Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
More parents seem to be making an effort in recent years to limit antibiotic exposure for their children. This is due to concerns about how this may impact long term health or contribute to increased susceptibility to deadly superbugs such as C-Diff. Treating strep throat without meds remains a glaring exception to this trend.
It seems that whenever a doctor diagnoses a child or even an adult with strep throat, there is no question that they require an immediate round of antibiotics. Even those who typically avoid meds and follow a more holistic lifestyle seem to fall into this trap.Â
Strep Throat Symptoms
There is no doubt that strep throat is a serious infection. It is a bacterial infection and involves severe inflammation of the throat and tonsils. Typical signs of strep throat include:
- Sudden, severe sore throat
- Fever higher than 101°F/ 38 °C
- Pain when swallowing
- Pale colored spots on the back of a bright red throat
Some people suffering from strep throat will also get swollen lymph glands in their neck. Others experience vomiting or a red skin rash.
How Long Does Strep Throat Last?
Strep throat will only last 3 to 7 days with or without treatment. Doctors usually treat strep throat with antibiotics even though they will not make you well any faster. Strep throat contagiousness will continue for 24 hours once antibiotics are started. With no treatment, strep throat continues to be contagious until symptoms resolve.
In response to the persistent overuse of antibiotics for strep throat, the journal Canadian Family Physician states:
… symptoms caused by a bacterial sore throat [strep] fail to clear much faster when treated with antibiotics than they would if left alone.
It is certainly easier and quicker to hand out prescriptions every time than to explain and reassure. Each time we do this, however, we reinforce patients’ fears.
Do family physicians have to declare a conflict of interest in answering these questions? If we were to lower ourselves to examining the vulgar subject of money, it is certainly in our financial interest to keep many patients scared enough to rush to our offices whenever they get sore throats.
In view of the large number of antibiotics prescribed for sore throats, perhaps it is time to review whether we should be using such treatment for strep throat infections at all.
Is Strep Throat Overmedicated?
Mmmm.
Sounds like the idea of not administering antibiotics for strep throat may not be as crazy as it first sounds. Are doctors overmedicating strep throat just like they overmedicate ear infections, colds and sinus/respiratory infections?
A round of antibiotics has the potential to cause permanent damage to the gut flora. This, in turn, has a lifelong impact on overall immunity to both chronic and acute illness. Skipping those antibiotic pills altogether may prove in the long run to be the smartest approach of all.
Do You Have to Get Antibiotics for Strep Throat?
In light of the fact that every round of antibiotics potentially damages the gut in a manner than can never be 100% repaired, I think questioning the automatic use of antibiotics for every single case of strep is worth consideration. While some people clearly need meds, they are not necessary for everyone even if the suggestion may seem ludicrous at first.
The complications of strep throat are, after all, extremely serious. However, they are also rare especially for a healthy person with no autoimmune issues. Scarlet fever, inflammation of the kidney, or rheumatic fever which could permanently damage the heart are all remote possibilities.
I dated a guy in high school who was deaf in one ear from Scarlet fever (who is ironically now a MD). I am in no way kidding myself about how serious complications from strep throat can be by questioning whether antibiotics are truly needed for this type of infection.
My Experience with Untreated Strep Throat
My serious doubts about the wisdom of using antibiotics for strep throat go back to my one and only experience with this infection the summer I turned 15.  Strep was by far the worst sore throat I’ve ever had and the pain when I swallowed was almost unbearable to endure.
My Father, a Family Physician, made the decision not to put me on any antibiotics and let me ride it out under my own power. My Dad wasn’t into herbs or anything so I didn’t have any alternative treatments administered either.
The infection lasted over a week … my memory remembers a full two weeks but it might have been a few days shy of that.
I lost several pounds during that illness as I could only endure swallowing liquids the entire time. I pretty much subsisted on vanilla milkshakes from the ice cream shop down the road for the duration of that awful infection and I still got well under my own power with no complications.
