ADVERTISEMENT
drgreene.com Home
drgreene.com Home
go
Home

Print    Email
Dr. Greene's New  Book, Raising Baby Greene
Chat with Dr. Greene
Ask YOUR Question
Recommend a Doctor
Find a Therapist



DrGreene Content

FAQ

Antibiotics For Colds

Why don’t antibiotics work on colds?







Colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Over 200 different species of virus causing the common cold have been identified.

Antibiotics do not work at all in treating the common cold. A net designed to trap a human could let a tiny mouse escape. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria, not viruses. Many antibiotics work by disrupting the bacteria's cell wall. Viruses don't even have a cell wall.

Antibiotics can actually make colds worse. By indiscriminately killing the beneficial bacteria, an environment more hospitable to the cold viruses is created.
Alan Greene MD FAAP
February 22, 1996
Reviewed by Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin MD September 2007





ADVERTISEMENT




Copyright 2007 Greene Ink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer, Limitations, Revisions, and Errata.

Photos of Dr. Greene by: Tami DeSellier of www.tamiland.com