DISCLAIMER 1: I am so not a doctor. Go see a doctor if you feel like you need one. Seriously.
DISCLAIMER 2: A large portion of information in this blog comes from memory in the course of taking biology and chemistry classes. I sincerely encourage you to ask for sources if you feel like something I've written is bullshit.
On to business.
Recently, I've succumbed to that which I've dubbed the Supercold. I imagine a continuum with the common cold representing one end and the flu representing the other. The Supercold, as I subjectively experience it, lies somewhere halfway between the two, possibly edging upon the side of the flu. For the past week, I have woken up every morning feeling worse than the day before. Though the symptoms for the common cold and the flu overlap greatly, what distinguishes one from the other can often be as simple as the severity of the symptoms, or so wikipedia tells me. In December, I believe I contracted the flu – an intense 3-day sickfest consuming my entire being and knocking me unconscious for the greater part of the day each day. The Supercold has not cost me my ability to amble about the house; indeed, I have been to work every day of the week (irresponsible as it may be to subject small children to my viral presence). Thus, I am reasonably convinced it is not the flu. However, I have never had a cold quite like this before. A sniffly nose, a cough here or there. Whatever. Big deal. Having a nasally voice is usually enough to communicate to people that one has a cold or sinus infection. Walking into work yesterday (the first day I ever went to work knowing that I should stay home for the health of others at work), I tried to say “good afternoon” and instead uttered something akin to “gggggrrrrrrckkk” *hack hack hack, attempt to clear throat, hack some more, cough, deep lung cough, throaty wheeze* “rrrrckkckkkkggggrkckk” after which I was able to somewhat audibly communicate “wow, I sound like shit today.” Then I proceeded to march my sick ass into a room full of children and eat lunch with them. This, my friends, is the Supercold.
Viral infections such as rhinoviruses (cold viruses) and influenza (the flu) have their parties in the winter, replicating promiscuously in whomever they can infect for as long as their host's immune system takes to respond with appropriate force. During the course of a virus's nesting (a term I totally just invented to refer to the period during which the virus is establishing its presence in your body without receiving an immunological response), your immune system is kind of caught with its pants around its ankles, so to speak. Then, once your immune system gets off the crapper, it puts a jolly good effort into getting rid of these weird little geometric invaders (I like to think of viruses as Mooninites). At this point in time, bacteria may very easily come into play. A weakened or preoccupied immune system is like a big flashing “VACANCY” sign for bacteria. Many times, people with viral infections will develop secondary bacterial infections as a result of their suppressed immune systems. Thus, if you go to the doctor and get antibiotics (medicines that destroy or inhibit reproduction of bacteria), you will sometimes see improvement in your cold or flu symptoms. Antibiotics do not treat viral infections, though, and that is the core of my problem.
I have made the conscious choice not to go to the doctor primarily because I have no health insurance, and I could spend my money on way better things, like alcohol or video games. Secondarily, overuse of antibiotics is becoming more and more of a scientific buzzphrase as we start to see its effects more obviously.
I recall being in biology class at Oklahoma State. We had a lab to test bacteria's ability to mutate into forms that are immune to antibiotics. In the course of a week, we developed a strain of E. coli that was resistant to the common antibiotic amoxicillin. A WEEK. E COLI. In this very easy and practical demonstrate, it was impossible to ignore bacteria's amazing ability to grow resistant to anything that threatens it. Seems logical, as bacteria have been in existence for millions of years and are still going strong.
In this rambling discourse, we finally approach the heart of why I feel compelled to write about this topic. Irresponsible use of antibiotics is lowering the effectiveness of the medications that we so rely upon. I chose not to go to the doctor, not only for financial reasons, but because I knew my young, relatively healthy body could contend with these foreign invaders given enough time, rest, nutrition, and hydration. To expose whatever bacteria may have been reproducing in my body to whatever antibiotic I might have received from the doctor would contribute to the overexposure of bacteria in general to antibiotics in general. Already pharmaceutical companies are working to stay ahead of the game and develop new, more effective antibiotics. This falls back on the consumer who will soon have to pay higher prices for patented medications to treat different forms of the exact same bacterial infections simply because our trusty, dusty fillintheblankicillins are just no good anymore. I implore those of you who do not have naturally suppressed immune systems to let your bodies do the fighting when it comes to viral infections. If after 7-10 days, you still feel like total shit, it might be time to see a doctor. The secondary bacterial infections may have started to become more of a nuisance than your body can readily handle. But honestly, our species has existed for perhaps 50,000 years alongside bacteria and viruses. Some people die. You are the progeny of those people who made it into their childbearing years without dying due to bacterial or viral infections. You're stronger now. Don't cheapen it by relying on antibiotics when you have a perfectly good immune system evolved so nicely to help you oust these foreign invaders.
Another point: When your doctor gives you antibiotics and tells you to take them for a full 2 weeks, LISTEN TO YOUR DAMN DOCTOR. If you start feeling better after 5 days, awesome. That doesn't mean the bacterial infection is gone. It means it's starting to get under control. If you stop taking antibiotics after those 5 days, you give that bacteria the opportunity to continue replicating in your body and potentially mutating into a form that is resistant to the antibiotic you have taken. Keep taking your antibiotics for the full 2 weeks to ensure that ALL of the infection is gone or incapable of reproducing. It is a thoughtlessly irresponsible course of action to stop taking your antibiotics before the prescribed period.
I should stop this train of thought before I start harping on how people are more inclined to believe their friends or their feelings than their doctors who spent an inordinate amount of time in grueling school to figure out what ails people.
Basically: Give your body a good fighting chance against what ails it. If after a week or so things are still awful or getting worse, trust in modern medicine to take care of you.
Take vitamin C, zinc, super-B complex, and magnesium as supplements for your immune system, overall metabolism, and muscle support rather than taking medicines that treat the symptoms of viral infections, such as loss of energy or muscle weakness. That's my very, very amateur advice.
After 5 days of 12+ cups of water, 5 grams of vitamin c, 2 tablets of super B-complex, 1 tablet of magnesium, and 12+ hours of rest ALL DAILY, I have woken up on the 6th day feeling practically chipper. It was the worst cold I've ever endured, but I've made it alive and really no worse for the wear. And I have not contributed to the overuse of antibiotics. It makes my heart warm.
Cheers,
Rachel
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