Acetaminophen Use Associated with Asthma, and Decreased Lung Function

The May 3, 2005 Medical News Today reported on a study that showed that Acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, if used daily was associated with a greater prevalence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as directly related to decreased lung function.  The original study was published in the May 1st 2005 issue of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Researchers from Britain looked at data from a US survey involving 13,492 participants who were part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey which took place from 1988 to 1994.  Participants in the survey were asked whether they had taken aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen during the previous month.  The replies to the survey were then divided into "never users;" "occasional users" (1 to 5 times in the past month); "regular users" (6 to 29 times during the past month); and "daily users" (more than 29 times during the last month). This information was then compared to see if there was a correlation.

The researchers found that those who reported daily use of acetaminophen were nearly twice as likely as non-users to have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  They noted that the results also showed that neither the use of aspirin nor the use of ibuprofen was associated with the prevalence of either asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Researchers also noted that there was a direct relationship between an increase in asthma and a decrease in lung function, with an increased usage of acetaminophen. 

In the published report researchers concluded; "This study provides further evidence that use of acetaminophen is associated with an increased risk of asthma and COPD, and with decreased lung function."  They noted that acetaminophen use can cause an increase in asthma risk with potential effects on the onset, progression, and severity of the disease.

ADHD Drug Alters the Brain in Young Children

A December 13, 2003 article on WebMD, featured research showing that early use of the commonly prescribed ADHD drug, Ritalin, can lead to depression later in life.  This evidence is based on new studies performed on rats. The article does note that it is an open question as to whether what passes for depression in lab rats has anything to do with depression in humans, but the evidence of the effect on the brain, according to this study was clear.

The findings come from a research team led by William A. Carlezon Jr., PhD, director of the behavioral genetics laboratory at McLean Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. The study appeared in the December 15, 2003 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

In a news release Carlezon was quoted as saying, "Rats exposed to Ritalin as juveniles showed large increases in learned-helplessness behavior during adulthood, suggesting a tendency toward depression.  These rats also showed abnormally high levels of activity in familiar environments. This might reflect basic alterations in the way rats pay attention to their surroundings."

The article stated that there are some close similarities between Ritalin and Cocaine.  According to the article, although Ritalin and Cocaine have different effects on humans, their effects on the brain are very similar.  The article noted that when given to preteen rats, both drugs cause long-term changes in behavior.  Carlezon and colleagues explained that the drug short-circuits the brain's reward system. That would make it difficult to experience pleasure -- a "hallmark symptom of depression."

"These experiments suggest that preadolescent exposure to Ritalin in rats causes numerous complex behavioral adaptations, each of which endures into adulthood," Carlezon and colleagues conclude. "This work highlights the importance of a more thorough understanding of the enduring neurobiological effects of juvenile exposure to psychotropic drugs."

ADHD Drugs Send Thousands to Emergency Rooms

The above is a headline from the May 24, 2006 AP article appearing on ABC News Health website.  According to the story, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention released the first national estimates of this problem.  According to the CDC these drugs cause approximately 3,100 people to have to go to the emergency room each year. Of those the CDC estimates that nearly two-thirds are overdoses and accidental use.

The article notes that an estimated 3.3 million Americans who are 19 or younger and nearly 1.5 million ages 20 and older are taking ADHD medicines.  From the years 1999 to 2003 there were 25 deaths and 54 cases of serious heart problems, including heart attacks and strokes, that were reported to the US Food and Drug Administration, (FDA). Additionally, the CDC reported that in the 64 hospitals they monitored alone from August 2003 through December 2005, there were 188 emergency room visits due to these drugs. Researchers extrapolated these numbers to all U.S. hospitals resulting in an estimated 3,075 ER visits occurring each year.

The article noted that many of the incidents were due to children getting into parents prescriptions, but side effects such as cardiac problems, chest pain, stroke, high blood pressure and fast heart rate were also noted.

According to CDC epidemiologist Dr. Adam Cohen, other common symptoms from ADHD drugs include abdominal pain, rashes and spasms, and pain or weakness in muscles.

