MRSA - Prevention is Best

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an illness of obscurity and mostly confined to a small amount of hospital intensive-care units, is presently on its way to becoming a household word.

Though still almost always hospital-acquired, MRSA is spreading, and reaching epidemic levels in parts of the United States, such as Atlanta, Los Angeles and Texas.

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that MRSA was the culprit in 94,000 life-threatening infections in 2005, and 18,650 people died from MRSA that year. Deaths from MRSA have now ran ahead those from another deadly epidemic, AIDS. In 2005, close to 16,000 people died from AIDS.

According to the report some of MRSA's concerning trends are:

An estimate of 15 percent of invasive MRSA infections occurred among those who had not been in a hospital or health care setting.

Of the 85 percent of infections that could be traced back to hospitals or health care settings, two-thirds appeared after the patient was no longer hospitalized.

People over the age of 65 were almost four times as likely to get an MRSA infection than people of other ages.

And outbreaks of MRSA are now happening in schools across America. Students in at least six states have become infected; three of the children have died.

MRSA: The Superbug

MRSA is called a superbug because it's apparent resistant to many types of antibiotics. Not only is MRSA resistant to methicillin, which includes penicillin and related antibiotics, but it's beginning to show resistant properties to newer antibiotics.

It is not uncommon for people to carry MRSA on their skin -- about 30 percent of people do -- but the bacteria has become a problem because of the overuse of antibiotics in the United States, in both humans and the routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock, which people then ingest via their food and water. It is believed that this has caused the bacteria to mutate into one that is a challenge to control.

People who carry MRSA on their skin without being sick (which happens regularly), are said to be "colonized" with the bacteria. Though a person may not be affected, they can still pass the germs on to others.

It is important to note that about 12 million people receive treatment for skin infections caused by MRSA each year, according to the CDC's Jeff Hageman.

Prevention

1) Wash hands with a non-antibacterial natural soap before and after every meal and after each trip to the bathroom. Teach your children to wash their hands frequently while at school especially after gym or recess. Be sure to shower/bathe daily, preferably in the evening.

2) Keep your immune system healthy by eating a healthy diet; drinking pure clean water; performing a liver/gallbladder cleanse and digestive tract cleanse at least 2x yearly; getting 30 minutes of sunshine and exercise daily; reducing stress and negative emotions; eliminating all hydrogenated oils and incorporating healthy oils into the diet such as flax seed oil, hemp seed oil and coconut oil; eliminating all white flour and sugar.

3) Take a good organic multi-vitamin mineral supplement daily. I recommend intraMAX for adults and intraKID for children. intraMAX and intraKID are100% natural flavored liquid organic homeostatic soil-based microComplexes derived from 100% organic plant sources and thus are ultra dissolved, organically complexed trace minerals.

4) Keep cuts and abrasions covered with bandages until they have healed. Replace bandages daily.

5) Shower immediately after any contact sports.

6) Don't share personal articles such as razors, towels, sheets, make-up, clothing or athletic equipment. Wash athletic uniforms immediately after use.

7) Germ Fighter Spray - Germ Fighter Spray is proven to help in the battle against germs such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and much more. A simple spray of your hands or any area where germs may be present and you will have the added protection of powerful all natural germ fighting.

8) Cell phones and land-line phones - After each use, spray Germ Fighter Spray on the parts of your cell phone and home phone that touch the skin.

9) Should you be in a hospital ore health-care setting make sure, or ask a family member to make sure, that no one touches you without having washed their hands first. This means doctors, nurses, therapists, etc. Also when visiting your healthcare practitioner insist that--before your examination--they wash their hands or apply gloves to their hands.