Sir, - At long last the health authorities have recognised the dangers of over-prescription of antibiotics (The Irish Times, October 15th). It is scandalous that antibiotics are being used to treat viral infections such as colds and influenza, especially when it is known that viruses don't respond to them in any case. Not only that, but the abuse of antibiotics leads to depressed immune systems, and in turn to more infections, which are treated by yet more antibiotics - a deadly vicious circle.
While suggesting ways to reduce antibiotic overuse, Dr Darina Flanagan of the National Disease Surveillance Centre makes no mention at all of health promotion measures and the need to improve people's immune systems to reduce susceptibility to infections in the first place. According to Dr R. Chandra of the World Health Organisation Centre for Nutritional Immunology, "the era of nutrient supplements to promote health and reduce illness is here to stay. In selected groups such as the elderly there is overwhelming evidence of immunological enhancement following such an intervention."
The Department of Health continues to ignore the useful role of food supplements in reducing the incidence of illness. Instead, along with the Irish Medicines Board it has recently embarked on a campaign against natural and preventive healthcare, threatening to remove most nutrient and herbal supplements from the marketplace. Already an innocuous and perfectly safe herb called St John's Wort, which has been used for centuries and has mild anti-viral properties, has been banned with effect from January 1st, 2000.
I would contend that the resources of the IMB and the Department of Health would be better employed in protecting the public from the harmful overuse of antibiotics and other medicinal drugs, rather than conduct a witch-hunt against food and herbal supplements which have actually been shown to improve people's health. - Yours, etc.,
Brod Kearon, Committee Member, Irish Association of Health Stores, Kylemore Industrial Estate, Killeen Road, Dublin 10.