Yellow Snot
Have you heard the rule of thumb that a cold with clear discharge (aka snot) is viral and there’s no point in going to the doctor, but if the snot is yellow or green, you’ve got a bacterial infection that needs antibiotics?
Well, it’s time to rethink the rule.
I’ve always been a proponent of letting the body develop immunity to things such as colds, even when bacterial, whenever possible. Taking antibiotics does kill the bacteria, but does not give the immune system a chance to develop its own antibodies to the bacteria for future immune strength.
Now there’s an “official” statement on the issue: yellow snot is not an automatic pass for antibiotics. A new study from the British Medical Journal suggests that antibiotics didn’t help most severe head colds, and there can be harmful side effects, particularly gastrointestinal complaints.
According to the HealthDay News report of this research:
Their finding was based on data from seven carefully controlled trials comparing results when antibiotics were or were not given to people with severe head colds.
The gastrointestinal side effects of the antibiotics could very likely be due to the fact that, along with the bad bacteria, the good bacteria that is supposed to be in our guts gets destroyed. It is SO important to replace those good bacteria whenever we do have to resort to antibiotics with a guaranteed supplement.
And the best defense against any head cold is a strong healthy immune system. You can do a lot to naturally support your immune system!
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