Use these natural remedies to fight and overcome superbugs

Sunday, May 06, 2012 by: Sarka-Jonae Miller
Tags: natural remedies, superbugs, MRSA

(NaturalNews) Nearly half of the meat sold in the United States has been found to contain methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA), a strain that causes a staph infection but is resistant to antibiotic drugs. Antibiotic resistance caused by overusing antibiotics in people and animals creates superbugs, germs that cannot be killed with regular antibiotics. To combat antibiotic resistance, doctors try stronger meds. However, essential oils, garlic and vinegar can work as a natural MRSA treatment. These and other natural remedies for infections can not only combat a staph infection, but also the growing cycle of antibiotic resistance.

What is a MRSA infection?

The majority of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are given to animals in their feed to reduce spreading infections among livestock. The abundance of antibiotics in feed creates antibiotic resistance. In the case of the MRSA superbug, a staph strain went from humans into pigs where it was transformed into a germ with an antibiotic resistance, according to a study published in the mBio journal. The new antibiotic-resistant germ was then transmitted back into humans.

Around 25 percent of MRSA cases in humans are caused by this livestock-derived strain in the Netherlands. Failing to cook meat thoroughly and handling meat improperly create a greater risk of staph infection from MRSA in people, but a safer alternative is to avoid meat from conventionally raised animals. Organic farms do not use antibiotics.

What is antibiotic resistance?

People who get exposed to too many antibiotics can develop a resistance. Eating meat flesh containing antibiotics is one cause of antibiotic resistance. Doctors over-prescribing antibiotics is another. MRSA is a type of superbug called a gram-positive bacteria. The other type of superbug, gram-negative bacteria, are even more sophisticated and tougher organisms. K. pneumoniae (KPC), a germ linked to thousands of deaths, is an example of a gram-negative bacteria.

KPC is a pneumonia-causing superbug that has spread through the U.S., Hungary, Cyrpus, Austria and Italy. In early 20120, it was responsible for hundreds of deaths at a hospital in Greece. However, KPC is not the only superbug responsible for killing people. Around 25,000 people die in Europe every year because of antibiotic-resistant infections.

Natural remedies for MRSA treatment and other infections

How are doctors treating the infections caused by antibiotic resistant drugs? With more drugs. Greek doctors tried some of the strongest antibiotics available, from Merrem to Doribax, to fight KPC with little success. Instead of trying natural cures, many doctors turned to a 50-year-old medication called colistin, a drug so potent it can lead to kidney damage.

Natural infection remedies are less expensive and less damaging. They are likely more effective. An antibiotic comprises a single chemical component, usually, whereas essential oils comprise sometimes thousands of chemical components. These multiple components are challenging for bacteria to develop a resistance to and therefore a better choice for MRSA treatment and combating other superbugs.

Tea tree oil has a proven ability to fight a staph infection because it quickly kills staph bacteria. Tea tree oil is used as a topical application, going directly onto infected skin.

Another topical treatment for a staph infection is mixture of apple cider vinegar and baking soda. The two substances combine to make a paste that can be applied to a skin infection.

Garlic is another smart choice because it has a complex makeup, comprising 27 known active ingredients as well as dozens of other ingredients. Garlic is an effective MRSA treatment and helps fight other infections by boosting the body's ability to kill off invading bacteria.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ehow.com/about_5057374_natural-cures-staph-infection.html
http://www.businessweek.com
http://www.npr.org
http://mbio.asm.org/content/3/1/e00305-11
http://www.staph-infection-resources.com/mrsa-natural-remedies.html
http://www.staph-infection-resources.com

About the author:
Sarka-Jonae Miller is a former personal trainer and massage therapist. She has a journalism degree from Syracuse University. Sarka-Jonae currently writes romantic comedy novels and romantic erotica under the same SJ Miller.
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