Archive for February 5th, 2009

There’s no shortage of evidence to show using antibiotics for ear infections makes no difference in outcome; in fact many are reporting that antibiotics given to children actually cause more ear infections. In this particular study, records from 2,089 otitis media patients were examined to determine incidence and treatment success. There was no difference in success rates between antibiotic use and non antibiotic therapies. (8)  This study, as it is with most, is focused on whether or not one specific outcome changed or did not change. The danger in this is that no one bothers to ask if this is healthy for the child or not… that’s not relevant data as far as the study goes.  As a parent however, I imagine it is relevant thus the reason for sharing this information.  The potential for harm to the child is real when you consider antibiotics do not discriminate between good bacteria and bad and your child will be left to suffer the consequences of the indiscriminate killing the bacteria so vital to proper digestion in a growing child.