Why is there over-use of human antibiotics?
As discussed previously, while the therapeutic-only theory of antibiotics is not correct, another adage taught in medical schools is. Specifically, physicians are told they must not prescribe antibiotics unless they are ablolutely necessary. By limiting the use you limit the potential for resistance. Unfortunately, when medical students get out into practice, they find their lofty ideals of prescription dreailed by dictates of the non-medical world. To a certain extent, their patients demand antibiotics. For colds, or flu, which are viral diseases unaffected by antibiotics, their patients don’t want to be told there are no medications that will help. They want the doctor to give them a prescription. If their doctor sends them away empty-handed, they won’t come back. The solution is found in a study in Finland in which antibiotic use in humans was restricted and bacterial resistance declined in an equivalent manner.
