The term "superbug", referring to MRSA or "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus" bacteria, is in the common speech these days. We're aware there are bacteria that are the cause of serious illness and death, that have become resistant to modern medicine's most potent antibiotics. MRSA infection is especially common in hospitals, where patient's immune systems are already run down. Too often it happens that one enters the hospital with one illness, and later requires treatment for this troublesome infectious illness. The search for a cure for this infection has lead a great many research teams to investigate the efficacy of essential oils. It has long been the contention of leading medical aromatherapy practitioners that the greatest gift of essential oils for mankind will be their ability to prevent and treat infectious illness -- and research is positively supporting this contention. Essential oils have the great feature of being able to be used both as vapors and as topical solutions -- useful because MRSA infections are commonly found in the respiratory tract as well as a the site of broken-skin wounds. In one study, which included both laboratory and "real-world" experiments, diffusing a blend of essential oils was found to be effective in eradicating bacteria. In closed boxes, the vapor was found to inhibit the growth of MRSA on agar plates by 38%. In an office environment, after running the diffuser for fifteen hours, the total bacterial count in the air was reduced by 89%. The blend was a simple combination of two highly regarded antibacterial essential oils: lemongrass and geranium. While a number of studies have evaluated the efficacy of tea tree essential oil, as it has historically been a highly effective and well-tolerated antiseptic, it is clear that tea tree is not the most effective oil for this purpose. For example, in a "dressing model" study (where preparations were made using wound dressings), the most effective formulas were either a blend of tea tree AND geranium, or of geranium and grapefruit seed extract. Several other studies have found blends of essential oils to be more effective than any single oil alone. With this synergy of essential oils in mind, a company in the UK called "Benchmark Oils" has developed a new strain of thyme with unique chemical characteristics. In effect, this new strain of thyme produces an essential oil that chemically appears like a mixture of tea tree and thyme essential oils. This single oil alone was found to quickly eradicate MRSA, and at the same time its application at 100% strength did not cause skin irritation (as is possible with some "spice" essential oils such as cinnamon and clove). Maggie Tisserand, company director, noted: "What is interesting is that the thyme oil we use is food grade and, in preliminary company trials, shows no adverse effects on intact skin." A powerful blend of oils has been used successfully in human subjects with both acute and chronic infections with MRSA. One person had a bone infection for 2 years, which was unresponsive to antibiotics. A blend of Australian eucalyptus and tea tree, plus thyme, clove and lemongrass essential oils finally put a stop to the infection. Two other individuals discussed in the same report had suffered traumatic injuries which had become infected by MRSA. Infection of both individuals was eliminated with this essential oil blend alone. This is only a small selection of the available data, yet the vast majority of results confirm that essential oils can be effective at eradicating MRSA bacteria. What is wonderful about these results is that essential oils are readily available, inexpensive, and virtually non-toxic. Treatment of such infections with essential oils should clearly be done with the guidance of a qualified medical professional, as the illness can be deadly. Individuals with weak immune systems, and those exposed regularly to MRSA or other bacterial pathogens can protect themselves with a nebulizing aromatherapy diffuser. One can make a simple blend of lemongrass, geranium and thyme essential oils and regularly diffuse this in their space for such support.
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The MRSA "superbug" bacteria results in dangerous, life-threatening infections for those with compromised immune systems. Essential oils have been proven effective both in laboratory and real-world conditions at eradicating the bacteria.
The author is a natural health practitioner in Boulder, Colorado. She is a regular user of therapeutic aromatherapy and consultant to aromatherapy creations at The Ananda Apothecary.
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