Due to this over-prescribing/overuse of antibiotics many bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to the prescription antibiotics that are available today, thus creating “superbugs.” Unfortunately when we really need them, the antibiotics may not be reliable. If this were not bad enough, the financial burden in this country is $1.1 billion spent annually on unnecessary prescriptions for treatment of URI’s.
Naturopathic physicians have been successfully treating URI’s without the use of antibiotics for years. First, I recommend making sure vitamin D levels are high enough, which keeps your immune system strong. Botanicals such as elderberry and lomatium (isolate) are excellent antiviral medicines. Nutritional intravenous therapy of vitamin C, along with other vitamins and minerals, can boost the immune function and help to kill the virus.
I believe that the more regular use of naturopathic medicine in this country would help to prevent and naturally treat URI (as well as other infections). This in turn would help to lessen antibiotic resistance and save billions in unnecessary antibiotic prescription cost.