ADHD Over-Diagnosed and Over-Drugged 

In a September 1^st 1999 article from the Associated Press recently reported on ABC News comes a story about the over diagnosis and over drug treatment of children for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD).  The article reports on a study published in the American Journal of Public Health where researchers examined about 30,000 grade-school children in two districts in southeastern Virginia.  The results found that pupils in the study took drugs for ADHD in school at two to three times the expected rate.

“It is hard to believe this many children have the specific brain-related problem called ADHD,” said LeFever, assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Center for Pediatric Research.  “That is a very high rate of ADHD, by anyones estimate,” said psychologist Nadine M. Lambert of the University of California at Berkeley.  Researchers also found that ADHD medication was used by three times as many boys as girls and twice as many whites as blacks.  The study also showed that the use of the medication increased as children aged. By the fifth grade, 19 percent to 20 percent of white boys had received ADHD drugs.

Dr. Louis H. McCormick, a faculty member in the family medicine department at Louisiana State University medical school, said this study confirms what he has long suspected in his own 20-year practice, that kids are being over-diagnosed with ADHD.

Chiropractic offers an alternative to this over-medication approach. The results of 2 separate studies reveal that hyperactivity, and other behavioral conditions respond well to chiropractic care and even exceed results seen from medication.  One such study at the University of Mississippi by Giesen JM, Center DB, Leach RA, showed “chiropractic manipulation has the potential to become an important nondrug intervention for children with hyperactivity.”  (the term manipulation was used by the researchers).

AIDS Data Shows Decreasing Trend.

In an article published in the June 8^th 1999 issue of the Washington Times comes a story that reports on a 20 percent drop in AIDS cases from 1997 to 1998. According to the Times article, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta posted the number of AIDS cases as going from approximately 60,000 in 1997, to 48,000 in 1998. This astounding turn around represents a 20% reduction in one year.

This information comes in stark contrast to the dire predictions made earlier. The Times article highlighted several dooms-day claims listed below. "There may be no one left (without massive federal aid)" Donna Shalala, HHS secretary. "By 1991, 1 in 10 babies may be AIDS victims." USA Today 1988. In 1987 Oprah Winfrey stated on her show that a fifth of heterosexuals would be dead of AIDS by 1990.

Over the last 2 decades, the media has definitely blown the alarm of warning about AIDS. As history has shown over many thousands of years, diseases have a cyclical pattern where they first attack more violently at first. This is followed by a reduction in the strength and number of cases of the disease. This is not to state that we should not be concerned. But we should be aware of the facts. Below is a list of facts on AIDS as published in the Washington Times article based on information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

• AIDS cased droped from 60,000 in 1997 to 48,000 in 1998.
• There were 6700 non I-V drug using cases of heterosexual patients with AIDS in 1998.
• Teenagers represented only 0.6 percent of cases in 97 & 98
• The number of AIDS babies went from 671 in 1996 to 473 in 1997 to 341 in 1998.
• Women infected with AIDS dropped from 13,000 in 1997 to 11,000 in 1998.

These decreasing numbers should be viewed in light of the fact that there is no medical treatment or prevention that cures or prevents AIDS. Good common sense has been the most effective method of prevention.

From a chiropractic perspective, research has been conducted on AIDS patients to see the effect of specific chiropractic adjustments on certain measures of the immune systems of patients with AIDS. In this study the effect of specific upper cervical adjustments on the immune system CD4 cell counts of HIV positive individuals was measured by CD4/mm3 in the blood. In patients suffering from immune deficiency a higher CD4 count represents a higher immunity. These tests were performed by the patients independent medical center where they were under medical supervision for the condition. The measured CD4 counts in the regular group were dramatically increased over the counts of the control group. A 48% increase in CD4 cells was demonstrated over the six-month duration of the study for the group receiving chiropractic adjustments. The control group experienced a 7.96% decrease and the adjusted group experienced a 48% increase in CD4 cell levels.

Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Damages the Unborn Brain

Reuters Health news service ran an article dated Feb 10, 2000, that stated that researchers now know how drinking alcohol during pregnancy can affect the brain of a fetus. This study also published in the February 11, 2000 issue of the Journal of Science, was conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Missouri.

