The doctor's office just told me that they were not allowed to call in

[Aristus]

24. You can have lung and sinus infections that are viral. it doesn't matter how many times you've had

it. A viral URI doesn't require antibiotics; if fact, they are contraindicated, due to the reasons ennumerated above; the possibility of contributing to antibiotic resistance.

I have patients tell me all the time: "I KNOW MY BODY!" And I acknowledge that they certainly do. But they may not know medical science.

Antibiotics won't treat a virus. Neither 55 times, nor 55,000 times. They won't treat a virus. And as far as green mucous goes, the only colors of mucous you need to be concerned about are red or black. If it's green, yellow, or clear, you're going to be all right.

Your pulmonologist sounds like the kind of provider who prescribes antibiotics just to get overanxious patients off his back with their incessant demands for antimicrobials. I don't endorse that kind of medical practice, but I can at least understand it.

Think of this the next time you insist on antibiotics for a viral infection.

I have patients tell me all the time that the last time they had a virus, their provider gave them penicillin or something, and then they felt better. I tell these patients: "Look. You had a virus, which antibiotics won't touch. You got better on your own, as you will when you have a common URI virus, and you thought it was the antibiotics that did it."

The vast majority of medical practitioners are conscientious, caring scientists who want to do what's best for your health. We don't derive mean-spirited enjoyment from denying you medication simply out of spite.