Yes, according to the study recently reported on by lead researcher Dr. Ian G. Williamson, MD, from the University of Southampton, England. Dr Williamson's study reported the rather startling result that patients with sinus infections who were treated with a course of amoxicillin, the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for treating sinus infections, were no more likely to be cured than those who took nothing at all. In fact, some of the patients in the test took not only a course of antibiotics, but also a nasal steroid spray as well. Dr. Williamson said: "Overall we think antibiotics have a pretty small effect, if there is one there at all".
For those of us who have a history of recurrent sinus infections and who have routinely been treated with amoxicillin for this condition, this comes as a shock. Although I came to the conclusion about seven years or so that pulsating nasal irrigation is the best thing one can do to both prevent and treat a sinus infection, this is still surprising. I remember the days when I had at least 3-4 sinus infections per year. In almost every case the doctor would prescribe antibiotics, usually amoxicillin. I recall feeling that two or three days after beginning the course of medication, things started to improve. Since then I have been taking a steroid spray nightly, and I know that if I forget to take it, I am generally far more congested during the night than normal. Thus the results of this study definitely go against my personal past experience.
I should note that since I discovered pulsating nasal irrigation by reading the book by the famous ENT, Dr. Murray Grossan, I have not been sick very much. According to Dr. Grossan the machine he invented, called the Hydro Pulse, sends jets or pulses of a saline solution into the nose at a certain frequency. This frequency is close to that which the cilia oscillate in a healthy human being. So the idea is to both clean out the bacteria, pollen, viruses, dust, or whatever has been inhaled into the nose while breathing, and also to get the cilia moving properly. I used to get colds and sinus infections at regular intervals, but since then I am almost never sick. I have come to believe that even people who do not have recurrent sinusitis would benefit from this daily regimen. There's no doubt the procedure would prevent millions of people coming down with colds each year, for example.
It is also clear that antibiotics in general have been largely abused. There are horror stories about antibiotic resistant bacteria which have developed because of the overuse of these drugs. In particular, many believe that the plethora of household cleaning products containing agents that kill bacteria which are on the market also contribute to the problem, rather than helping to solve it. The basic theory is that if some amount of bacteria survive the onslaught of antibiotics or antibiotic-enhanced cleaning agents, those bacteria will multiply and produce more bacteria which will also be capable of withstanding the effects of those antibiotics. And so on and so on. Once again, one reads reports these days of strains of bacteria that can withstand even the most enhanced antibiotics, some which were considered to be effective last resorts in years past.
Hopefully Dr. Williamson's study will bring this issue to the forefront of public discussion even more strongly than it has been considered in the past. In general it is becoming obvious that people should use antibiotics sparingly, both as medications and in everyday household products. Certainly for severe cases of sinusitis antibiotics will continue to play a significant role, but in many cases, it appears they are not needed and don't do much if any good.
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