Anthrax is most dangerous to those people with weak immune systems like the elderly, babies, and people with debilitating diseases. Anthrax is also a threat for people who regularly take antibiotics. Kids with chronic ear infections are in this category. "American doctors write more prescriptions for ear infections than for any other illness, childhood or adult (102)." "98 out of 100 doctors still routinely prescribe antibiotics for AOM (ear infections)(102)." "By allowing them to run their course naturally, they say, we can greatly reduce our use of antibiotics -and reduce the problem of bacterial resistance to boot (101)." Super-bugs are on the rise which are strong bacteria that are resistant to our weaker antibiotics like penicillin. This means that kids who are regularly on antibiotics may now have powerful bacteria in their body that require heavy doses of stronger antibiotics to kill them. The fear is that some time later when a child really needs antibiotics to save their life, they may not work.

This article suggests to wait 2-3 days before giving antibiotics to your child for ear infections. "Holding off two or three days doesn't increase the risk of complications (105)." As a matter of fact, not taking antibiotics may actually increase the body's immune system. "Antibiotics cause side effects, such as rashes, yeast infections, or diarrhea.(105)." Antibiotics disrupt the normal state of the body and can actually harm the immune system if they are used often.

What can a parent do then? "Parents need to get over the feeling that if they're not given an antibiotic they've wasted their time (106)." Ask your pediatrician if you can wait a few days to fill the prescription or "ask about a five-day course" of antibiotics instead of the ten-day (106). "Four out of Five ear infections heal on their own. .nearly two-thirds of kids with ear infections who don't take antibiotics recover in 24 hours (102)." So you may want to discuss this article with your pediatrician and consider using the "wait-and-see approach" to treating antibiotics. By using antibiotics in only emergency situations, you and your family will be much better guarded against Anthrax and other super-bugs.

**** In addition, to this approach there are other ways to help your child's body become stronger so they can decrease the amount of ear infection's they have. I have found that many kids who suffer from reoccurring ear infections also have large misalignments in their spine, especially in their neck that may be interfering with their body's nervous system and thus the immune system. Many kids who get adjusted by a Chiropractor have been able to decrease the amount of ear infections they encounter. Please call us if you would like more information about Chiropractic and other natural ways to help this huge national problem of ear infections.