One of the authors, Dr. John Olney, stated that "Its a mechanism that involves interfering with basic transmitter of the systems in the brain, which literally drives the brains nerve cells to commit suicide." The shocking part of the report was that it was reported that just one episode of getting drunk during the third trimester of pregnancy would be enough to damage the brain of a fetus.

Allergies Often Misdiagnosed

A new study finds that almost two-thirds of those who take allergy drugs don’t need them.  Dr. Sheryl Szeinbach of Ohio State University studied 265 patients taking allergy medications. The study found that 65 percent did not actually suffer from allergies. The consequences are that people who are misdiagnosed can waste as much as $80 a month for the prescription drugs, taking medicines they don’t need. Additionally, side effects from these medications can also be a factor while the medications these people are taking fail to relieve the real symptoms.

Dr. Beth Corn, an allergist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York says, “It's very obvious to anyone who practices in the field of allergy that there are many patients who walk around who are misdiagnosed.”  Dr. Corn tries to explain, “There’s also an incredible influence for marketing where patients will watch television and they’ll see commercials or they’ll be on a bus and they’ll see ads for medications and they want these medications.”

Visits to "alternative" health care providers rise 47% in 7 years.

In the November 11^th, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, (JAMA), David Eisenberg, M.D. published his long awaited follow up study on the use of "Alternative Medicine" in the United States. Several years earlier, Dr. Eisenberg published his initial study that rocked the medical community with his findings of how many people were actually going to what he termed "Alternative Providers".

From inside the medical profession, any other health care profession was known as an alternative. However, the numbers from the Eisenberg study quickly showed that chiropractic and other non-medical forms of health care are not "alternative" in the public’s eye.

This new study, conducted in 1997, illustrated some astounding facts and figures.

• Americans spent $27 billion out-of-pocket for alternative therapies in 1997.
• Four out of 10 people used alternative healthcare in 1997.
• Visits to alternative health care providers (mostly chiropractors) increased by almost 50% from 1990.
• The number of visits to alternative health care providers (629 million) exceeded visits to medical providers (only 386 million) visits in 1997 alone.
• Less than 40% of patients tell their medical doctors that they seek alternative therapies.

Researchers also found that 42% of the alternative care was for existing illness while 58% was used for prevention and wellness. These numbers look good for the chiropractic profession, which has built its health care delivery future on wellness. "Many people initially enter the chiropractor’s office for a health problem. But many then stay there for the wellness benefits chiropractic has to offer", says Robert Braile, D.C. President of the International Chiropractor Association.

Study shows more people using "alternative" health care.

According to an article in the May 20 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), more people are turning toward what JAMA terms "Alternative Medicine". Traditionally, chiropractors do not use the term "Alternative Medicine" when referring to the profession of chiropractic, since chiropractic is a drugless natural approach to health. But it is interesting to note how the medical profession views chiropractic and other health approaches they term "alternative".

The article says, "Research both in the United States and abroad suggests that significant numbers of people are involved with various forms of alternative medicine. However, the reasons for such use are, at present, poorly understood. Along with being more educated and reporting poorer health status, the majority of alternative medicine users appear to be doing so not so much as a result of being dissatisfied with conventional medicine but largely because they find these health care alternatives to be more congruent with their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations toward health and life." According to John A. Astin, Ph.D., a researcher at Stanford University's School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California who surveyed 1,035 randomly selected people, "Alternative medicine users tend to hold a philosophical orientation toward health that can be described as holistic and are more likely to have had some type of transformational experience that changed their world view in a significant way."

Alternative Medicine Gaining Acceptance, Says Study

A story by John Dorschner of Knight Ridder News Service and published in the January 30, 2005 issue of the Miami Herald reported on the huge increase of insurance companies covering, what they termed, "Alternative Medicine".  The story reports that this activity is now a $30 billion industry.

Some insurance programs, such as Vista Healthplan, based in Hollywood, Fla., has even announced a discount program for its members of up to 30 percent to encourage usage of some 30 alternative programs.  Steve Russell, a Vista vice president commented on a new program where seniors enrolled in Vista can get a $25 voucher to try alternative care.  He noted, "Most of them don't know about these things. Basically, we're encouraging them to step over the line."  He continued, "To increase their mobility, their flexibility, to get out and try new things."

