Constant exposure to antibiotics is necessary when dealing with a virulent, pathogenic organism, but not in the case of mycoplasma. In the highly reactive state, very little antimicrobial medication is needed to further control the disease as is the case in tuberculosis, brucellosis and chronic rheumatic fever. If too much is given, the body begins to react against the medication itself which defeats the main purpose of the treatment. In this situation more is not necessarily better. Daily or twice daily doses of antibiotic used long-term can make the response to the treatment in some patients worse than the disease, and can also permanently inhibit the oxidative respiratory enzymes.
Intermittent therapy gives tissues already sensitized by inflammation, a chance to recover .
The tetracycline is often ineffective without first preparing the way for its action to be fulfilled by prescribing daily anti-inflammatories. If the inflammatory barrier is not controlled, the antibiotic may not be able to penetrate. With inflammation in control, the antibiotic is able to reach the source of antigen production and begin to eliminate it. From a lecture by Thomas McP. Brown, M.D., Guidelines for Infectious Hypersensitivity Approach to the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis 1. The Physician's Page is published as a supplement to The Intercessor , the quarterly newsletter of The Road Back Foundation.