MRSA (Multiple-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)

It has been many years since MRSA (Multiple-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) was discovered in 1961 and we are still plagued by it! In 1993 there were fewer than 2,000 documented infections in U.S. hospitals, but by 2005 the number reached more than 350,000 according to the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) and by 2007, 2.4% of all patients had MRSA infections according to a study published by the American Journal of Infection Control. It has reached superbug status and is resistant to a lot of our most potent antibiotics, in fact it does not even respond to them.

Superbugs like MRSA come from the over-usage and misuse of antibiotics. The staph bacterium is now more resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics that are usually used to treat staph infections. A few of the newer ones can be effective against certain strains, but some of them are only available intravenously and also are becoming weaker against the bacteria. So now your asking, what can you do to protect yourself?

To help reduce your chances of getting MRSA:

1. Wash your hands.
Make sure you use soap and scrub each hand at-least 15-20 seconds, and if using a public bathroom turn off faucet with a paper towel. It might become handy to carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with a mid to high alcohol content when no soap and water is around.

2. MRSA is very contagious!
The bacteria is very virulent and unrelenting! Don’t share clothes or towels, combs, brushes, pens. Basically do not share anything personal or that is going to come in direct contact with your body.

3. Keep your injuries covered and sterile!
All it takes is a brush against someones infection or something that was handled by the infected person to spread it, and wounds/cuts will give it a easier time getting into the bloodstream.

4. Shower after being in contact with people.
It does not matter if your in the club/mall/sports you will be in contact with people and things people touch regularly, so keep yourself clean!

5. Wash everything if possible in very hot water!
Some washers and dryers get very hot and some don’t, wash and dry on hottest setting possible with bleach.
I have also read that drying your clothes in the sun for more than 10 minutes will kill the bacteria.

6. Get tested!
Many people don’t realize MRSA commonly colonizes in the nostrils and can cause life threatening pneumonias, necrotized skin and wound infections, and targets children, the elderly, people with weak immune systems, and pets!!

If you or someone you know already has MRSA:

1. Wash hands very often!
Especially after ANY contact with sores, bandages or dressings.

2. Keep all infected areas drained of  pus and covered with a sterile dry bandage.
A little bit of fluid or residue from these areas will spread the infection!!

3. Wash everything separately!
This is very important, wash everything separately. Don’t mix clothes or linens before wash and make sure you use the hottest settings on washer and dryer possible, along with bleach.

4. Clean the infected persons room and possessions often.
You want to make sure everything is disinfected. You can use a phenol containing commercial disinfectant (Lysol/Pinesol can be used) or make your own out of 1 part bleach to 100 parts water, which is 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 quart of water.

5. Infected person should have designated areas.
I’m not saying quarantine, but a designated spot for things like sitting and eating. Would be good to keep the area covered with a hard easily cleaned surface, like plastic or other similar covering. Nobody should sit or use this area until the wounds are healed, and the area should be disinfected after every use.

6. Wear gloves when dealing with sores/wounds.
Getting the bacteria on your hands can cause others to become infected a lot easier.

7.  Very Carefully dispose of bandages and dressings!
Use plastic bags and make sure it is closed securely.

All this may sound scary, but there is hope for people who contract MRSA and cannot be prescribed adequate medicine. Nature has given us many cures for diseases/illnesses and this is no different. I have read studies showing that Elecampane Root will kill the infection on contact. The good thing is its very versatile in the treatment, you can put tincture under the tongue or make tea. You can even get it in easy to take pill form.

Another is Manuka Honey, there seems to be a combination of chemicals produced from the Manuka Bush that give the honey the extra boost in its antibacterial properties! It also gives it a slightly bitter taste! But be careful because unsterilized honey can cause the infection to get worse if it comes in contact with it, Manuka or not!

Then there is the good ol’ Colloidal Silver! If you haven’t read up on it you should, its said to clean up a lot of illness. But there is a nasty side effect if you take too much, it will turn you blue forever! Its called Argyria and it occurs over time from excess silver in the body, it is untreatable.

Lastly we come across something called Allicin, its found in garlic. But it degrades very quickly, especially during the processing most commercial garlic goes through so make sure the label says it contains Allicin! This is a very potent MRSA killer, in fact its been clinically proven to kill MRSA!! The only problem is that garlic in this form is very potent, and if used irresponsibly can cause rashes and other illness.