Santiago Leon, a Miami health insurance broker who has studied the field extensively stated, "Complementary medicine is going mainstream quickly.  Part of the impulse is therapeutic. Part of it is economic." 

John Dorschner, author of the article noted that chiropractic care may not even be considered alternative anymore. He stated "Chiropractic, once considered alternative, is now considered mainstream, or nearly so. A chiropractor's adjustment of a back, or a few minutes of massage therapy, when effective, costs a fraction of what back surgery does. Eighty-seven percent of firms offering health insurance now have benefits for chiropractic, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation."

A Medical Enron

Americans Aren't Making the Health Grade

The above headline comes from the June 30, 2003 ABC News online. The story is in reaction to a report commissioned by the American Academy of Family Physicians which finds that a full 98 percent of the 1,000 adults polled admit they have at least one of the unhealthy habits they were asked about, such as smoking, not exercising enough, handling stress poorly or eating a less-than-healthful diet.

Among the findings from the study that were listed in the article are:

• Twenty-six percent said they smoke at least sometimes, and half of these people acknowledged it's a harmful habit.

• Only 48 percent said they maintain a healthy weight.

• About 42 percent of women and 31 percent of men said they aren't doing well at stress management.

• Thirty-two percent said they don't limit dietary fat.

• Only 25 percent said they work out vigorously five or more hours a week.

• Thirteen percent said they don't have time to watch their fat intake, and 47 percent gave no reason for not watching it.

When asked why they continue a habit that's unhealthy, 24 percent said they lack willpower or self-control, and another 14 percent said stress was to blame. Dr. Michael O. Fleming, a family physician in Shreveport, La., and president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which commissioned the health behavior poll made this suggestion, "The main thing is to begin to take things seriously," Fleming says. People must realize the importance of managing risk factors for disease, he says, or they'll pay the price, probably sooner than they think.

Americans Take More Drugs

From the January 16 2001 PRnewswire is a story that reveals some startling numbers.  According to a survey conducted for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), 51% of American adults take two or more medications per day, which include over-the-counter drugs. The study also showed that 46% take at least one prescription medication daily and 28% take multiple prescription drugs per day. 

These figures show that an alarming rate of the adult population in the United States uses drugs of some kind.  As expected the elderly have the highest rate of medication usage with 79% of those over 65 reported to be taking at least one medication daily.  Americans who are over 65 and take medications take an average of 4 medications per day per person. 

One of the concerns expressed by the ASHP president, Mick L. Hunt, M.S., was that medications could have bad interactions when mixed.  Hunt said, “We want all patients to be aware of the potential for drug interactions that occur when mixing all of these remedies, especially when taking multiple medications each day.”

Americans Take More Drugs Than Any Other Nation

An April 17, 2005 Associated Press (AP) story printed in many publications reports that Americans are the most medicated population in the world. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 130 million Americans swallow, inject, inhale, infuse, spray and pat on prescription medications every month.

According to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical consulting company, over the past decade the usage of prescription drugs by Americans has increased by 2/3rds to an incredible 3.5 billion prescriptions per year. Additionally, IMS Health reports that their polling finds that Americans devour even more nonprescription drugs.

The AP story notes that the consequences to this large usage are grave.  The article points out that landmark medical studies of the 1990s suggest that well over 125,000 people die from drug reactions and mistakes each year.  They note that pharmaceuticals are the fourth-leading national cause of death after heart disease, cancer and stroke.

When placed in perspective, the volume of medication usage in the US becomes more evident.  The article notes Americans spent as much on drugs last year as they did for gasoline.  According to drug industry consultants the pharmaceutical industry did more than $250 billion worth of sales last year, the vast majority in prescription medications.  That translated into $850 for every American.

Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and author of "The Truth About the Drug Companies", commented, "We are taking way too many drugs for dubious or exaggerated ailments."  He continued, "What the drug companies are doing now is promoting drugs for long-term use to essentially healthy people. Why? Because it's the biggest market."

