Researchers are finding that superbugs, which resist the strongest antibiotics in modern medicine's arsenal, sometime succumb to remedies from pre-antibiotic times. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a major health problem in hospitals and institutions in Europe and North America. Almost impossible to kill, the bacteria cause surgical and neonatal infections in hospitals, spread readily among prisoners and can be found in rugs, air-conditioning ducts, on door handles, floors and TV remote controls. Appearing outside of the hospital environment, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) can also be easily spread by casual contact via open cuts, brush burns and scrapes, and can quickly become difficult-to-treat and potentially deadly infections.
Yet old-fashioned methods for wound cleansing and dressing, ointments and cleaners offer promise as effective additions to standard treatment regimens.
Silver Shows Promise
Silver has long been recognized for its infection-fighting properties. In Ancient Greece and Rome, silver was used to fight infections and control spoilage. In 1893, the botanist von Nageli discovered that minute concentrations of silver contained microbicidal properties. Silver nitrate drops were routinely used in newborn infants' eyes to prevent infections until replaced by antibiotic drops. More recent products utilizing silver in various forms are showing real promise in combating bacterial resistance.
Colloidal silver was a liquid commonly used before the 1930s as an antibiotic and is available at health food stores and on the Internet.
Mesosilver, a colloidal silver product, was shown by an independent New York testing laboratory to be effective in reducing the number of MRSA and VRSA bacteria to undetectable levels within 5 to 24 hours, depending on the strength of the solution.
Acticote, a silver-impregnated dressing, was tested in two hospitals in Austria with encouraging results. In an unpublished study, Professor Robert Strohal found that in 95 percent of cases tested, MRSA infection did not occur in wounds treated with the dressing. This dressing is used in the U.K. to treat burn victims.
AcryMed Inc., a Portland, Oregon, company specializing in wound care and infection control technology, released research findings that show silver ointments to be effective in combating MRSA. The founder and CTO of AcryMed, Bruce Gibbins, stated that, "Used in medical dressings or in ointment form, silver can be an extremely useful first defense in stopping MRSA before it develops into a systemic infection."
A fabric that developers claim helps to kill the MRSA superbug is being used in hospitals in Nottinghamshire, England. The fabric, which contains a silver yarn, is used in curtains in the wards in one hospital and in surgeons' gowns and nurses' uniforms in other hospitals. The silver yarn ionizes when it is in the presence of bacteria, killing the bacteria that are on or near the fabric.
A website for tracking the rise of MSRA is http://mrsawatch.co.uk
Essential Oils and Extracts: More than Just Aroma and Taste
Grapefruit seed extract has been used for years as an alternative treatment for a wide variety of skin ailments, such as athlete's foot, mouth ulcers and eczema. Now studies have shown it is also effective against MRSA. However, its action does not kill "friendly" bacteria, as do antibiotics. Its toxicity is low, and it is effective in very low concentrations.
The doctors and nurses at Manchester University, England found a combination of three common oils—eucalyptus, lavender and tea tree—were more effective than conventional antibiotic treatments. The researchers found that the three oils usually used in aromatherapy destroyed MRSA and E. coli bacteria in two minutes flat. They believe that the oils' complex mix of chemical compounds defeat the defenses of the bacteria.
Possibly in the future, patients could be treated with essential oil compounds, in conjunction with or in place of conventional antiseptics. Research using tea tree oil as a single treatment has yielded mixed results, suggesting that an essential oil combination might be most effective.
Unfortunately, because of E.U. legislation, the researchers are unable to begin clinical trials, although MRSA kills over 5,000 people a year in the U.K. and is becoming a severe problem in hospitals and institutions all over Europe.
Honey's Sweet Promise
Dioscorides described honey as being "good for all rotten and hollow ulcers" about 2,000 years ago, when it was used to treat infected wounds. The ancients weren't so ignorant—research shows that honey inhibits the growth of about 60 species of bacteria, demonstrates antifungal effects against some yeasts, as well as the three species of fungi that commonly cause skin diseases.
Dr. Rose Cooper, a microbiologist at the University of Wales Institute, has been studying the health benefits of honey for eight years. She has obtained a grant from the British Society for Anti-Microbial Chemotherapy that will fund 12 months' research into the role of New Zealand manuka honey in combating MRSA. Several studies have shown that wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus are quickly rendered sterile by honey, and manuka honey is particularly effective as an antibacterial agent.
Honey dressings for wounds, believed to be helpful in preventing the spread of MRSA and sold as Medihoney products, are now available in the National Health Service in the U.K.
Sunshine, Salt and Garlic
Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation (types A&B), as well as artificial UV (type C), has been proved to be a helpful addition to standard therapies, with MRSA being sensitive to both types of UV. A salt solution increased the effectiveness of the UV therapy.
A stabilized and standardized allicin, the natural antibiotic found in garlic and onions, shows highly significant activity against multi-drug-resistant organisms including MRSA. Allicin seems to inhibit certain essential enzymes in the microorganisms. A number of allicin products called Allimed™ are produced as capsules, liquid, soap and cream.
Insects Do Their Part
Not for the squeamish, maggot therapy is becoming more common in wound therapy. In pre-antibiotic times, maggots were a common ally in keeping infected wounds clean and in combating gangrene. Maggot therapy is a simple and highly successful method for cleansing stubbornly infected, non-healing wounds, particularly those infected with MRSA. In an effort to cut back on the use of antibiotics, doctors are again turning to the crawly creatures, which only eat unhealthy tissue and pose no risk to patients.
Conventional antibiotic treatment of necrotic wounds can take months; however, maggot therapy takes just two three-day sessions. Some doctors believe maggots are one of the most effective ways of treating wounds infected by MRSA, and the low cost, rapid relief and lack of toxicity of maggot therapy would certainly support them.
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