CHAPTER 13
Eight Dangerous Myths of Modern Living
and How to Shrug Off Each One
1. Antibiotics, Bugs And Why We Attract Them
Are Antibiotics Really Necessary?
ntibiotics have dominated the field of health for nearly 60 years. Known as a “magic bullet”
treatment or “miracle drug,” antibiotics, meaning “against life,” can speedily destroy hordes of
disease-causing bacteria. They are the most popular choice of the medical profession for stopping
infections and relieving pain. At least one of every six prescriptions written each year is for an antibiotic
drug. Antibiotics are so popular with doctors and patients because they provide relief very quickly.
Having grown up in a generation in which antibiotics are frequently prescribed for a stubborn case of
cystitis, a sore throat or an itchy skin rash, we may readily accept that the “magic bullet” prescribed by the
doctor is the best option to deal with such bacterial infections. Although every medical student knows that
viral infections (including colds and the flu) do not respond to antibiotics, millions of people who are
afflicted with these ills still receive antibiotic prescriptions from their doctors. In 1983, more than 32
million Americans visited a doctor for treatment of the common cold and 95 percent of them went home
with a prescription drug. More than half of them were unnecessarily given a prescription for an antibiotic.
Now 25 years later, this trend has nearly doubled.
Patients are rarely informed that even a single dose of a broad-spectrum antibiotic drug can severely
damage the natural flora of the intestinal tract and the blood-forming red bone marrow for as many as four
to five years.. In the majority of cases, patients do not read the list of side effects written on the drug
labels or direction sheets. They simply trust that their doctor knows what’s best for them.
It is very disconcerting that many doctors don’t even know that penicillin, for example, won’t cure a
cold or flu. Because of their very design, antibiotics impair the immune system and hence may sow the
seeds for problems more serious than a cold in the future. Besides, a cold is not an illness, but rather the
body’s first and best emergency response to rid itself of toxins. The virus only serves as a trigger for this
cleansing response to occur. If you do “catch” a cold, consider it a blessing rather than a curse, and allow
the body to heal itself.
Since most people prefer a quick-fix “cure” to a time-consuming one, antibiotics have become one of
the most preferable forms of treatment today. However, it may take a minimum of 24 hours before
infection-causing bacteria can be identified. So the doctor, being pressed for time, tends to use a broad-
spectrum drug that can wipe out every microorganism it meets, including those that help protect us
against disease. This may be justified in the rare event of a life-threatening infection, but certainly not for
the vast majority of relatively mild infections. To make matters worse, in a large number of cases specific
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