What does the term Antibiotic Resistance mean? What are the causes and how it can be avoided?
Antibiotics are medicines that fight (or prevent) infections caused by bacteria, certain parasites and some types of fungus. When bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic various things can happen:
- they can be killed.
- they can be weakened or disabled.
- they can remain unaffected, or resistant.
Antibiotics should be taken when needed and not unnecessarily. Antibiotic resistance is becoming one of the world’s major problems. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic.
If you take antibiotics that cannot fight the bacteria they are supposed to kill, your infection can last longer. Instead of getting better, your infection might get worse. At the same time, your family members or other people you come into contact with will be exposed to the resistant bacteria you have.
If not recognized until the initial course of antibiotics fails to work, the delay between initial diagnosis and the start of successful treatment can result in unnecessary suffering and a deterioration of the patient’s condition.
CAUSES OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
- Antibiotics are meant to treat bacterial infections and not viral infections so do not take antibiotics to treat viral infections.
- Not finishing the full dosage of the antibiotic.
- Availability over-the-counter in many countries.
- Misuse by health professionals.
- Antibiotic application in agriculture, aquaria and family pets.
- Eating raw or undercooked foods.
HOW TO AVOID ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
- Do not demand antibiotics from the physician.
- Complete the full course of antibiotic treatment.
- Wash your hands properly to reduce the chance of getting sick and spreading infection.
- Wash fruits and vegetables, avoid raw eggs and undercooked meat, especially in ground form.
- Discard any left over medication. Do not save it for the next time.
- Do not take antibiotics that have been prescribed for someone else; they may not be appropriate for you.
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Categories: Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotics, Bacteria, Body, health, Healthy Tags: Ability, Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotics, Avoid, Bacteria, Body, causes, Doctor, Effects, Fungus, health, Healthy, Infections, Medicines, Microbes, Parasites, Prescribed, Prevent, Resist, Resistance, Viral
Tips to help your child’s teeth last for a long time…
Bad teeth are nor hereditary, it’s bad dental habits that are the main problem. Some tips to help your child’s teeth last for a long time are:
- Feed the proper diet
A diet that is mainly cereal based is too mushy to provide milk teeth and gums with the chewing and biting exercise that they need. Crispy veggies, fibrous fruit, chewing meat keep teeth and gums biting fit, because they increase the flow of saliva which keeps the mouth clean by washing away food particles.
- The baby should never be left asleep sucking a bottle of milk. Wipe gums and budding teeth with a gauze pad after each feed especially at night.
- Sugar coating should not be done as the baby is not born with a sweet tooth. She/He acquires one. Do not add sugar to food and drinks. Offer nuts, fruit, cheese as snacks. If given at bedtime, rinse the mouth or brush teeth.
- Try to reduce the risk of decay. Be stingy with sticky sweets and drinks which stay put on the teeth.
- Milk teeth serve several purposes like to eat, to talk, to look good, to secure places for permanent teeth, to allow the jaw and muscles to grow. Decay in baby tooth can affect the permanent tooth which is waiting to emerge. Infection can also be caused in the jaw.
- Begin six monthly tests by the time your toddler is three, which is when decay starts. The time to fill in a cavity is at the very beginning. This saves the tooth and hurts the child less.
- Clear lumps and puddles from your baby’s mouth after each meal into a wet cloth or gauze. When your child is around two years, it is the best time to get them a tooth brush. Let the child brush away till she has had her fun after which you can finish up.
- Flossing helps to get to some of those in between spots that a tooth brush can never reach do do not forget to floss. It may not go smoothly in the start but if flossing becomes a part of daily routine, they will accept in painlessly.