Drug resistant Staph

[kimo wires]

A scary superbug is here in Hawaii
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Or MRSA -left untreated this can kill-
I was unfortunate enough to get this infection recently and it was a very hard infection to cure. The ONLY antibiotic that can cure it is
Doxycyl
I heard on the news this morning that researchers have discovered that thyme essential oil and cinnamon essential oil can kill this Anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

And I found this site...
http://blog.taragana.com/science/2010/03...bugs-9645/

These would be good things to have on hand(in the medicine cabinet)

Anyone know of a place to buy these Essential oils?

[mdd7000]

quote:

---

Originally posted by kimo wires

A scary superbug is here in Hawaii
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Or MRSA -left untreated this can kill-
I was unfortunate enough to get this infection recently and it was a very hard infection to cure. The ONLY antibiotic that can cure it is
Doxycyl
I heard on the news this morning that researchers have discovered that thyme essential oil and cinnamon essential oil can kill this Anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

And I found this site...
http://blog.taragana.com/science/2010/03...bugs-9645/

These would be good things to have on hand(in the medicine cabinet)

Anyone know of a place to buy these Essential oils?

---

MRSA has been around for a number of years now.
The words "MAY" and "CAN" and "SOME" are clues. If you go to the Society for General Microbiolgy website and do a search for "THYME", you get 4 references. One of those is to this article from November 2009.

[url][/url]http://www.sgm.ac.uk/pubs/micro_today/pdf/110409.pdf

Here is the paragraph from the actual article for those on dialup:

"Researchers at the Department of Dietetics, Nutrition
and Biological Sciences at Queen Margaret University
College, Edinburgh, and the University of Edinburgh Medical
School, have collaborated to investigate the effects of five
plant essential oils on the production of key toxic proteins
by S.aureus. They added bay, clove, cinnamon, thyme and
nutmeg oil to growing bacterial cultures at low levels that
did not inhibit bacterial growth, and then tested the amounts
and activities of bacterial proteins present in the growth
media. There was no change in the overall amount of
protein, but some toxic effects were significantly reduced,
with a simultaneous reduction in the relevant toxic protein.
Bay, cinnamon and clove oils were particularly effective."

For fun, browse down through the most recent papers published with regards to microbiology:

[url][/url]http://mic.sgmjournals.org/papbysection.dtl

If you google thyme oil staph and then start going to the various results, you will be directed to all kinds of sites with claims about thyme and other plant oils and how you can purchase such items. One site even claims thyme kills anthrax, but then says they aren't really sure of the scientific study on it. Well, DUH!
You will also note that Institute of Aromatherapy or similar results are prevalent. Smelling this stuff apparently can cure about anything? (If you buy it here) LOL

While pouring thyme oil on yourself MAY do something (it might make you smell good?) I would just stick with going to the doctor/hospital until further research proves the results.

edited to add:
I wouldn't be pouring thyme oil on my skin, especially if already irritated or cut or scraped:

THYME (RED THYMOL) ESSENTIAL OIL

Thymus vulgaris L.

Tested non-toxic at low levels. Skin, mucus membrane irritant. Avoid with high blood pressure, pregnancy. Potential hepatoxic at high levels.

[Hotzcatz]

If it is an external infection, salt might slow it down, too, although that would hurt like the dickens.

Any of the health food stores are quite likely to have these different oils.

---

"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson

[PaulW]

"Essential oils" don't cure anything except a bloated wallet.

[kimo wires]

I did some digging and found out Mrsa has been around since the mid 90's. And I talked to My cousin who is a pharmacist (married to an MD
between them they know all about it) She told me that it is becoming more commonly spread in schools(locker rooms, wrestelers, football players etc.) and other social settings.

Wikipedia has some shocking stats.
The following insert is in there.

Essential oil diffusionis
An in vitro study on the inhibition of MRSA by essential oil diffusion found that 72 of 91 investigated essential oils exhibited zones of inhibition in soy agar plates streaked with MRSA (strain ATCC 700699). The most effective being lemongrass oil (Cymbopogon flexuosus), lemon myrtle oil (Backhousia citriodora), mountain savory oil (Satureja montana), cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum verum), and melissa oil (Melissa officinalis) essential oils. Of these, lemongrass essential oil was the most effective, completely inhibiting all MRSA colony growth.[61]

Tea tree oil also kills all MRSA strains that have been tested.

So why is it on KGMB news now?
There must be some valadity to it.

I'm wondering if these are applied in the early stages,could they stop the progression of the infection?

I always wonder , when they do these reports, why they can't be more specific...

[mdd7000]

There is a big difference between in-vitro lab tests and pouring something on your skin! I assume that if I had a MRSA infection, I could pour gasoline on the infected wound and kill the MRSA - but it might kill me in the process.

Don't make assumptions that could make you even worse, or kill you.

[Kapohocat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by kimo wires...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Or MRSA -left untreated this can kill-
I was unfortunate enough to get this infection recently and it was a very hard infection to cure. The ONLY antibiotic that can cure it is
Doxycyl ...

---

I would differ with that - there are a number of anitbiotics that work in combination with Bactrim. (there was supposedly a advisory sent to Hilo medical practioners from the CDC a few years ago saying use Bactrim in combination with the other antibiotics).

Levaquin, Rosefin (sp??), Cyprofloxin have worked for us. If it isn't out of control and minor still - Amoxicillian with the Bactrim works. StaphASeptic which is available at the pharmacies helps heal it and can be used every day - do not continue to use peroxide after the first day of cleaning wound out - the peroxide actually kills the healthy growth. I just found this one out in Nov.

(I know because I have gotten it 3 times and my partner 3-4 times in the last 6 years - once you get it you are more susceptible the next time.)

They gave my Dad Anthromycin (sp??) for Streptococcus pyogenes - did not work and it is one of the most hard core of them all. Just depends on your health going into it.

EDIT: As for the essential oils - oregano is supposed to help if taken as a prophylaxis. (My non-holisitc friend who is a dr of organic chemistry researched in the AMA journals and there are articles pertaining to its efficacy do note it will help if you are susceptible to it. But it is a long term solution not "oh I have MRSA, and start taking it".... kinda thing.

[mella l]

Ah we all carry MRSA on our skins, and are in balance with our own personal bacteria. When it becomes a problem is when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics in the general population and an epidemic is created.

People have literally been loosing body parts to this infection since the mid 90's.

When you are given an antibiotic and do not take the entire course prescribed in the method prescribed you might be helping bacteria become resistant!

If EO"S essential oils from health food stores were the answer, it would sure be loads cheaper than the antibiotics currently needed.

THAT SAID however I WOULD not gamble any of my body parts on the EO blog treatment!

Want to worry about something, look up C-Diff, the next big scare and rightly so.

Prevention is soap and water, as many times a day as you can, it's quite simple really and cheaper than essential oils primarily used to create the world of perfumes.

mella l

NO, really? Assume the best!

[Chuysmom]

Cripes! More and more people I know have had this infection. What the heck causes it? I mean where do you actually get it from?

Carrie


"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it." Galadriel - LOTR

[csgray]

We've been through this 3 times, the first time blew out my husbands lymphatic system in one leg, so now he is super vulnerable. Staph is really prevalent in "new" volcanic soils, which is this whole island. It also really likes warm water so places like geo thermally heated warm ponds are great incubators. It is everywhere here, and some of it is resistant to antibiotics.

The important thing is to keep your skin intact and clean, and protect even small scratches. Steve's first infection came from a cracked callus on his toe, and it damn near killed him, the second one happened when he got scratched snorkeling (last time for that activity!) and the third one, the source was a small puncture wound. Now he is very careful when gardening or weed eating to wear long pants and watch his skin.

Carol