Even though cough medicines and sinus pills and Tylenol or aspirin may make you feel better, they do NOT help you heal faster. It would take a visit to your physician to determine this. You have been reading that the over use of antibiotics is causing resistant germs to develop that could be dangerous to all of us. Doctors get paid to help and we are always anxious to help if we can. The reason antibiotics are by prescription only is because it can be very complicated to decide whether or not it is wise to use them.
Prevention is still the secret to infection.
Keep the germs out of your body by washing your hands before you eat anything. Maintain good body health with adequate rest and a balanced diet. If you or someone in your home smokes, and you are having lots of infections, be wise and know that smoking is causeing some of your problem. If you want to keep your nose from drizzling all over your shoes or can't rest because you are so achy, try modest amounts of medications or herbs for a few days before deciding you need to see the doctor, unless you have a chronic problem that you know will lead to trouble unless you get early help.