Yesterday I attended a luncheon with a large health care system in the area and was seated next to a “high up” administrative official in the organization.

Of course the issue of MRSA came up, and it was not surprising to hear that handwashing  – or lack of – is still the biggest culprit behind the transfer of bugs.

MRSA and Pets

 Animals are susceptible to MRSA. 

We want to protect our Pets!

Building the immune system and using therapeutic grade essential oils to protect them from their environment are two good things to do right away.

The best way to keep the immune system up is with good nutrition and probiotics.  Yes, probiotics for pets!

I can speak specifically about my little guy Prin – a lasa apso.
I sprinkle probiotics on his food every day.  A good source for this is Wysong.

This time of year we want to protect them against fleas and ticks. I make a spray mixture of distilled water and Purification oil and I keep it near his leash.  He gets sprayed lightly with this before he goes outside.

MRSA: Essential Oils Have Been Found to Kill Deadly MRSA

This is the title of a report that I found in my files from December 2004 (yes, I have been following this issue since then and longer). 

It comes from the University of Manchester.  They were onto this a long time ago. 

Faculty member, Peter Warn, worked on the research that found that essential oils can combat this problem.  He says:  ‘We believe that our discovery could revolutionise the fight to combat MRSA and other `super bugs’. 

He also comments as to why this information is not accessible to more folks.  This is the bottom line reason and, in my opinion, it is very sad. To think that we have answers to this problem but people are not getting access to this information because traditional information pathways that speak to physicians, health care systems, insurance companies, and consumers (via the media) are initiated through the drug companies.
Since they (Big Pharma) can’t make any money on this (they can’t patent a natural substances) then the info doesn’t get out there (Research is typically funded, and television ads are paid for by the pharmaceutical companies).

This is what Peter Warn said about research: ‘We are having problems finding this funding because essential oils cannot be patented as they are naturally occurring, so few drug companies are interested in our work as they do not see it as commercially viable.   Obviously, we find this very frustrating as we believe our findings could help to stamp out MRSA and save lives,’ added Peter, who is based at Hope Hospital.

 Click here for more info on this

MRSA: CDC / Mayo Clinic Recommendations

The Mayo Clinic reports the following risk factors:

-Participating in contact sports. CA-MRSA has crept into both amateur and professional sports teams. The bacteria is spread easily through cuts and abrasions and skin-to-skin contact.

-Sharing towels or athletic equipment. Although few outbreaks have been reported in public gyms, CA-MRSA has spread among athletes sharing razors, towels, uniforms or equipment.

From the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) on preventing MRSA:

-practicing good hygiene (e.g., keeping your hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and showering immediately after participating in exercise);

-avoiding sharing personal items (e.g., towels, razors) that come into contact with your bare skin; and using a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches.

MRSA – Build Immune Functioning

Preventing MRSA has so much to do with building our immune system!

Most people don’t realize but much of our immune system is in our gut.

Probiotics are important to take on a daily basis.
Probiotics help to populate our system with GOOD bacteria – which is what fights the BAD bacteria like the super-bugs like MRSA.

Most doctors will not tell you this – unless they are really nutritionally savvy, they themselves don’t even understand how probiotics work.  Yes, you can run to the local health food store and get a good probiotic – but I think one of the best – and yes, I am partial, but this is what I take daily – is the Life 5 from Young Living.

You can go to my website to order, I’m hesitant to put it here b/c I don’t want to sound sales-y – so go to www.HomeSpaLady.com and click on Order your Oils and then type in Life 5.

MRSA and Essential Oils: A Medical Doctor’s Perspective

ANTIBIOTICS VS. THERAPEUTIC GRADE ESSENTIAL
OILS, by Joan Barice, MD (Young Living Member)

Speaking as a medical doctor, all physicians are aware of
the increasing problem of resistance of bacteria to
antibiotics. This is especially a problem with bacteria which
cause life threatening infections. It is a result of overusing
antibiotics, and of using them when they are not
appropriate.

Overusing antibacterial soaps may also contribute to the
problem. Prevention is best, of course. Allowing natural
immunity to work when infections are self-limiting or not
likely to cause serious consequences is also important, as
is not treating viruses with antibiotics which won’t work
anyway.

Essential oils can be very effective in treating many
bacterial, viral and other infections, without causing
resistance. The natural variation inthe chemical
constituents in whole plants depending on climate, altitude,
and other factors protects against this resistance, as do the
many chemical constituents in whole oils as opposed to
using one isolated “active” ingredient.

The problem is, most doctors are not trained in using oils,
but are well trained in using potent antibiotics. If you are
trying to enlighten a doctor, who generally has had no
training on essential oils, I would suggest providing
scientific references that give the available evidence of the
effectiveness of essential oils in treating infections.

We are impressed by scientific research and usually will
not listen to “anecdotal” evidence” that it worked for some
people. Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt’s book Medical Aromatherapy,
healing with essential oils, has been suggested and is a
great reference. I have used it to give talks to medical
doctors about essential oils.

Published articles on essential oil research, especially
those in medical journals would be very good. Here are just
a couple examples:

The EODR cites some research: 1998: Chao studied a
blend of oils patterned after that used by 15th century
thieves containing cinnamon, rosemary, clove, eucalyptus
and lemon was diffused in a closed room in which bacteria
cultures were sprayed. There was an 82% reduction in M.
Luteus, a 96% reduction in P. Aeruginosa, and a 44%
reduction in S. Aureusbioaerosols following 10 minutes of
exposure.

Another study compared the effectiveness of essential oils
to antibiotics – preliminary results showed cinnamon and
oregano are comparable with Penicillin and Ampicillin in
inhibitory activity against E. coli and Staph. aureus.

From a medical journal: TEA TREE OIL: THE SCIENCE
BEHIND THE ANTIMICROBIAL HYPE Because of
increasing resistance to antibiotics, interest in finding
alternatives is strong. Tea tree oil (TTO) has been widely
used in Australia for 80 years and is active against many
micro-organisms.

A pilot study of 30 MRSA (methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus) carriers comparing routine
mupirocin nasal ointment and triclosan skin wash with TTO
ointment and wash, showed one third were completely
cleared by TTO but only 13% by conventional treatment.

In another trial of TTO in the treatment of herpes cold
sores, the oil was found to assist healing to a similar
degree as topical 5% acyclovir. The oil has about 100
components but 7 terpenes and their related alcohols
constitute 80 to 90% of the whole oil. Several of these
components have been shown to reduce levels of
Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Terpenes
are lipophilic and partition into the phospholipid layer of cell
membranes, disrupting normal structure and function.
Allen, P., LANCET 2001, 358 (9289) 1245 or: Janssen AM
et al, 1987. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils:
1976-1986 literature review. Planta Med 53 (5) 395-398.

This article is not in a medical journal, but still would be
good to use as evidence: Antiviral and Antimicrobial
Properties of Essential Oils, by Dominique Baudoux,
available on the internet at:
http://www.positivehealth.com/article-abstract.php?articleid=84

Kurt Schnaubelt’s book has a list of some basic research,
including the following:

1960: Maruzella demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal
effects of hundreds of aromatic compounds 1987:
Deininger and Lembke demonstrated antiviral activity of
essential oils and their isolated components 1973: Wagner
and Sprinkmeyer in 1973 did research on a 170 year old
blend of distilled oils still available in Germany. The effects
of melissa and the other oils in Kosterfrau Melissengeist
had been empirically known since Paracelsus (about 1500).
They concluded that, with varying degrees of intensity,
there was an inhibiting influence on all the bacteria tested,
(Pneumococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphlococcus
aureus haemolyticus, Neisseria catarrhalis, Streptococcus
haemolyticus, Proteus vulgaris, Hemophilus influenza,
Haemophilus pertussis, Candida albicans, Escherichia
coli-Aerobacter group, various Corynnebacteria, and
Listeria) and stated the large spectrum of this inhibitory
action is as broad as or even greater than that of
wide-spectrum antibiotics.

They also showed KMG has sedative and spasmolytic
properties. 1995 Deininger et al. Demonstrated the broad
spectrum of antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal activity of
essential oils and their components as well as
effectiveness for upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and
urogenital systems and for nervousness and arterial
conditions.

Included many different bacterial species, aflatoxin forming
fungi, quantitative proof of the antiviral effectiveness of
different essential oil constituents with special attention to
their cell toxic effects on human cells. Showed antiviral
effects against herpes and adenoviruses with a broad
spectrum of activity. Showed oils including Klosterfrau
mellisengeist terpenes could be shown curatively and
preventively in animal experiments after otherwise lethal
herpes injections were administered, and induce a
significant increase of immunoglobulins.

Schnaubelt lists even earlier basic science research
showing it has been known a long time that essential oils
have antimicrobial effects:

1800-2002: Numerous animal and in vitro studies –
evidence that all essential oils are antiseptic, some more
than others and that many are effective against certain
fungi, bacteria and viruses. 1881: Koch demonstrated the
bactericidal action of essence of turpentine against anthrax
spores 1887: Chamberland demonstrated bactericidal
activity of essences of oregano, cinnamon and clove on
bacillus anthracis 1910: Martindale showed essential oil of
oregano is the strongest plant-derived antiseptic known to
date, 25 to 76 times more active than phenol on
colobacillus.

Because of our training, because we are not trained about
essential oils, and do not want to harm our patients by
using something we do not know anything about, many
doctors will insist on having still more research, and
conclusive “evidence-based” research data before they will
consider recommending oils for patients with an infection,
and they will use antibiotics when they know them to be
effective treatment for a particular infection.

I know from my own experience that essential oils can be
very effective, and will not hesitate to use them when they
are the most appropriate treatment. If, on the other hand, I
had a life threatening infection, and I do not have time to try
something that will take longer, and there is a medical
treatment that is known to be highly effective and safe, I
would use it.

* * *
You can get more info from Dr. Joan Barice at her blog:

www.benaturallyhealthy.blogspot.com

MRSA – Superbugs Destroyed By Essential Oils

I’m so excited about this.  Everyone else is devastated because they are fearful and hopeless.  But we have an answer in our therapeutic grade essential oils.  This has been researched by Sue Chao at the laboratory of Young Living Essential Oil company.

Here are some of her findings:

Of the single oils tested lemongrass had the highest Anti-MRSA activity (>83mm in the zone of inhibition), and of the blends RC had the highest (>83 also).
These, of course, were not perfume grade oils but they were therapeutic grade A oils that come out of that company.

The company that makes them is a small network marketing company that has distributors all over the world (I am one – so if you want info contact me directly or if you know another YL distributor – contact them).

contact me at marilee777@aol.com

MRSA – What it looks like

I’m incredibly impressed with the work of this young female artist who put together this video. This is a wonderful way of showing us all, very simply, what MRSA looks like and how it works.

Check out this video: Methicillin Resistance

Add to My Profile | More Videos

MRSA…if I had it

I’ve been getting inquiries from people – mostly colleagues -asking me what I recommend. Not that I am an expert in this field, because I’m not – but I have a high interest level, have had professional experience with it – have done some research – and I have an informed opinion. 

Now, mind you, my colleagues are already holistically oriented and we know about the power of natural cures – and how safe they are.

I attended a convention last year that presented research on an essential oil blend that completely eradicated MRSA in the petrie dish.  This is very promising.

I want to present some of those findings here on this blog, but I want to make sure it is okay with the researcher, so I have a call into her now.

Meanwhile – you might be reading this and saying “how come this information isn’t out there on this research if it is so effective?”

Well, if you are new to the alternative medicine and wellness movement you will find this question comes up alot.  The only answer that I can provide is that mostly all of the research that is done out there and available is done by the pharmaceutical companies themselves.  They are the ones that can afford to do it and afford to advertise it.

It makes sense that they would not research anything that is a natural and competitive product, which essential oils are.

For those of you who are my colleagues that know what I am talking about here – the essential oil blend that is most effective is RC.

For those of you who are not my colleagues and have no idea what I am talking about, and you would like further info – post a comment here and we can be in touch.

Meanwhile – how would I use RC?  If I had any cuts or openings in the integument of my skin – I would line the perimeter with RC.  I would also wear RC throughout the day on different points of my body – and I would line my nostrils with it too.