02/03/2026
The #1 MISTAKE people make when they get hit with a cold or flu. Asking for antibiotics and steroids. Antibiotics and steroids are not the answer for viral infections and here’s why.
Viruses do not respond to antibiotics.
That part is basic.
What’s less discussed is what does happen when antibiotics or steroids are used reflexively during viral illness.
Antibiotics
• Disrupt the gut microbiome that regulates immune response
• Reduce immune signaling precision
• Increase risk of secondary infections
• Contribute to longer-term immune dysregulation
They don’t shorten viral illness.
They often delay full recovery.
Steroids
• Suppress inflammatory signaling that the immune system uses to clear virus
• Blunt fever and symptoms without resolving the infection
• Can prolong viral shedding and recovery
• Increase rebound symptoms once stopped
In the short term, patients may “feel better.”
Physiologically, the immune system is often less effective.
The goal in viral illness isn’t to silence the immune system.
It’s to support it intelligently:
• Reduce excessive oxidative stress
• Replenish depleted antioxidants
• Support immune signaling and recovery
• Prevent prolonged or relapsing symptoms
This is why a systems-based, integrative approach matters, specially for patients who get sick often, stay sick longer, or crash after “pushing through.”
Feeling better fast isn’t the same as healing well.
If you’re tired of repeating the same cycle every time you get sick, there’s a better way to support recovery.
