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How Norway Fought Staph Infections
eldavojohn writes "Studies are showing that Norway's dirtiest hospitals are actually cleaner than most other countries', and the reason for this is that Norwegians stopped taking antibiotics. A number of factors like paid sick leave and now restrictions on advertising for drugs make Norway an anomaly when it comes to diseases like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A Norwegian doctor explains, 'We don't throw antibiotics at every person with a fever. We tell them to hang on, wait and see, and we give them a Tylenol to feel better.' Norway is the most MRSA free country in the world. In a country like Japan, where 17,000 die from MRSA every year, 'doctors overprescribe antibiotics because they are given financial incentives to push drugs on patients.'"
Endure non-life-threatening illnesses without drugs, it helps you build an immune system. Taking drugs means your body never learns to fend for itself, like a spoiled brat.
While the doctors writing out scrips for antibiotics does play a role, one of the major factors should be patient education. A lot of people think that antibiotics should be used for minor complaints, such as colds. In addition, one major cause of superbugs is the failure of patients to complete a course of antibiotics. They feel better, so they simply stop taking the medications.
Firing Adrian Monk is exactly the opposite of how they conquered MRSA. Bleach and alcohol hand sanitizer wipes are much more powerful tools than penicillin and vancomycin. The idea is simple: bugs don't become superbugs if they are a) dead, or b) never exposed to agents which cause them to become superbugs.
This isn't to say antibiotics are a bad idea altogether. Just that they are very much over prescribed and that a much better way of dealing with an unknown infection is to watch it closely to see if it goes away on its own before you bring out the drugs. Of course, this flies directly in the face of capitalism where companies want to sell more drugs and create targets like superbugs that require ever more powerful drugs which can then be patented and used to essentially extort the life from people and governments; pay us or die... Ah, unintended side effects.
As I understood it, there are 2 separate things Norway is doing to fight MRSA, and they are not related (although the article doesn't point that out):
1. Norway is tracking the spread of Staph and quarantining victims to limit the spread.
2. According to the article, Norway isn't prescribing modern antibiotics. This ensures that the Staph that is being passed around Norway probably isn't resistant to antibiotics. This does not make Staph less problematic or control its spread in any way. I'm all for stemming the overuse of antibiotics, but this article smacked of propaganda--or it simply didn't tell the whole story.
A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
In Scandinavia, most doctors are government employees. They have no incentive for prescribing anything and can freely tell their patients to bugger if they ask for useless drugs. Yes, there are disadvantages to "communist" healthcare, but this story shows there are also some clear advantages. A Belgian Doctor once told me he believed antibiotics should be given as a prevention to all kindergarten kids. A Danish study showed you can cut sick days in kindergartens by half by forcing all children to wash their hands twice a day.
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
Or was a quote altered to push a US (only?) brand?
Aspirin was once a trademark, too. Still is, in some places.
Most Americans know "acetaminophen" as Tylenol in the same way that they know "acetylsalicylic acid" as aspirin.
Of course, it could be random coincidence or that you just happen to have a stronger immune system than the average person, but I guess your nonsense rationale sounds better. Also, remind me never to have dinner with you. You might enjoy the taste of your own shit, but I don't.
-1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.