A Review of Differences in Non-Organic Milk vs. Organic Milk
Residues of at least one antibiotic were found in most of the conventional or non-organic milk samples (60%) collected from retail stores across the U.S., while none were detected in any of the organic samples, according to a study published in Public Health Nutrition in 2019. Residues of several currently used pesticides were also detected […]
Surgery for Appendicitis? Antibiotics Alone May Be Enough
I remember when my best friend in fifth grade couldn’t make our much-anticipated end-of-the-school-year camping trip because he had just undergone surgery for appendicitis. Now I prevent kids from participating in their school activities for four to six weeks after I remove their appendix. But what is the appendix, why do we have an organ […]
Are you really allergic to penicillin?
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts A: Allergies to penicillin are the most commonly reported medication allergy. This can be a real problem. If she is truly allergic to penicillin, she does need to avoid penicillin, amoxicillin and related compounds. Now, this would be just an unavoidable reality of life for penicillin-allergic people, if […]
Antibiotics can be an option rather than surgery for simple appendicitis
Q: A friend recently was diagnosed with appendicitis. She was treated with antibiotics only, no surgery. Doesn’t appendicitis always require an appendectomy? A: For more than 100 years, surgery has been the recommended treatment for appendicitis. However, recent studies suggest that antibiotics and no surgery might be safe and just as effective for many […]
Parents: How smart are you about antibiotics?
Harvard Health Blog Out of all the visits children make to health care providers, 1 in 5 result in a prescription for antibiotics. That’s about 50 million prescriptions a year. But here’s the worrisome part: 10 million of those prescriptions are for respiratory illnesses that antibiotics aren’t likely to help. Basically, 1 in 5 of […]
Bugs That Just Say No
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are spreading steadily Antibiotics have dramatically changed human health, effectively treating once-menacing infections. Unfortunately, in many instances, we have been overexposed to these drugs, weakening their impact and creating an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.“The development of antibiotics was one of the greatest advances in human medicine,” says Sameer Patel, MD, MPH, an infectious disease specialist […]
The Kid’s Doctor: Get smart about antibiotics
www.kidsdr.com When your child is sick, do you know the best uses for antibiotics? Many parents do not, so here’s how to stay in the know. It really is the time of year when “everyone” is getting sick, and fortunately most of these illnesses are due to common viruses that circulate during the winter months. […]
The trouble with antibiotics
By Susan Farrell, M.D. Harvard Health Blog Most people are aware of the potential downsides of taking an antibiotic. These side effects can range from allergic reactions to stomach upset, diarrhea, mental confusion and, in some cases, Clostridium difficile colitis — painful colon inflammation caused by a disruption in the normal balance of bacteria in […]
The Kid’s Doctor: Not all earaches require antibiotics
By Sue Hubbard, M.D. Parents are so SICK of their children being SICK and I must agree … it is time for everyone to stop coughing and sniffling and get well. And that means fewer ear infections, as well. Ear infections are one of the most common reasons that a parent brings a child to […]
