Is our country over-medicated?

Taking too much antibiotic is harmful especially for the children.You truly said antibiotic medicine makes strong resistence power of the bacteria that cause diseases.Now most of the doctors take short cut way to treat patients.They prescribe antibiotic medicine for quick recovery.They don't care about bad side effects of these medicines.

It's funny how times change, isn't it? When I was growing up, the doctor very seldom prescribed antibiotics unless there was a clear bacterial infection - usually strep throat, in our case. We got a tetanus shot if we stepped on a rusty nail, and if my mother called the doctor because one of us was coughing up a storm or couldn't breathe through a stuffy nose, the "prescription" was usually a spoonful of Robitussin or a smear of Vicks Vaporub under your nose. My kids' pediatrician was ahead of his time. As early as 25 years ago, he was hesitant to prescribe antibiotics unless there were clear indications of an infection. When my pre-teen daughter developed nasty seasonal allergies, he mentioned that some of his patients were having a lot of success treating allergies with locally produced honey - apparently, the presence of tiny amounts of local pollen in the honey helps the body build up its resistance to an assault by those allergens in the air. We found a local beekeeper, and sure enough, a spoonful of honey a day kept her allergies at bay throughout the spring and summer. I suspect that the downturn of the economy coupled with the ease of researching things on the internet might lead a lot of people to turn to natural remedies rather than visits to the doctor. If they're lucky, they'll have a doctor like mine who keeps up on the latest research and is usually open to saying "I've heard this might help - give it a try and let me know how it works."

Thanks for sharing this information with us. I do agree with what you said. It seemed that we were stronger and we took less medicine in the past. © ronaldinu 2008

I'm not into medications period. I get that stance from my great-grandmother who was a nurse, thought all doctors were idiots to begin with, and she only used her natural cures and remedies...she never took anything stronger than aspirin and she lived to be 98 years old. When you listen to many people and they begin telling you of al the medications they are taking it's like sheesh! They take one medication for an initial problem, but then maybe it triggers off another health problem so the doc will prescribe something to combat the side effects of the first, but THEN the second med triggers something else, and the doc will prescribe another medication to combat the side affects of the second med, that is being taken to combat the sides affect of the first medication and on it goes. As far as antibiotics, yes, doctors tend to hand them out pell mell for anything nowadays, they are especially non effective for colds, yet I guess it's a patient's fault as well. Being the pill popping medication society we've become many people kind of expect a medication to be prescribed for everything As far as people using less prescriptions...I don't think it's really true due to not being able to afford them, but more and more people are getting fed up with medications to begin with due to the many serious side affects they have...One time my own doctor prescribed a medication for me, before I got the prescription filled I looked it up. It was one of those that had detrimental severe WARNINGS..that it could trigger strokes or heart attacks..do you think I wanted to take that? Nope.

Great thread! Yes, this country is way over-medicated and I think that the act of paying doctors way for expensive seminars (aka-vacations) becuase they write prescriptions for every little things is a crime. I'm of the opinion that doctors are supposed to be concerned with what their patients are doing to their bodies long-term and yet, they look to write a scrip every chance they get (a doctor filling in for my sons regular doctor wrote me 2 perscriptions for meds in case my son started running a fever and another in case the test results came back positive for strep...he wasn't concerned we might just fill them and start dispensing them to a child who didn't need them!) Our son's regular physician is great and only writes a scrip when it is absolutely needed. We have also been turned onto the honey/bee pollen thing and also are thrilled with the results our youngest son has had since taking daily doses of honey. He practically needed an over-the-counter allergy pill on a daily basis and since taking honey daily, I believe he's taken an allergy pill 5 times in 4 (almost 5) months. Plus he just loves honey and has it on his toast or waffles every morning, along with a teaspoon before leaving for school. It has helped that we've begun switching our diets to a healthier, organic diet and it's rare when we don't have at least one all-organic meal each day and the whole family has been healthier, even when everyone around us has been sick... and of course, taking meds. Thanks for sharing the link!

I think so...and it's not just antibiotics. I got a little peeved when my son kept getting ear infections and the nurse practitioner just kept prescribing him antibiotics. I asked if her if being on antibiotics this much (he used to have a lot of ear infections when he was very young) would make him have problems fighting off infections later with antibiotics. She said no, but I didn't believe her. A couple of years ago, I wrote a paper for college on the overmedication of children in America. Doctors do prescribe antibiotics at a higher rate than they used to. Sadly, it doesn't end there. The prescription of anti-depressant medications to children around 5 years of age has grown at an exponential rate in the last 10 years.

I believe it is, I see people taking kids for a small cough among other things. I went the way of my mom and grandmother, natural is better as far as Im concerned for alot of things. Antibiotics have been given out so much that most dont have a natural immune system which I think is dangerous. When the antibiotics stop working for someone there isnt much that can be done for them. We use homemade onion syrup for coughs and colds, ginger tea for fevers and colds, Garlic for antibiotics, Fish oil for healthy hearts, Lemon and honey tea to soothe a sore throat. That is just to name a few. Yea Im a herberlist and some think it is weird but it has worked and I think it is safer. There are alot of herbs to help out with most health problems and they do normally work.

i personally am not in favor of taking medicines.. i think everyone whould have a proper diet and keep himself fit.. yeah that way too, lot of country lack basic facilities like nutrient food, many ppl cant afford them :(

I think we probably are over medicated here. I guess that the idea of taking so many antibiotics is an old one, I think that is how some infections and illness's became resistant to antibiotics. I like to eat beef that hasn't been treated with antibiotics and steroids as well.

Well It is not really only the doctor's fault. When we eat meat, they have also been fed antibotics, so we are also getting them into our bodies that way. And then there are the crazy over zealous cleaners who have now induced manufacturers to promote this crap like hand sanitizers, bleach this and bleach that. Just wash your hands after using the bathroom, ( which some people do not do)cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. I was reading a cooment on a cruise discussion board where this nut job recleaned every inch of her room once she got onbaord. But here is the dilema, does she reclean everytime her steward comes in to clean, turn down the blankets,, which is at least 2x a day?

In India, even now doctors don't prescribe antibiotics during the first visit itself. They will ask us to wait for a wait or `10 days before prescription. I still remember that I have not taken any antibiotics during my childhood. My grandma used to make some home medications with herbs. But now a days, whenever I take my girls to doctors place, she immediately write a prescription for antibiotics which ultimately decrease the immunity of kids.

i totally agree with you. people stopped letting the common cold run its course now they take meds for that to! i understand if there is a fever or something... but even the slightest headache and people reach for pain relievers as if reaching for a piece of candy. The only time we used to go to a doctor as kids is if we were sick for more than a few days... usually my mom would just give us herbal teas and what not to sooth tummy aches and as a result i feel i respond better to most pain relievers than others. I only use them when im really out of it and even then rarely. Why do you think some medications for certain aliments are so pricy? They had to come up with stronger medicine to fight viruses that over time were not affected by the weaker counterparts of a medication.

I only went to the doctor to take a physical for school and stuff. I was just blessed never to be sick. My mom used to give me Tylenol when I had a headache but that was about it. My sister-in-law takes her kid(my niece) into the doctor whenever her kid sneezes. I think parents are worry warts nowadays. Just let them sleep it off for heaven sake. Prayer is the best medicine.

I think the country is overmedicated. I think too many doctors care about the salary, and their lifestyle rather than helping a patient truly feel better and what works. Antibiotics were prescribed to me as a kid, but sleep still proves to be a better cure for some things. I think kids are way too overmedicated, and too easily diagnosed. The health care system needs to be reformed drastically.