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New guidelines were published by The American College of Physicians along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday. Treatments were prescribed for common illnesses such as common colds, blocked noses and sore throats in winter.

They were firm that a number of inappropriate prescribed antibiotics should not be permitted.

Everyone is cautious about antibiotics, which had once been able to fight off bacteria and pathogens that other drugs could not. But, according to the CDC and the American College of Physicians, the quantum of antibiotics being prescribed today touches epidemic proportions, according to The Ottumwa Courier.

"Antibiotics are terrific. Thank God we have them for really bad things. But we need to be judicious in the way we use them," said Dr. Wayne J. Riley, president of the American College of Physicians and professor of internal medicine at Vanderbilt University, according to ABC News.

Due to over-prescription of antibiotics, the pathogens have developed immunity and have become drug-resistant. Moreover, side effects like severe diarrhea can also be noticed.

Hence, for the common cold, why not just take what your grandmothers did---throat lozenges, acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen?