home and rest (rather than spread the bug to others). * If you wish, take over-the-counter cold remedies to relieve your symptoms. (But know that they won't shorten the length of your cold.) * If you really have to go to your job, consider wearing a surgical mask to protect your coworkers from some of the millions of viruses you'll be shedding all over the office. * Drink lots of fluids. * Wash your hands often. * Get vaccinated against influenza every year By the way, medical experts now advise against giving any over-the-counter cough or cold drug to children under the age of 6--even if the labels say that they've been concocted specifically for children. These meds probably won't do a child any good and could possibly do serious harm.
