Antibiotics for Bronchitis?
Antibiotics for Bronchitis?
If your doctor prescribes an antibiotic for bronchitis, it’s time to start asking questions.
First question: Is it viral bronchitis?
If the answer is yes (which it will be in the vast majority of cases), the next question is: What are you thinking?
In a new review of bronchitis studies, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University report that antibiotics are prescribed to about 70 percent of bronchitis patients, and most of those cases are unresponsive to antibiotic therapy.
In an e-Alert I sent you last year, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., explained why antibiotics are still prescribed for a condition that’s not bacterial: “When I started practice (1985), almost any symptom of bronchitis got a Rx for antibiotics. Later on, with more news about ‘superbugs,’ antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic overuse, the prescriptions for antibiotics decreased for bronchitis (which already had several reports of those drugs not being effective). Today it sort of depends on the doc, as some will still prescribe an antibiotic to get a patient out of the office (and not wanting to deal with the ‘please doctor DO something’ syndrome).”
So how should bronchitis be treated? Dr. Spreen again: “For bronchitis (an inflammation of the larger airways that lead to the lungs, but don’t include gas-exchange tissues) I’d be going heavy on vitamin C, the absolute minimum being 1,000 mg three times/day, and preferably (in my opinion) a loading dose of 3,000-5,000 mg with 1,000-2,000 mg/hour more like it for the aggressive types. If bronchitis tends to be chronic, vitamin A (not beta-carotene) and zinc should be thrown in there to help protect mucosal surfaces that may be chronically nutrient-deficient.
“Plus, I’d add Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), as it’s the best antioxidant that can reach fat-soluble spaces, along with NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), which is known to be good for lung tissue to keep bronchitis from possibly progressing into something worse.”
Talk to your doctor before taking any of these supplements.
