Two British health authorities have included in the guidelines that honey and medicines that do not require a prescription should be prescribed first for a cold.
The reason for adjusting the guidelines is that GPs still too often prescribe antibiotics for a cold. That while antibiotics only provide a slight reduction of cold symptoms, while the use of antibiotics does carry risks.
Suffering from a cold? These are some home-garden-and-kitchen resources that you can use.
The risks of antibiotics
There is a lot of attention for reducing the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics can make some bacteria resistant, which is a serious problem. A simple infection can suddenly become life-threatening. It also makes healthcare more expensive. Compared to the rest of Europe, few antibiotics are prescribed in the Netherlands. Still, there is still room for improvement here.
Read more about the approach to antibiotic resistance.
