Antibiotics are a type of antimicrobial drug used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the common cold or influenza.

Antibiotics (first discovered, quite accidentally, by Alexander Fleming in 1928) are a revolution of modern science. It goes without saying they have saved many lives and eradicated many diseases. However, we now know that antibiotic overuse comes at an alarming cost to our health.

See, antibiotics don’t discriminate between the good and the bad bacteria. They carpet-bomb your gut microbiome, killing target species but also wiping out many others, sending your inner world into dysbiosis. Studies have shown that your microbiome may take upwards of two years to fully recover from these detrimental effects.

Fun/scary fact: the CDC estimates that of the 154 million antibiotic prescriptions written across doctors’ offices and hospitals nationwide, 30% are unnecessary—with the majority of which are for infections that are not even bacterial. In other words, 47 million prescriptions in cases where antibiotics don’t even work. Process that for a second.

Inappropriate antibiotic treatment and overuse have also prompted bacteria to mutate and develop resistance. This could lead to a world where we are powerless against harmful bacteria, and minor infections and injuries become deadly.

The first rule of antibiotics? Try not to use them. The second rule of antibiotics? Use them really, really carefully.

P.S. The term ‘antibiotic’ literally means ‘against life’.