By Sarah Won, MD
We’ve all woken up with a sore throat that progresses to a runny nose by the next day. By the third day, we have a hacking cough, a pounding headache from the sinus congestion, and even fevers with chills. We drag ourselves out of bed and go to the doctor, hoping that a pill or antibiotic can get us feeling better.
The majority of the time, however, we have one of 20 different respiratory viruses that cause the cold or flu-like symptoms. And antibiotics cannot kill viruses. So if it’s viral, the antibiotic cannot get you better.
What do antibiotics kill, then? Antibiotics, like amoxicillin or the Z-pack (azithromycin), kill bacteria. But antibiotics kill indiscriminately. Did you know our bodies are made up of 100 trillion bacteria? 99.99% of these bacteria do not cause disease — as long as a careful balance is maintained, they work the way they are supposed to work, and stay in the places they are supposed to stay.