Colds, bronchitis and other winter ailments: in the majority of cases, antibiotics are useless or even not recommended. Dr. Kierzek explains how to treat yourself effectively without overdoing it.
With winter, respiratory infections return: colds, acute bronchitis, or flu-like illnesses. In 90% of cases, these diseases are caused by viruseset antibiotics, which only fight bacteria, prove useless. Worse, their abusive use can cause side effects and bacterial resistance.
Viruses causing winter symptoms
Common winter symptoms, like a runny nose, persistent cough, or body aches, are most often linked to viral infections such as:
- The rhinoviruses: responsible for colds.
- The flu: causes fever and muscle pain.
- COVID: has symptoms that may resemble those of the flu.
Faced with these viruses, antibiotics are ineffective. Their unjustified use may result in side effectssuch as diarrhea, unbalance the intestinal flora and encourage the emergence of resistant bacteria, which represents a major challenge for public health.
How to treat yourself effectively?
To relieve symptoms, choose:
- Rest and good hydration.
- Painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
- Symptomatic treatments such as cough syrups.
- Natural remedies like honey or thyme infusions.
However, antibiotics remain necessary in certain special cases, for example:
- In people elderly or chronically ill.
- In case of suspicion of bacterial superinfection.
- In the presence of a proven pneumonia.
Finally, don’t forget vaccines against flu, COVID and pneumococcus, essential to prevent winter complications in vulnerable populations. Before taking an antibiotic, always consult your doctor.
The advice of Dr. Gérald Kierzek
Join us every morning at 8:50 a.m. The advice of Dr. Kierzek. From managing our stress to our nutrition or even our sleep, he provides you with good advice on every aspect of our daily life.
You can also find this column replayed on the HERE app and the Radio France app.
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