Why Becoming Immune to Antibiotics Is Impossible
Introduction
There are many people who know that today we all face a problem when antibiotics do not work to treat bacterial infections. Some people assume that this something to deal with the immunity, which is not totally correct. There right term for this process is antibiotic resistance. Although immunity is very important for not becoming sick or for the treatment of diseases, it is not that preventing antibiotics from doing their work.
It is important to understand why exactly antibiotic resistance occurs so that we could manage it. Also, understanding of how our immune system works will help us to make it stronger so that it could resist invaders to our organism.
The Initial Information on Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a condition that does not allow using certain antibiotics for the treatment of certain inflectional diseases. There are lots of various pathogenic microbes exist in the world, and some bacteria belong to them. If an infection is caused by bacteria, then antibacterial agents should be used to treat it. These medications have been specially designed for managing various bacterial infections.
There are different bacteria, and they should be treated with different medicines. That is why there are lots of antibiotics that can treat one or several infections caused by bacteria. Bacteria are living things that are able to adapt to environmental changes, so they are able to mutate. This means that when bacteria are attacked by antibacterial agents, they try to survive by using different mechanisms.
During the fight between bacteria and an antibacterial agent, some bacteria not only can survive but also become resistant to this medication. Then, they begin to multiply and share their genetic information with other bacteria. All this leads to the ineffectiveness of the antibiotic that has already been used for the treatment of such bacteria. As a result, an infection continues to progress, which should be stopped by the use of other more potent antibacterial agents.
Unfortunately, sometimes this does not help, and thousands of people die every year due to the inability of antibiotics to treat bacterial infection. According to forecasts, in several years this number will increase up to millions of people who will die due to antibacterial resistance. Antibiotic resistance has become a really significant problem, and now it concerns all of us as well as the next generations.
How Immune System Helps Us to Remain Healthy
Our immune system protects us against invaders, such as pathogenic bacteria. These organisms are attacked by immune response to prevent them from causing diseases. If the immunity is strong enough, it is able to detect pathogens and distinguish them from good bacteria. The immune system is divided into the innate and adaptive immunity.
Innate immunity is defense mechanisms that start to react to the presence of invaders right away or within several hours. Pathogens are able to evolve rapidly to protect themselves from being recognized and neutralized by the immune system, and that is why defense mechanisms also have to evolve.
Adaptive immunity is responsible for creating an immunological memory, which helps to recognize the same invaders the next time they appear in the body to stop their activities sooner and more effectively. This also explains why vaccination is important because it helps create antibodies defending your body.
How the Use of Antibiotics Affects Your Immune System
The immune system and antibiotics work together to stop bacterial infections, but antibiotics are also able to destroy good bacteria in the body.
There have been two studies conducted that shown a range of harmful effects caused by antibiotics to the immune system. Their use is able to damage the immunity and cause memory problems. Both studies have proven that killing some microbes can cause health issues, which disturbs the balance of microbes in our body.
Becoming immune to antibiotics is impossible because antibiotic resistance occurs due to the mutation of bacteria and not due to the defensive mechanism of the body. If your immune system is weak, it is unable to defend your body, but it does not decrease the effects of antibiotics.
What all this means is that it is very important to keep your immune system strong because it is really needed to fight bacterial infections. Also, after the use of antibiotics, it is important to make sure that the balance of good bacteria destroyed by antibiotics is restored. To do this, you should use special products like yogurt and lead a healthy lifestyle.
How to Fight Bacterial Infections in the Best Way
The immune system and antibiotics are on one side in destroying pathogenic bacteria that cause an infection in the body. Your body cannot become immune to antibiotics because the real cause of antibiotic resistance is the mutation of bacteria who try to survive.
In order to achieve the best results in treating bacterial infections, we need to improve our immunity and fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
To improve your immune system, you should do the following actions:
• Prevent the occurrence of infections by washing your hands and following other rules of hygiene;
• Lead a healthy lifestyle;
• Eat vegetables, fruits, and other healthy products;
• Do physical training regularly;
• Keep normal weight.
To fight antibiotic resistance, you can do the following:
• Use antibiotics only when it is needed;
• Following the recommendations of your healthcare provider strictly;
• Consume only well-cooked meats;
• Use vaccination.
You should also note that misuse and overuse of antibacterial agents are ones of the most major reasons for the occurrence of antibacterial resistance.