Wednesday, November 30, 2005

THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL


I will say it here so I do not have to say it AGAIN.

When you have a virus (ie mono, viral meningitis) , there is (usually) no cure-all, thus is the nature of a VIRUS.
A bacterial infection (ie strep, blood poisoning, bacterial pneumonitis) is treatable with ANTIBIOTICS, thus is the nature of BACTERIA.

aware.md explains it simply:

There are two types of germs that cause most infections in the United States - viruses and bacteria:

Virus - viral infections include
All colds and fluMost coughs Most sore throats Usually involve several parts of the body
Antibiotics CANNOT KILL viruses A virus is an infectious agent, smaller than bacteria, which requires the cells of a living organism to grow or reproduce. Viruses cause a variety of infectious diseases, among them the common cold, diarrhea, chicken pox, yellow fever, most childhood respiratory diseases and the majority of infections of the upper respiratory passages.

Bacteria - bacterial infections include:
Strep throatUrinary tract infectionsMost ear infectionsSome sinus infectionsAre usually localized at a single point in the body
Antibiotics CAN KILL bacteria IF the bacteria are not resistantBacteria are minute life forms which can cause infections in humans. Bacteria have the ability to adapt quickly to their surroundings. Their goal is to survive and multiply. This ability to adapt to their surroundings is the basis of antibiotic resistance. Surviving contact with that antibiotic allows the bacteria to resist it in future contacts.


SO

WHEN I COME INTO WORK AND TELL YOU MY TONSIL IS SWOLLEN OUT OF PROPORTION AND I HAVE A *WICKED* SORE THROAT BUT MY DOCTOR CAN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT"S SOME SORT OF VIRAL INFECTION

DO NOT ASK ME WHY SHE DIDN"T GIVE ME ANYTHING TO TAKE
THERE IS NOTHING TO TAKE

*grabs strands of hair to pull while screaming as loud as swollen tonsil allows*

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sooo.....did the doctor know when your swollen tonsil would go back to normal?

[strokes throat, thinks of where tonsils used to be, cringes]

Cause I sure hope your virus goes away real soon!

<3 Elizabeth