Posted by bleauberry on May 20, 2009, at 18:44:36
In reply to Re: Should everyone go on a trial of antibiotics? » bleauberry, posted by yxibow on May 19, 2009, at 23:13:49
Your comments are well taken. I agree and disagree at the same time to everything you said. There are two sides of the fence, and I see both sides.
What it boils down to is the same decision every patient and doctor have to make. That is, risk versus benefit. It is a case by case decision. The risks of ABs you mentioned are real and serious, but thankfully rare. The risks of not doing treatment however are practically guaranteed. Today's treatments do not address the cause of the disease or stop its progression. The treatments only ease the symptoms so someone can have an improved life for a while.
Risk versus benefit. Though I see both sides of the fence, I am convinced a large number of the Fibro, CFS, and MS patients would respond amazingly well to certain ABXs. There is just too much in literature, and so many cases from my own doctor, to ignore as fluke.
As your views and mine collectively put together show, however, there is always in any kind of medical treatment a risk/benefit decision.
> > The answers of both the previous posters show how misinformed the general public, and most doctors, are on the topic of infectious diseases.
> >
> > To rely on a lab test for definitive diagnosis, for example, is a poker game.
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> Of course it is, that's why a doctor interprets them along with your medical history. Agreed, a test isn't the end of a probe into a mystery.
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> To ignore symptoms and history that fit the mold, is ignorant. What we need is not rampant use of antibiotics, but newly trained doctors who understand how to use them correctly. Such as pulsing as just one of several examples. On the topic of wiping out intestinal flora and creating new disease, that is valid but easily prevented as well. Most doctors do not even mention, and are not even aware of, the simple tactics to prevent that from happening.
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> I don't mean to be terse, but I think you are really downplaying Clostridium difficile. It is serious and possibly life threatening diarrhea.
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> Yes, there are probiotics and there is evidence that yogurt is a good thing to use after a SHORT normal course of antibiotics.
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> > As I said before, these are treacherous waters for the general public, but definitely fair game for the chronically ill in categories of:
> >
> > Resistant Depression
> > Resistant Anxiety
> > Resistant Schizoaffective
> > Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
> > Fibromyalgia
> > MS
> >
> > The risks of the above conditions on health, wellbeing, productivity, and life expectancy are far more serious than any risks of antibiotics.
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> Life expectancy on antibiotics can be minutes if you have anaphylactic shock. Not observing someone on antibiotics and giving a course to take home for some unknown and prolonged length of time can be life threatening.
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> And it happens because people don't necessarily know they are allergic to certain types of antibiotics. This is not an unknown scenario, I'm not being light or flippant.
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> Life expectancy when you have a genuine need for heroic antibiotics in an ICU, such as linezolid (Zyvox), or vancomycin, is another story. For that, it can be a life saver, literally, and not without risks either.
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> Yes, all the disorders you mentioned, especially CFS, Fibromyalgia, and MS have been misunderstood in the past but there are treatment options now for CFS and Fibromyalgia and they are recognized as legitimate and painful conditions in the general population.
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> But remember, even with Lyme disease, a titer can remain positive long after antibiotics have taken care of something that can and has been detected early.
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> But I know you believe in alternative medicine alot -- I can't convince you otherwise, that is your prerogative, but I can't see how a rough assault on the system with powerful drugs with real serious side effects that require situations where the benefits really do outweigh the risks is exactly a positive thing.
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> -- tidings
>
> -- Jay
poster:bleauberry
thread:896062
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090515/msgs/896856.html