Further Reading on Antibiotics for Sinus Symptoms

I have said it before in this space: antibiotics are a hot topic in sinus medicine, and everyone should be paying attention. The simple fact is that too many people are taking too many antibiotics which are unlikely to improve their health – and might, in fact, make things worse in the long term.

New studies have been published demonstrating these ideas, and now media outlets are taking note. As a well-written piece from Yahoo Health recently put it:

Although there are certain bacteria-caused illnesses that do require antibiotics, such as pneumonia, strep throat, inner ear infections, and a small fraction of severe sinus infections, these ailments are much rarer than you’d think, says Dr. Jeffrey A. Linder, an internal medicine doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. In most cases, he says that congestion, coughing, and other misery-making symptoms are caused by a virus, not by a bacterial infection that could be zapped by antibiotics.

Misery is hard to ignore, of course, which is why so many ENTs and sinus surgeons continue to write scripts against their better judgment. But the good news is that a little patience can mean fewer patients; waiting a week or two is likely to result in better health. No pills necessary.

Why not take them preventively, just in case? Because antibiotics are slowly losing their efficacy, and overprescription is one of the big reasons why:

On top of all that, taking antibiotics can make you more resistant to antibiotics in the future. And the more of these drugs that are used unnecessarily by all of us, the more antibiotic-resistant superbacteria that develop, rendering these drugs ineffective for people with life-threatening illnesses who truly need them. The bottom line: Don’t take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary.

One of the interesting things about my job as a sinus surgeon is that I offer a completely different pathway to health, one that isn’t likely to lose its power over time. Sinus surgery is a great way to address these health problems permanently – with no effect on herd immunity.

To schedule your sinus surgery in Los Angeles, contact me here.