Anthrax Vaccine Rejected by More US Military Personnel

In what seems to be an increasing trend, more military personnel are willing to face harsh penalties rather than receive the anthrax vaccine. The television news show "60 Minutes" ran a story on Feb. 6, 2000 concerning an ever increasing number of military personnel refusing the anthrax vaccine. In some cases those in the reserves were resigning from the service rather than submit to the vaccination. The featured military officer was Major Sonnie Bates who faces court-martial or prison for his stand. In addition to the 60 Minutes show an Associated Press article of Jan. 29, 2000 also reported on Major Sonnie Bates who may be the highest ranking officer in the US Air Force to face court-martial for refusing the shots. In support of the Major, dozens of people protested outside Dover Air Force Base. The protesters carried signs which read: “Free Major Bates” and “My husband will take a bullet for America but not the Anthrax vaccine.” “The people who refuse this vaccine are being raped of the same civil rights they fight to protect,” said one protester Gloria Webb of Ellendale. In defense of his actions Major Bates commented, “I am doing what I have always been trained to do and taught to do,” he said. “If you know it is right, you stand up for it. And likewise, if you know it is wrong, you have to challenge it. No matter what the consequences.” Maj. Sonnie Bates faces up to five years in a military prison for disobeying an order.

Antibacterial Soap Overuse May Help Spread Disease

From an August 1, 2001 MSNBC article come news that scrubbing your hands too often with antibacterial soap may actually have the opposite effect and make you and others more susceptible to disease.  Doctors at the summer scientific meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology said that, "When overused, the relatively harsh detergent action of antibacterial soaps leaves you vulnerable to open sores that can attract bacteria, resulting in skin problems such as eczema."

Dr. Marianne O’Donoghue, associate professor of dermatology at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago in referring to over washing with antibacterial soap said,  "This begins a vicious cycle, whereby a person who develops hand eczema or another form of dermatitis touches a surface, leaving microscopic germs behind. Another person comes along, touches that surface and he too can be infected with the bacteria."

Dr. William Baugh, chief of dermatology at the Beaufort Naval Hospital in Beaufort, S.C., agreed. “I’ve seen patients who have developed hand eczema from these [antibacterial] products,” he said. “It certainly can occur [and spread].” Baugh went on to say, “When I ask patients [with eczema] how often they wash their hands, they say 20 to 25 times a day.  They think they are being good citizens by washing frequently. But you can over do a good thing.”

Presently it is estimated from a recent survey that nearly half of 1,100 liquid and solid soaps contain antibacterial agents.  From a dermatologist’s point of view, antibacterials are among the most worrisome products contributing to skin problems, O’Donoghue said. She continued,  “They literally strip away fatty acids, moisture and amino acid from the skin.”  Baugh added, "Overuse of antibacterials is worse than frequent use of other soaps as chemicals in the detergents strip away the naturally protective fats and oils on the skin."

Antibiotics for Children With Ear Infections Questionable

The Southern California/RAND Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) performed an analysis of clinical studies conducted on children four weeks to 18 years of age from 1964 through 1998, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In this analysis the investigators found, a large percentage of children, nearly two-thirds of those studied,  “with uncomplicated acute otitis media...recover from pain and fever within 24 hours of diagnosis without (antibiotic) treatment...and over 80% recover within 1 to 7 days.”

The Evidence-based Practice Center estimates that over 5 million episodes of acute otitis media occur each year in the US at a cost of approximately $3 billion. In the United States it is routine to use antibiotics as a first treatment approach.  This is in contrast to other countries, such as the Netherlands, where the standard practice is to use "watchful waiting" for one to two days after the onset of an ear infection in children over two years of age. In these countries antibiotic use is only called for if the infection fails to improve during that time.  Because of the difference in antibiotic usage between the US and the Netherlands,  the rate of bacterial resistance in the Netherlands is about 1 percent, compared with the US average of around 25 percent.  This indicates that the US uses antibiotics more than other countries.  Additionally, not only is antibiotic use possibly unwarranted, but questionable in their effectiveness.

Antibiotics in the First Year of Life Increase Risk of Asthma

From a March 13, 2006, Reuters Health release comes a report that children who are given antibiotics early in life increase their chance of asthma later.  This finding is from a study by Dr. Carlo A. Marra and colleagues at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver published in the medical journal Chest.  The study also suggests that the more antibiotics were used on a child, the higher the risk of asthma.

