{"id":6827,"date":"2019-11-11T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T14:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=6827"},"modified":"2025-09-02T17:56:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T21:56:28","slug":"how-do-antibiotics-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Antibiotics 101: What are they and why do we need them?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antibiotics are arguably one of the most important and impactful medical discoveries\u2014they\u2019ve revolutionized how we treat illness and saved countless lives from bacterial infection.<\/span><\/p>\n

When were antibiotics invented?<\/span><\/h2>\n

In 1928, scientist Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin when he left a bacterial culture uncovered while away on vacation<\/span>. A mold grew in his petri dishes and killed the<\/span> bacteria he was studying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fleming\u2019s forgetfulness led to the first mass-produced antibiotic, or bacteria-killer, for which he won a <\/span>Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine<\/span><\/a>, along with two other scientists, in 1945.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are antibiotics used to treat?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Antibiotics are life-saving medications prescribed to fight infections by killing bacteria<\/a> or keeping them from reproducing<\/span>. While antibiotics are used to treat many serious bacterial infections, they are not required for\u2014or effective on\u2014viral infections, like the common cold or flu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Antibiotics are medications that are used to assist a patient’s immune system to combat bacterial infections,\u201d Katie Taylor, Pharm.D., says. She adds that types of bacterial infections may include urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and skin and soft tissue infections, just to name a few.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do antibiotics work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Antibiotics kill the bacterial cells causing your infection<\/a>, but they leave human cells alone<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There’s a wide variety of antibiotics<\/a> available, and each type of antibiotic works on certain kinds of bacteria. This is why your healthcare provider prescribes specific antibiotics to treat particular bacterial infections. There are many types, or classes, of antibiotics: penicillins, tetracyclines, and nitrofurantoin, just to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within these classes, there are a variety of brands available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Different kinds of \u201c<\/span>antibiotics work in a variety of different ways depending on the class of antibiotic they are,\u201d says <\/span>Amesh Adalja, MD, a board-certified physician in infectious diseases and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins.<\/span> \u201cFor example, penicillin and related antibiotics disrupt bacterial cell wall structure, while antibiotics like ciprofloxacin act on bacterial DNA processes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also a variety of different forms of antibiotics. They can be taken orally, applied topically, or received as an injection. \u201cOne important factor to note is that not only does a particular antibiotic need to be able to kill a particular bacteria, but also get to the site of infection,\u201d explains Dr. Taylor. \u201cFor example, not every antibiotic can get into the brain or into the bone, and if that is where the infection is, it will be difficult to treat that infection with that drug.\u201d Your healthcare provider prescribes the form that can best target where the infection is in your body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: Common antibiotics and coupons<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How long does it take antibiotics to work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Antibiotics kick in fairly quickly, at least at the microbiological level, explains Dr. Adalja. \u201c<\/span>However, depending on the extent and severity of the infection, it may take hours or days for a person\u2019s symptoms to noticeably change,\u201d he adds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When your symptoms start to improve, you shouldn\u2019t stop taking your prescription. \u201cIt is important to stress that a patient should take the entire course of antibiotics prescribed by your healthcare provider to ensure adequate treatment of the infection so that it does not recur or cause antibiotic resistance,\u201d Dr. Taylor emphasizes.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What happens if you don\u2019t finish antibiotics?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How do bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria learn how to overcome the antibiotics that are supposed to kill them. It occurs when people overuse and underuse antibiotics. They take them for a condition that doesn\u2019t require antibiotics, or they stop taking an antibiotic before the prescription ends. Both scenarios give bacteria the opportunity to mutate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Antibiotic resistance is so common that <\/span>the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/a> (CDC) considers it one of the most urgent public health crises.\u00a0<\/span>According to the CDC, more than 2 million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection every year, and at least 23,000 people die from it. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant germs are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. They<\/span>\u00a0require extended hospital stays, additional follow-up doctor visits, and costly alternatives<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Adalja says that while overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, the bacteria\u2019s ability to evolve and resist the medication designed to kill them is also a fact of life and evolution. \u201cAntibiotic resistance is caused by a variety of factors, but generally is due to bacteria being exposed to an antibiotic for some time, and the bacteria mutating (or figuring out) how to get around the drug’s mechanism of action,\u201d agrees Dr. Taylor.<\/span><\/p>\n

