Well, well, someone who actually checked the facts.Turin wrote:Really? <Does WebMD search> Huh, will you look at that -- thrush. Well, egg on my face then.Geodd wrote:kinnison is full of bullshit, but antibiotics can in some cases cause/worsen a fungal infection if they nuke the benign bacteria that's competing with the fungi for resources.
Rather less well known is the fact (yes fact, checked by biopsies and stool cultures) that the same thing can and often does happen in the intestines, particularly the lower intestines. Antibiotics cause this imbalance by directly killing off the "friendly" bacteria keeping fungi in check; steroid drugs, including birth-control pills and HRT, cause it by disturbing the body's chemistry.
You may or may not know that in Germany, standard procedure is to give a course of probiotic bacteria following a course of antibiotics.
As for medical negligence - well, drug side effects kill tens of thousands per year; including known side effects of drugs given to patients despite known risk factors in particular cases. COX2 inhibitors are a case in point, as are statins - not proved to lower death risk, despite the obvious fact that they do indeed lower cholesterol.
Reason? Well, statins lower cholesterol (which despite the propaganda has never been shown, except in extreme cases, to have anything to do with heart disease risk - homocysteine is far more relevant) but they also drastically lower levels of coenzyme Q10, which in some cases can lead to congestive heart failure (potentially lethal) and other problems such as rhabdomyolysis. This problem can lead to kidney failure due to excess buildup of muscle-cell breakdown products. Lack of enough cholesterol in the bloodstream also leads to a depressed immune system and in some cases depression - which is also a potentially lethal condition.
In other words, even if you believe that cholesterol matters, all that you are doing is exchanging one set of risks for another, rather larger, set.
Doctors in the UK get bonuses for prescribing more statins. Despite the fact that my lipid profile is excellent (low triglycerides, average total cholesterol and much better than normal HDL/LDL ratio) I have been put under extreme pressure to take this filth, undoubtedly for this reason. I'm sure I am not the only one.
I am quite sure that American doctors get kickbacks for overprescribing, too. Who cares about the patient, anyway?
I could give similar stories about other drugs - but this post is long enough anyway.