Antibiotics for Strep Throat Completely Worthless for at Least 70% of Cases

Anthony Gucciardi
Natural Society

Lisa Garber
NaturalSociety
September 13, 2012

Millions of Americans visit their doctors and receive antibiotics for a sore throat annually. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 70 percent of people receive antibiotics. Antibiotics, however, do not target viruses, which cause the majority of sore throats. What we’re finding is that antibiotics for strep throat are worthless majority of the time,  and this is only from a mainstream medical perspective.

The IDSA released new guidelines on Tuesday declaring that antibiotics should only be administered to patients who test positive for streptococcus bacteria, or strep. Currently, only 20 to 30 percent of the children and 5 to 15 percent of the adults who receive antibiotics for sore throats have conditions—like strep— even treatable by the antibiotics.

Harmful Antibiotics Over-Prescribed

The IDSA’s preferred types of antibiotics are penicillin or amoxicillin. Even they are admitting that some antibiotics like azithromycin and cephalosporin are becoming increasingly ineffective against resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is only one issue the mainstream medical establishment is facing.

All antibiotics, however, destroy beneficial bacteria found in the gut. And many of the issues perpetuated by antibiotics use do indeed have to do with the destruction of vital beneficial gut bacteria. This can lead to severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms. What the IDSA isn’t saying, however, is that antibiotics have been linked to more serious conditions.

One report published in the popular journal Nature has revealed that antibiotics could be to blame for skyrocketing mental illness rates due to the depletion of this beneficial bacteria. Antibiotics for strep throat or any other condition may also lead to:

• Rising rates of mental illness

• Obesity

• Diabetes

• Metabolic Disease

• Sudden death

“They’ve [antibiotics] changed health and medicine over the last 70 years. But when doctors prescribe antibiotics, it is based on the belief that there are no long-term effects. We’ve seen evidence that suggests antibiotics may permanently change the beneficial bacteria we’re carrying,” says New York University Langone Medical Center’s Dr. Martin Blaser.

Antibiotics for Strep Throat? No thanks. Try Natural Remedies for Sore Throats and Strep

Rather than relying on harmful antibiotics for strep throat, consider natural remedies for sore throat or strep throat treatment. People have been using solutions like garlic, vitamin C, cayenne pepper, and honey for generations to prevent and treat strep throat. Perhaps the most effective home remedy for strep is apple cider vinegar.

If you suspect that your sore throat is caused by strep—the onset of pain will come on suddenly, swallowing will hurt, and you may have a fever without other symptoms of the common cold—simply gargle with unfiltered apple cider vinegar diluted with warm water, or try another natural solution.

Additional Sources:

LiveScience

ABC News

Microbiology Journal