Completely Cured

My friend's father recently was hospitalized with pneumonia. After five days he was out of the hospital, and two days after that, he assumed that he was better and returned to work. He felt good, his symptoms had abated. But then, within a few weeks, the pneumonia reappeared and he was back in the hospital. Although it might have been easy for my friend to blame her father for returning to work too soon, often our bodies tell us we feel fine and so we listen to them. The question then becomes: How do you know when you are actually well?

To get answers to this question, I called internist Alan Inglis, MD, who practices integrative medicine and is editor of American Country Doctor, a monthly magazine on health topics. As you may have guessed, it isn't a simple issue. He says there are a number of reasons why your illness might linger or return, depending on the nature of the illness itself, the health and age of the patient and how the patient behaves.

Repeat Offenders

Certain illnesses tend to reappear -- and pneumonia is one of them. There are several reasons why this happens. One is that patients often don't complete the series of antibiotics that were prescribed to treat the illness. Classically, this is because the patient begins to feel better and decides not to bother with the balance of the pills. Consequently, only the weakest strain of bacteria is killed off, opening the way for the stronger ones to reassert themselves -- and causing you to have a relapse. Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, adds that, in the case of pneumonia, often yeast or mold organisms are at the root of the disease and simply are not treated by the physician. Suppressing the bacteria may only temporarily mask the problem rather than really cure it.

Recurrence also can signal that another disease is present. Recurring pneumonia, he says, can be a sign of lung cancer, especially in a smoker, and if it happens often, the patient should be tested for cancer. Or, as stated above, he/she should be tested for yeast strain antibodies. In my friend's case, the second round was actually a different strain of pneumonia than the first time around. The second one was the pneumonia bacteria that is usually picked up in the hospital. He had the same diagnosis twice -- but it was really two sicknesses. The second was actually a result of the hospital stay!

Patients' individual profiles obviously can affect the duration and recurrence of illness, especially for older patients who are not in good health. People of any age who have a chronic disease, such as diabetes or lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is common, a result of long-term smoking), are prone to recurrence of other illnesses, including pneumonia.

Another good example of a recurring illness is urinary tract infection (UTI). Women tend to get it repeatedly because of gender-specific anatomy -- their urethra is shorter than usual and so more vulnerable to the entry of bacteria. Dr. Inglis adds that sinus infections are another common recurring illness. Although they are almost always viral, many people take antibiotics to treat them, and antibiotics don't cure viral infections. The natural pattern of the viral infection, however, has what's called "double sickening" -- symptoms start to decrease but then suddenly reappear. Patients on antibiotics assume that they are getting well, but when the symptoms take a turn for the worse, it feels like a relapse, although it's just the viral infection doing what it does. Patients can use immune-boosting supplements but mostly have to wait it out, making themselves as comfortable as possible in the process.

Again, the UTI in women is often precipitated by underlying yeast [or e.coli]. When we see recurring bacterial infections, it is convenient to blame the underlying problem on viruses. This unfortunately is conjecture, not science.

Antibiotic Users Beware

It has become common knowledge that many bacteria are becoming resistant to certain antibiotics. Dr. Inglis reports that resistance to certain antibiotics can actually be geographic, existing in pockets around the country and rendering them useless to many people who live in the area. It's important for doctors to be aware of any resistance problem in their area so they know to prescribe a different antibiotic.

What You Can Do

In spite of the complicating factors, Dr. Inglis offers a set of guidelines that, if followed, will help anyone get completely well -- or at least substantially improve their chances for it. They are...

Take the complete prescribed course of medication. Don't decide for yourself when you no longer need your drugs. If you are taking something other than antibiotics and think that you may not need to continue, talk to your doctor before making a change. Do not do it on your own.

Consider taking probiotics, capsules of friendly intestinal bacteria. While there are many available at health-food stores, it is best to speak to a professional for his/her recommendation on the best product for your situation -- they're not all alike. Dr. Inglis says that probiotics are especially crucial for anyone on antibiotics to prevent the medication from promoting secondary problems, such as yeast infections or gastrointestinal complaints. However, probiotics can also help keep the GI system working well generally.

Be well, 
Carole Jackson, Bottom Line's Daily Health News, August 29, 2005

Sources:

Completely Cured: Alan Inglis, MD, internist, who practices integrative medicine and is editor of American Country Doctor, a monthly magazine on health topics.

Good Marketing or Good Product?    Udo Erasmus, PhD, research scientist specializing in the effects of fats and oils, and author of Fats that Heal Fats that Kill (Alive). www.udoerasmus.com