Can the infection heal itself without taking antibiotic drugs?

Infection is often caused by bacteria that enter the body. These bacteria enter and damage cells and healthy tissue. As a result, doctors often recommend taking antibiotics so that bacteria can be resisted. However, does the body actually recover from infection without taking antibiotics?

The body can heal itself from infection because of the strong immune system

Dr. Erni Nelwan Sp.PD-KPTI, internal medicine doctor and consultant for infectious tropical diseases at the RSCM, Central Jakarta, said that the infection could actually heal on its own. "Bacterial or even viral infections can heal on their own without antibiotics, especially if your immune system is also strong," said Dr. Erni when met at the University of Indonesia Hospital, Depok on Thursday (11/15).


Dr. Erni also said that if you experience symptoms of infection, it is recommended to take symptomatic medication. Symptomatic drugs are drugs whose function is to relieve symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, or cough medicine. Later, your own immune system and immune system will fight against the bacteria and viruses that cause infection. In addition to recovering without antibiotics, it's a good idea to avoid the causes of infection and get enough rest.

However, antibiotics are still needed to fight infection

In certain cases, antibiotics are needed to treat infections in the body. Antibiotics work by killing or stopping the growth of bacteria that cause infection. Actually, before bacteria breed and produce various symptoms and signs, the body's immune system is working to destroy and stop the bacteria.

The immune system has white blood cells that are responsible for carrying out attacks. However, when the body cannot handle the growth of bacteria, the bacteria will continue to suppress the immune system and eventually succeed in infecting the body. In these conditions antibiotics are needed.


The first antibiotic made was penicillin which was developed by one of the famous researchers Alexander Fleming in 1928. Since then, antibiotics have been used to treat various infectious diseases that occur due to bacteria.

Taking antibiotics carelessly can cause resistance

Although antibiotics are used to treat various types of infections, antibiotics are still drugs that can only be obtained using a doctor's prescription. Cannot be bought carelessly at drug stores or pharmacies. If you take antibiotics without the right dose, this can also cause antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when you take antibiotics incorrectly. For example, drinking is not as recommended by the doctor, skipping doses of taking antibiotics, or even continuously taking antibiotics with symptoms of infection that are uncertain. If you don't take antibiotics correctly, your body won't have enough drug levels to fight bacteria. This condition is likely to cause bacteria to become resistant, immune, stronger, and more difficult to fight.


Antibiotic resistant or immune bacteria are often more difficult to kill and more expensive to treat. In some cases, infections caused by resistant bacteria can cause disability or even death. In fact, these bacteria can still spread to other families or people. Therefore, cases of death due to resistant bacteria are very threatening to the community.

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