If you think you need an antibiotic, think twice. The more antibiotics we take, the more super bugs we make possible. Don't ask your doctor for one just for a cold, flu or a cough. Make her (or him) take a throat culture first to make sure you have a bacterial infection.
And if you wind up in a hospital, make sure everyone who comes in your room or examines you has washed their hands. At the "How to Live to Be 100" talk at the annual Aging In Place in Darien luncheon, a doctor told us that being vigilant about hand washing in all medical settings is key to getting a good outcome. He told us to stay out of the hospital, if possible. But if we have to go, then protect yourself and your loved ones from the bacteria that are everywhere. He said he had to do this for his own family members when they went into the hospital.
The problem is that if we don't stop using too many antibiotics and we don't protect ourselves, we'll get more outbreaks of super bugs like the one in Los Angeles. See below.
Drug-Resistant ‘Super Bug’ Hits LA County Hospitals, Nursing Homes « CBS Los Angeles
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