The interesting thing is that I seem to have developed an immunity to strep ever since. I’ve never had strep throat ever again in 35+ years. This is despite repeated exposures at close range. During college, I even had a roommate with strep and didn’t get sick. This despite eating pretty rotten cafeteria food and lots of sugary foods. This no doubt suppressed my immune function considerably.
Is it possible that allowing the body to fight off strep throat naturally on its own confers partial or total immunity?
I’ve often considered this possibility over the years. My personal belief is that yes, it is very much possible to develop an immunity to strep throat. Certainly, though, my anecdotal story does not in any way provide sufficient evidence.
I can say with certainty that if and when any of my children (or myself) ever came down with strep throat, hands down I would without question skip the antibiotics.
Why?
Developing Strep Throat Immunity (yes, it’s possible!)
The reason is that folks who take antibiotics for strep throat seem to get it over and over and over again. Sometimes they get strep throat again within mere days or weeks from the previous infection. Have you noticed this vicious cycle too?
Wouldn’t it be a far better and healthier approach to fight it off one time and be done with it possibly for the rest of your life?
My retired MD Dad is of the philosophy that if you give the body a crutch every time it gets ill, it will always expect and demand that crutch. This results in immunity getting weaker over time. I have witnessed the truth of this philosophy through observation. Those who have the tendency to over-medicate their illnesses whether it be with antibiotics or (gasp) even natural remedies can unwittingly experience a downside.
Attempting to squelch illness at the first sign of a sniffle, for example, is not a wise approach in my opinion even if nontoxic.
The immune system stays strong when it is allowed to fight and defeat an illness with no interference. Ideally, rest and nourishment only (including frequent mugs of homemade bone broth or soups made with it) should be provided.
Now, I do think that much consideration needs to be given to the health of the individual before forgoing the meds. A child with autoimmune issues who is not eating well in the first place probably should just take the antibiotics.
On the other hand, a robust healthy child with no autoimmune illness who is consuming an excellent diet has a superb chance of handling the infection well with no intervention.
My Daughter’s Experience with Untreated Strep Throat
Recently, my preteen daughter came down with strep. She is my youngest child, and this was the first time any of my three children had ever had strep throat.
Given that she is healthy with no underlying health issues, my husband and I decided to ride it out. We treated her with natural antibiotics only.
The result?
She recovered completely within 48 hours. In fact, the white spots on her throat disappeared in less than 12 hours once we started treatments. We used garlic, raw manuka honey, and turmeric several times a day.
It will be interesting to see if she ever gets strep throat again. My bet is that she won’t. She will likely develop partial or total lifelong immunity just like I did when I recovered at age 15 from untreated strep.
UPDATE
It’s been nearly four years including a very bad flu season with no recurrence of strep for my daughter. It’s looking good for her having developed natural immunity.
Have you recovered from strep throat with no antibiotics needed? Did you develop a strep throat immunity afterward? Please let us know your experience in the comments section.
References
Canadian Family Physician, Should we treat strep throat with antibiotics?
More Information
How to Repair Your Gut After Antibiotics
Why Antibiotics Today Could Threaten Your Life Tomorrow
A Canadian mother was just sentenced to serve a three-year prison term following the death of her seven year old son from complications that developed from untreated strep. Please take it seriously.
nypost.com/2017/11/20/mom-gets-prison-for-sons-senseless-death-from-strep-throat/
Where did you get the idea that a child shouldn’t be taken to a doctor from this post? Taking a child to the doctor and having said doctor make the call that antibiotics aren’t necessary because the child is getting better unassisted is the point of the article. Not every person who gets strep needs meds, but some definitely do especially if the child is immunocompromised. Note that the New York Post said “the child wasn’t getting better” and still the mother didn’t take the child to the doctor. Poor parenting doesn’t negate the point of this article.
