LAUSR

Effective treatments can prevent health problems and premature death and improve the quality of life. However, nature is a great healer and people often recover from illness without treatment. Likewise, some health problems may get worse despite treatment, or treatment may even make things worse. Not using a treatment is not the same as ‘no treatment’. Waiting to see what happens (‘letting nature take its course’), with or without treating symptoms such as pain, is a treatment option. Sore throats are an example of an illness that gets better without treatment. Sore throats caused by bacteria (strep throat) have been treated with antibiotics primarily to prevent rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever still occurs in some parts of the world, but it is very rare in many parts of the world. In those parts of the world, antibiotics are used primarily to promote faster recovery. Antibiotics have a modest effect on recovery in the first few days, but after seven days, 90% of patients are symptom-free with or without antibiotics. Moreover, antibiotics have adverse effects, including diarrhoea and rash, and widespread use of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance.