Perhaps you've already heard of MRSA-an acronym for the highly-virulent strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. If it infects an open wound, it can cause a pneumonia that rapidly destroys lung tissue and causes death in 75% of cases. It continues to make headlines, making it just another fact of life in our modern world. Overuse or misuse of antibiotics is probably one of the biggest factors in why it's plaguing us. Antibiotics do not address viral conditions, yet patients often demand an antibiotic when ill with a virus or use them for "prevention." Antibiotics are also added to animal feed and injected in animals that are then ingested by humans. A third area of concern is America's heavy use of antibacterial soaps.
In an article published December 7, 2008 in Parade Magazine, Dr. Ranit Mishori reveals his clinical experiences with the nasty bug which "typically kills by infecting the blood and lungs of sick patients or those weakened by surgery." Mishori comments: "I began noticing an unusual number of patients coming in with what they described as spider bites. In clinics and emergency rooms across the U.S., colleagues were seeing it, too: Young people and old, male and female, complaining about a skin sore not unlike a pimple, often red and swollen, sometimes oozing and painful. The only thing was, very few of these patients recalled being bitten by a spider or any other kind of insect." (This is especially noteworthy for folks in warmer climates like ours who typically blame poisonous spiders and other insects for most skin reactions.)
When tests were done, most of the cases proved to be MRSA. To what extent? The New England Journal of Medicine listed MRSA to be the cause of skin infections 59% of the time. Doctors thought this antibiotic-resistant bacteria that plagued hospitals for several decades would be an issue only to severely weakened hospital in-patients . However, MRSA has found its way into communities among healthy adults and children. These new strains (called CA-MRSA or community associated) are not as deadly. They occur wherever people have close contact with each other. The usual transmission is by skin-to-skin contact with uncovered infections, such as handshakes and sharing contaminated objects.
You know what is said about an ounce of prevention. Some natural health suggestions are:
•Wash hands frequently with soap and water, preferably with a non-toxic soap available at your local health food store. There are also tea tree hand wipes, and small containers of non-toxic, waterless hand cleaners convenient for purse