Good evening Sara,
I pray this no antibiotics approach works for me. I’m a 37yo healthy male and have never had strep throat, at least that I know of, until 2 years ago. This is now my 4th time with Strep and it is just awful! Every year I can count on getting 2-3 bad colds that usually always have the same symptoms, severe sinus congestion, sore/tired/achy body, sore throat, etc. Now it seems like the change in Pennsylvania weather always assures myself of getting Strep. I write this on Thursday night and am 5 nights into dealing with this. The last 3 days/nights have been h%\\, constant hacking of the phlegm and sinus pressure. After reading this article last night I figure I’m over 4 days into having it so may as well ride it out for the next few days. Can you please offer suggestions? Try to avoid antibiotics per the article? Get my tonsils taken out? Should I see a ENT specialist? Looking for answers because getting this 2 times a year now can’t continue. Thank you for any and all help.
If your concern is that other people could get sick, why worry about that? The person that gets strep can choose for themself if they want an antibiotic or not. I didn’t treat my daughter and she has never had strep again. People get sick. It happens. You can’t blame someone for wanting to make themselves healthy permanently just because someone else may or may not get sick from their illness.
Exactly. Purposely harming yourself and your long term health with antibiotics just to prevent illness in someone else is a foolish approach especially if you are healthy and can easily get over strep without drugs. Just stay home until symptoms subside. People should stay home when they are sick anyway.
Thanks, Alexa Porter. Your comment touches on my concern. If a parent chooses not to treat a child’s infection, it is not only the child who suffers. He or she potentially infects every single person he or she comes into contact with for weeks after symptoms abate. That potentially includes not only reasonably healthy, young people, but infants and the elderly–many of these will be people who have no idea that they have been exposed (the person in the grocery store who touches something on which the child has sneezed or drooled) and therefore can’t take any extra precautions against infection. If parents want to go down this road, then they need to keep their kids isolated for about three weeks after all symptoms have disappeared and, preferably, get the child retested for strep. If an elderly relative or friend with heart problems catches strep from a child, it could lead to very serious consequences.
I have strep throat and have had it yearly for the last three years, and had it once over 20 years ago when I was in college. I have been treating with antibiotics and over the counter pain medication with no problem but am debating this time. My main concern for waiting it out is contagion. I work in a hospital and need to work Monday (today is Saturday). I need to work. If I take antibiotics I will no longer be contagious and feel comfortable returning to work. If I don’t take them, I shouldn’t return to work until the Strep runs it course. And I can’t afford to miss that much work. What would you say to people with this problem?
What about infants under a year? How can you treat them naturally and effectively when they can’t tell you how they are feeling and the amounts of foods are limited.
My 3rd baby boy got what we thought was strep, 15 min swab came back neg but all the other symptoms doc said were similar also with double ear infection. Being a mother who treats homeopathically and traditionally I’m Not one to give antibiotics in an immediate reactionary way. My first two have only had two rounds each in their lives. My oldest daughter was given antibiotics once for an ear infection and threw it up so I was forced to look further, and thats when I discovered colloidal silver.
One other time she experienced serious hearing loss and so we took one again but for an infants I got really worried about the long term complications if in fact it were to be strep. But I’m starting to feel guilt that I gave him them. Not only that I myself were on them twice in a month due to assessed in my tooth and then my boy got thrush and now this. I feel we are having a year of Candida symptoms and I can tell you I feel overwhelmed by it. Any advice to help us rid ourselves of all this?
I agree that it’s worth giving your body a chance to develop immunities, but it’s not always possible. I’ve always been a very healthy person, wounds heal quickly and illness is very rare with one exception… I get strep throat every year. 37 years, probably 30 strep throat cases. Some years I wait it out, some years I get treatment.
I had rheumatic fever from an untreated strep throat infection when I was 8. Something similar happened to my mother. We both have heart rhythm disorders as a lasting impact from a simple strep infection. There is no reason at all to risk this. Rheumatic fever has lifelong consequences.
You probably had an immune system deficiency complication, which is contraindicated for the approach outlined in this article. Healthy people are at low risk to ride it out — even Web MD says strep throat will clear on its own with or without antibiotics (link in post). Remember, antibiotics damages the gut for a minimum of a year or two .. and taking them repeatedly for strep is a huge risk to health long term.
Once you get all this items do u gargle it or drink it how do I use it
So once you put this item together do I gargled it or how do I take this?