Antibiotics are one of the great inventions in the history of humankind. They've saved millions of lives. Sadly though, they're often misused. When you give antibiotics for a viral infection or even for a bacterial infection that's going to get better on its own, you develop resistance in the antibiotics. They mutate to get around the antibiotic strategy. And you set your child up for future infections that are more resistant and harder to get rid of. We have now reached a crisis point. In 2008 in the United States there are bacteria that have been found in the soil that are not just resistant to antibiotics but can actually live on antibiotics as their food source. They literally eat the antibiotics for lunch. To solve this, we have to decrease the use. And it's better for your kid. It's better for all of us. And here's how you do it. If you go to a doctor, start with the question, can this be safely treated without antibiotics? And if it can, your doctor will be very happy not to write that extra prescription for something that's not helpful. If it can't, they'll say, no. This one really needs it. But if you start the conversation that way, you're far less likely to end up with an antibiotic prescription you don't really need. If you do find yourself using antibiotics, I always recommend giving probiotics as well. That's been proven to decrease side effects from antibiotics and it helps replenish the beneficial bacteria in your gut.