No More Amoxicillin: Preventing and Treating Childrens Ear and Respiratory Infections Without Antibiotics. - book reviews

Healthfacts, Oct 1, 1998 by Marya Napoli

"No More Amoxicillin: Preventing and Treating Childrens Ear and Respiratory Infections Without Antibiotics" by Dr. Mary A Block (New York: Kensington Publishing, 1998). Book Review by Marya Napoli

Nowhere has the overuse of antibiotics become more acute than the treatment of ear infection in pre-school age children. Medical journals warn that emerging strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have made it harder and harder for doctors to treat ear infections successfully. When the most commonly prescribed antibiotic, amoxicillin, doesnt work, doctors turn to even more potent versions. Ironically, the overuse of antibiotics is suspected as a major contributor to the high rate of chronic middle ear infection in young children; yet few physicians take the time to offer any alternatives. Dr. Block fills this information gap with solutions for parents who want to break their childrens cycle of going from one antibiotic prescription to another or, better yet, to prevent the illness from developing in the first place.

In "No More Amoxicillin," she explains how the usual symptom destruction approach to medical care can be counterproductive. For example, a ru y nose, fever, and cough are not illnesses, but the bodys way of ridding itself of the infection. And antibiotics can also be counterproductive because they interfere with the immune system, as demonstrated by the conflicting research. Dr. Block cites a 1993 analysis of 27 studies on the effectiveness of several antibiotics to treat ear infections in children which concluded that only one in nine treated children showed improvement. Though many children are given antibiotics for viral infections against which these drugs are useless, many parents believe that a prescription is crucial in the presence of a bacterial infection. But Dr. Block cites studies showing that in 90% of such cases, the children will recover without any medical treatment.

Physicians in the U.S. have been slow in following the lead of those in several European countries which have taken steps to cut down on antibiotic usage by treating the child with acetaminophen and lidocaine ear drops with 20% benzocaine, a local anesthetic (see HealthFacts, April 1995). In the U.S., when antibiotics fail, the child is sent for ear tube placement surgery to drain the infection. In terms of overuse, the procedure has become what tonsillectomy was to children of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Dr. Block cites studies showing that about 25% of tube placement surgeries are u ecessary and, for only about 30%, are the benefits outweighed by the risks.

As a young mother of a child with chronic health problems, Dr. Block described herself as someone who routinely requested antibiotics for her children. Having gone from M.D. to M.D. who made her daughters problems worse, Dr. Block found her way to an osteopathic physician (see "How to Find an Osteopathic Physician," HealthFacts October 1998). Impressed with the healing effects of gentle osteopathic manipulation therapy on her child, she went to osteopathic medical school at the age of 38. The book contains illustrations and instructions about how to enhance the immune system and keep the fluids draining from a childs head, neck, and shoulder area. "No More Amoxicillin" also provides numerous suggestions for prevention, such as avoiding the use of a pacifier, removing all dairy products from the diet, and allowing the child to chew xylitol gum (see "Sweetener Reduces Rate of Acute Ear Infection," HealthFacts October 1998).