In short . . .Not only is it almost always useless, but it puts everyone else in jeopardy.
Sinus infections are just nasty. They drain your energy, leave you exhausted to the point where you almost drown in your own green snot. Your head aches from the facial pain and you may come off as a crack addict rushing to your doctor to have them prescribe you a nice big dose of antiobiotics. Roughly 20 percent of all adult antibiotic prescriptions in the United States, it turns out, are written to treat sinusitis. The problem is that anyone who stays up to date on immunology, pathology, physiology and family medicine literature knows that they're useless.
Antibiotics only kill bacteria, but a whopping 90 percent of sinus infections are caused by viruses, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. What's more, new research over the past year has proven definitively that antibiotics won't change the course of most sinus infections.
The misuse of antibiotics to treat conditions they can't possibly cure is simply stupid. It's resulted in “superbug” outbreaks—infections caused by deadly bacteria that have evolved the ability to survive most antibiotics because we don't have the patience or dedication to take care of our body and strengthen our immune system. The more antibiotics you take, the more likely that you'll develop a drug-resistant infection. That's because, while the drugs kill most of the bacteria, the most naturally resistant ones are most likely to survive—and multiply.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has spent ten years trying to convince doctors to stop dispensing antibiotics for viral conditions in order to preserve the effectiveness these drugs when you actually need it (rare, critical moments).
So the next time your doc wants to prescribe antiobiotics for a sinus infection, say no and try your best to build your immunity by addressing underlying issues such as lack of sleep, poor diet, deficiency of nutrients such as Vitamin D3, Fish Oil or even try natural treatments such as:
