Study questions drug treatments for sinus ills

Scientific American: "Common drug treatments for sinus infections -- antibiotics and steroid nasal sprays -- seem to be little better than doing nothing at all, British researchers said on Tuesday. 'Wide-scale overtreatment is likely occurring' because there is no proof many of these infections are bacterial in nature, Dr. Ian Williamson of the University of Southampton and colleagues wrote in their report. Antibiotics are useless against viruses, a common cause of sinus infections, and their overuse can lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria. The findings, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, came from a study of 240 adults with sinus infections between 2001 and 2005."