Overuse of antibiotics in treating a sinus infection

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Hi fellow science geeks. I just wanted to share this news about how most sinus infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria and so doctors are over prescribing antibiotics which don't help with viral infections.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/22/most-sinus-infections-dont...

I'm pretty sure I have a sinus infection at the moment so I've been trying out the neti pot nasal irrigation trick. So far it seems to clear things up, but it sure is messy. One thing I noticed is that my ear is aching a lot since I started using it. I don't know what that means...

Anyway, I was just wondering what your thoughts are on this super bug situation? They say over using antibiotics leads to the creation of super bugs. I'd like to understand why. How exactly does treating someting with an antibiotic make the bug get stronger? By 'bug' do we mean bacteria or virus?

This is what I imagine when I think super bug:

All I know is that there is nothing super about the bug I currently have :(

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

"Whether a sinus infection is bacterial or viral, decongestants and antihistamines are not helpful and may make symptoms worse, the guidelines say.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/22/most-sinus-infections-dont..."

See I find that really weird, because it most definitely DOES seem to help unless I have some amazing positive thinking powers. :p  Next time I have a sinus infection I'll see if I can tough it out and see if it makes the recovery time shorter.

[Adina P]

It helped me too.  Either that or symptoms naturally disappear during the day and return at night :-)

[Adina P]

I think we have the SAME bug right now.  Ugh...the left side of my head is full of snot that won't leave my sinuses.  AND I got an earache a few nights ago but after re-evaluating the next morning and getting relief from Ibuprofen and phenylephrine I decided I didn't have a middle ear infection.  But it just does not want to leave! 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Hey Adina, hope you're feeling better today. I've been getting better "drainage" this morning, I don't know if that is a good thing but I think so, even if it doesn't feel so good. Bug Bug Go Away!!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

p.s. you should try using the Neti Pot. It's really gross but I found it helped a lot. It's great for allergies too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you're going to use a neti pot, be sure to follow these guidelines from the CDC. Four people in the US have died from Naegleria, an amoeba that lives in water, when using neti pots:

If you are irrigating, flushing, or rinsing your sinuses (for example, by using a neti pot), use water that has been:

• distilled;
• sterilized;
• previously boiled for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes) and left to cool;
• or filtered, using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller.

Rinse the irrigation device after each use with water that has been distilled, sterilized, filtered, or previously boiled and leave the device open to air dry completely.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

wow, I had no idea. Thanks Karen!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yes. People have gotten this devil from swimming too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah I read about that too - scary! 

I use the neti pot type thing for my sinuses sometimes too - I always boil the water, flush the bottle that holds the saline with some of the boiling water, then let the water cool to room temperature before using it.

[Adina P]

Is distilled really necessary?  I understand sterilized, but why distilled...do you know?

[F, Calla & Luca]

By virtue of being distilled it should not contain the amoeba in the distillate. The water has to be one or the other of the waters listed. Any procedure listed will eliminate this parasite.

[Adina P]

I have a sinus rinse thingy...similar function.