ANTIBIOTICS CAUSE DYSBIOSIS

In fact, this is not true.

It is very difficult to achieve decontamination of the gut, so that antibiotics kill off ALL the flora in the intestine and anyone can take up residence there.

For this to happen, antibiotics will have to be taken for months and in fairly large doses.

In cases where a child gets sick with an acute respiratory infection, these regimens are never prescribed by doctors.

ANTIBIOTICS SUPPRESS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

It really does not.

The immune system is formed according to the principle of clonal selection: in response to each contact with an infection, a special clone of cells is created in the immune system — «specialists» for that particular infection. Doctors call them memory cells.

When reinfected with the same infection, memory cells begin to multiply instantly and suppress the infection quickly — often faster than it can manifest itself.

That's how inoculations work, by the way — Create clones of memory cells in response to the introduction of killed, dismembered, or generally fake infections.

Contact with the infectious agent is sufficient to create memory cells, full-blown disease is not required at all.

FREQUENT USE OF ANTIBIOTICS CREATES A FLORA THAT CANNOT BE KILLED BY ANYTHING

This is partially true. Indeed, some infectious agents such as pneumococcus or Staphylococcus aureus become resistant to almost any antibacterial medication known to mankind as a result of prolonged exposure to antibiotics.

Such pathogens can be found in surgical hospitals — especially those that have been working for decades, and doctors, when faced with an infection that is not immediately treatable, are sure to ask the patient if they have been treated in this kind of hospital for a long time.

Why do they ask this question? Because there is no place else to get this kind of resistant to everything microorganism. It is physically impossible to grow something like this with yourself by gradually poisoning yourself with pharmacy antibiotics. Life isn't enough.

Mankind is threatened by resistant strains of bacteria, but only in the very near future. But each individual can safely take the antibiotics prescribed by his doctor without fear of such global consequences. It's probably irresponsible to write so, but the fact remains that this flood will come after us.

WHAT ANTIBIOTICS ARE

The generation that grew up in the seventies was raised on olethrin.

There was such a drug — a combination of oleandomycin (which is an antibiotic from the macrolide group, «older brother» erythromycin) and tetracycline. It was a good antibiotic — «covered» almost the entire spectrum of upper respiratory tract infections known at the time.

Even now you can see who took it often as a child, — by their yellowed tooth enamel (called tetracycline enamel).

But then it turned out that tetracycline not only damages the color of your teeth, but it's also very bad for your liver. And tetracycline was abandoned in pediatrics, just as sulfadimethoxin was abandoned shortly before that.

But pediatricians still prescribe bactrim — also a drug from the early 1970s, and you can still buy olethrin in pharmacies for a very small price.

But in fact, there are only four groups of antibiotics prescribed to children today. Or two. Or three groups — It all depends on how you count.

The first group of antibiotics — are penicillins.

They are distinguished by their obscenely venerable age (penicillin was discovered in 1928), extremely low toxicity (for some diseases doctors prescribe just gigantic doses of penicillin — up to 10 grams per day) and remarkable efficacy, which they have managed not to lose over the years.

WHAT ARE THE ANTIBIOTICS OF THE PENICILLIN GROUP?

Benzylpenicillin — Good old penicillin that comes from mold fungi, so it's completely natural.

Unfortunately, these are the bacteria that have learned to develop resistance in the first place.

Oxycillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin — So-called semi-synthetic penicillins, which are easier to make than benzylpenicillin and are more effective — precisely because the bacteria have not yet had time to adapt to them. At least most of the bacteria that cause infections outside of hospitals.

Those germs that live in hospitals are no longer afraid of anything. Now because of the increasing number of strains of microbes that can resist penicillin, antibiotics are produced in combination with clavulanic acid. «deceives» the germs into destroying it, and the antibiotics themselves continue to do their work.

Unfortunately, clavulanic acid itself is far from harmless and can irritate the intestines quite quickly, causing diarrhea.

HOW PENICILLINS WORK

Most germs have a cell wall — extra protection from the external environment. Humans, by the way, don't have a single cell in their body that has a wall.

That's understandable: we're — we're multicellular, but each microbe is on its own. When a microbe begins to divide, the antibiotic disrupts the formation of the cell wall. And as a result, the germs die during division.

Remember, please: penicillins kill germs during an acute infection, at a time when germs are actively dividing.

SIDE EFFECTS OF PENICILLINS

Irritation of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. This side effect appears in the form of nausea, vomiting, and most often — In the form of liquid stools, which parents confuse with dysbacteriosis of the intestines (which is still very, very far away).

To prevent this from happening, some manufacturers make penicillins in the form of soluble effervescent tablets. And doctors do not hesitate to switch patients from pills to shots.

Allergy. Allergic reactions are quite common, and usually manifest as skin rashes. If your child gets a skin rash after taking antibiotics, you need to tell your doctor as soon as possible for an immediate change.