When to take antibiotics<\/span><\/h2>\n

The best way to prevent antibiotic resistance is to avoid taking antibiotics when you don\u2019t need to\u2014for example, don\u2019t take antibiotics to treat viruses. Use preventive measures like vaccines and healthy hygiene habits to avoid getting sick. Then, if you do need them, make sure that you take your antibiotics exactly as prescribed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antibiotics are arguably one of the most important and impactful medical discoveries\u2014they\u2019ve revolutionized how we treat illness and saved countless lives from bacterial infection. When were antibiotics invented? In 1928, scientist Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin when he left a bacterial culture uncovered while away on vacation. A mold grew in his petri dishes and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":6815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8029],"tags":[715],"coauthors":[8365],"class_list":["post-6827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-education","tag-antibiotics","wpautop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAntibiotics 101: How do antibiotics work and why do we need them?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Antibiotics, or antibacterials, can be life-saving medications used to treat infection. We asked doctors to explain how powerful drugs like penicillin work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Antibiotics 101\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"They can be life-saving, but how do they work? Doctors explain.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Checkup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/singlecare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-11T14:00:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-02T21:56:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brianna Bell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Antibiotics 101\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"They can be life-saving, but how do they work? Doctors explain.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SingleCare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SingleCare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brianna Bell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Janice Rodden\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/169a1d8c8b88282cc3b792a394fc3575\"},\"headline\":\"Antibiotics 101: What are they and why do we need them?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-11T14:00:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-02T21:56:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":815,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Antibiotics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health Education\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/\",\"name\":\"Antibiotics 101: How do antibiotics work and why do we need them?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-11T14:00:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-02T21:56:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"Antibiotics, or antibacterials, can be life-saving medications used to treat infection. We asked doctors to explain how powerful drugs like penicillin work.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"A book and a pill explain how do antibiotics work?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/how-do-antibiotics-work\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Antibiotics 101: What are they and why do we need them?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Checkup, a health blog by SingleCare\",\"description\":\"Read the latest in prescription, wellness, and healthcare news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SingleCare\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/placeholderimage-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/placeholderimage-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"SingleCare\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/singlecare\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SingleCare\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/singlecare\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/singlecare\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCd9kiPIjCQw95-2BHCYePKA\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/169a1d8c8b88282cc3b792a394fc3575\",\"name\":\"Janice Rodden\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/52a9a50886f8a50207b3817add6cf041e73c89f3a5b1776ee5f9642e519a0611?s=96&d=mm&r=gd66250315c656457c96a08c8fc87b6bb\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/52a9a50886f8a50207b3817add6cf041e73c89f3a5b1776ee5f9642e519a0611?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/52a9a50886f8a50207b3817add6cf041e73c89f3a5b1776ee5f9642e519a0611?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Janice Rodden\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.singlecare.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/jrodden\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Antibiotics 101: How do antibiotics work and why do we need them?","description":"Antibiotics, or antibacterials, can be life-saving medications used to treat infection. We asked doctors to explain how powerful drugs like penicillin work.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Antibiotics 101","og_description":"They can be life-saving, but how do they work? Doctors explain.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/","og_site_name":"The Checkup","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/singlecare","article_published_time":"2019-11-11T14:00:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-02T21:56:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Brianna Bell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Antibiotics 101","twitter_description":"They can be life-saving, but how do they work? Doctors explain.","twitter_creator":"@SingleCare","twitter_site":"@SingleCare","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brianna Bell","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/"},"author":{"name":"Janice Rodden","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/169a1d8c8b88282cc3b792a394fc3575"},"headline":"Antibiotics 101: What are they and why do we need them?","datePublished":"2019-11-11T14:00:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-02T21:56:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/"},"wordCount":815,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png","keywords":["Antibiotics"],"articleSection":["Health Education"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/","name":"Antibiotics 101: How do antibiotics work and why do we need them?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png","datePublished":"2019-11-11T14:00:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-02T21:56:28+00:00","description":"Antibiotics, or antibacterials, can be life-saving medications used to treat infection. We asked doctors to explain how powerful drugs like penicillin work.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog_111119_Antibiotics_101.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"A book and a pill explain how do antibiotics work?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-do-antibiotics-work\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Antibiotics 101: What are they and why do we need them?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/","name":"The Checkup, a health blog by SingleCare","description":"Read the latest in prescription, wellness, and healthcare news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"SingleCare","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/placeholderimage-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/placeholderimage-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"SingleCare"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/singlecare","https:\/\/x.com\/SingleCare","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/singlecare\/?hl=en","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/singlecare\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCd9kiPIjCQw95-2BHCYePKA"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/169a1d8c8b88282cc3b792a394fc3575","name":"Janice Rodden","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52a9a50886f8a50207b3817add6cf041e73c89f3a5b1776ee5f9642e519a0611?s=96&d=mm&r=gd66250315c656457c96a08c8fc87b6bb","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52a9a50886f8a50207b3817add6cf041e73c89f3a5b1776ee5f9642e519a0611?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52a9a50886f8a50207b3817add6cf041e73c89f3a5b1776ee5f9642e519a0611?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Janice Rodden"},"url":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/author\/jrodden\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6827"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}