8/18/22

Drug: a single substance that alters the body's function/processes.

Medicine: a drug or drugs that are meant to: prevent illnesses (such as vaccines), cure disease (such as antibiotics), aid in healing (like heartburn medications), suppress systems (like pain relievers). 

While all medicines are drugs, not all drugs are medicine. For example: alcohol or cigarettes. 

Drugs work by binding to receptors to create an effect. They are similar to hormones or neurotransmitters.

How an antibiotic works: antibiotics bind to the receptors on the surfaces of bacteria, preventing them from functional correctly and/or replicating (prevents the vital proteins needed for the bacteria to survive).

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