Dr. Marra's group reviewed and combined data from seven studies analyzing the possible relationship between children who received antibiotics in the first year of life and those who did not. These studies included  12,082 children of whom 1817  had developed asthma. The data showed that the children who had received antibiotics in the first year of life were twice as likely to develop asthma as those who did not receive antibiotics.

In an interview with WebMD, Dr. Marra stated, "Antibiotic exposure during the first year of life does appear to be a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma, but because of limitations in the studies we reviewed we have to conclude that bigger and better studies are still needed."

Dr. Clifford Bassett, an allergy expert and professor of medicine at the State University of New York seemed to agree with these findings as he stated, "With the immune system, we're finding we may need to expose ourselves to bacteria and other endotoxins to boost or have our immune systems develop normally."

Dr. Marra concluded, "This is the best evidence we have right now, and the best evidence that we have looks like there is potentially an association. People should not be prescribing antibiotics unless they're really necessary."

Antibiotics Linked to Bacteria Resistance

A new study published in the February 10, 2007 issue of the prestigious British scientific journal The Lancet, shows a direct and definitive link between antibiotic usage and increased resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. Previous studies have shown a relationship, but this new study has shown a direct cause and effect between the usage of antibiotics and an increase in bacteria's ability to resist these drugs.

In a Health Day News article, Dr. Herman Goossens, lead author of the report in The Lancet, commented, "A lot of studies have shown an association between antibiotic use and resistance, but all those studies are based on indirect evidence. There have been no randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies. Ours is the first study to show directly that antibiotic use leads to resistance."  The study was performed at University Hospital Antwerp in Belgium.

The study was performed on more than 200 healthy volunteers and compared two types of antibiotics against a placebo pill.  Researchers took several samples of bacteria from the volunteers both before as well as up to six months after giving them antibiotics to see if they had developed any resistance to the drugs.

The results showed that both groups taking real antibiotics showed a bacterial resistance increase from 50 to 53 percent within 4 to 8 days. This was compared to the placebo group that showed no increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics in the same timeframe.

Dr. Stephanie Dancer, a consultant microbiologist at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland , noted her concern that was verified by this study, "I do feel very, very strongly, as my colleagues do, that we are running out of [effective] antibiotics," Dancer said. "This study is so nice, because it gives concrete evidence underpinning everything we have suspected."

The authors of the Lancet study concluded, "Physicians prescribing antibiotics should take into account the striking ecological side-effects of such antibiotics."

Antibiotics Linked to Serious Complications in Infants

In a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publicized by the Associated Press, it was reported that “Erythromycin has been strongly linked to pyloric stenosis”, an illness among newborns that blocks digestion and causes projectile vomiting.”  This serious condition requires surgery to correct. 

The reports initiated at a Knoxville Tennessee hospital where 200 babies born in February 1999 were prescribed erythromycin after being exposed to whooping cough by a hospital worker.  Seven of the children, all under three weeks old, became ill with pyloric stenosis.  As a result the CDC is warning both doctors and patients to be aware of the potentially serious side effects of the antibiotic.  It should be noted that newborns are also sometimes given erythromycin to treat chlamydia infections transmitted from their mother during childbirth.

Antibiotics May Be Scrapped for Most Ear Infections

CNN.com released a story on March 3, 2004 reporting that antibiotics may no longer be what the doctor orders. According to federal health officials, two leading medical groups are expected to recommend this spring that doctors stop treating most ear infections in children with antibiotics.

About half of all antibiotics prescribed to preschool children are for treating ear infections.  The problem that is arising is that because of the high usage, more bacterial infections are becoming resistant to antibiotics.  Health officials believe if they can reduce child antibiotic use for such infections, they can stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs created by overuse of the drugs.

Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the meningitis and special pathogens branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that this new recommendation will represent a marked departure from years of common practice.  He states, "It will mark a dramatic change in appropriate antibiotic use."

Dr. Allan Lieberthal, co-chairman of the medical committee reviewing the proposed new guidelines stated, "Since the discovery of penicillin, when there is a bacterial infection, antibiotics are given." He continued, "Because of the increasing resistance of common bacteria to antibiotics, the importance of limiting their use is essential."