Dealing With MRSA

There has been a lot in the news over the past year about Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA (often pronounced “mur-sa”). MRSA is a strain of the Staphylococcus bacteria that has developed a resistance to the major antibiotics used to treat an infection, including methicillin, penicillin and cephalosporins.  The media has begun to refer to MRSA as a ‘superbug’, in recognition of the fact that the bacteria has successfully evolved to thwart human attempts to control it.

Of late, there have been many stories reported about outbreaks of MRSA and deaths related to the infections. (Examples of recent stories can be found here and here via CNN.com and here via Yahoo.) The result of all this coverage, along with the frequent use of words like ‘outbreak’ and ‘superbug’, is a sense of panic and fear about MRSA.  It is important to remember that MRSA has been with us since the early 1960’s, and while it does not respond to standard antibiotics, it is treatable.  Few people die of MRSA, and understanding the disease can help you protect yourself from it without undue fear.

MRSA is spread in one of two ways. Direct skin-to-skin contact is the most frequent means of contagion.  MRSA can also be transmitted on touched objects, but it is important to note that this is exceedingly rare when the skin is whole.  In almost all cases of indirect contraction of the infection, the bacteria came into contact with a wound or opening in the skin.  Keeping all open wounds, sores, and breaks in the skin covered, no matter how small, is important to preventing infections.  Good hygiene is also important, and diligent hand washing and body cleaning will reduce your risks of contracting MRSA.

It is also important to note that the strength of a person’s immune system is an important factor in warding off a Staph infection. People with compromised immune systems are at a much greater risk of contracting the infection and of having a more serious infection.  Maintaining a healthy immune system is absolutely critical as a means of protecting yourself from any number of diseases, including MRSA.  Being sure to get your vitamins is very important, especially Vitamin C.  I have also had very good results using oil of oregano, which supports the body’s immune system and has been shown to be a potent tool against microorganisms.  Studies have indicated that sufficiently pure oil of oregano is able to kill MRSA bacteria.  I recommend Doctor’s Strength Brand Oregacillin and other products that contain North American Herb & Spice P73 Wild Oregano.

Finally, MRSA presents itself as a perfect example of why it is so important to refrain from overusing antibiotics. Too many people reach for antibiotics for every sniffle and cough, hoping to nip the problem in the bud.  But for most everyday illness, antibiotics are useless; they do nothing to fight colds, flus, viral infections or allergic reactions.  Using antibiotics for these purposes will not help you, and only offer naturally-occurring bacteria an opportunity to develop resistances to the antibiotics. An important part of fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria is to keep them from developing, and by using antibiotics only when necessary, you can starve bacteria of their chance to evolve resistances.