My daughter was recently hospitilized with an MRSA abscess and she is only 5months old! They said to give her bleach baths once a week. (1 cap full of bleach to an entire tub of water). Has anyone heard of this treatment before?
Maybe if the pharmaceutical companies would invest as much money on developing new treatments for colds and flu instead of new types of Viagra, it might not be such an issue.
I live in a basically hot, sticky climate and an anti-bacterial soap in the shower is great, but I tend to agree it can be over done.
I've seen and read studies that are now showing that hand washing with any soap and water, or even just plain water for a long enough time (around 20 seconds I think) works just about as well. Our bodies need a healthy dose of exposure to keep our immune systems working properly, but the flip side is that the germs are getting more powerful and treatments are becoming ineffectual.
Maybe if the pharmaceutical companies would invest as much money on developing new treatments for colds and flu instead of new types of Viagra, it might not be such an issue. OK, I'm off my soapbox.
Wow, this all reminds me of why I hate antibacterial products. I end up having to buy the soft soap brand of hand soap....seems everything else is antibacterial!
I remember when I was growing up and my mom used exclusively dial soap because it was the only one on the market that was antibacterial that she knew of, things have certainly changed and not necessarily for the best.
The main ingredient used in antibacterial products inserts itself into the microorganisms and changes the cell structure, basically inhibiting it's ability to reproduce. The cell will then find ways around that to survive, thus mutating into a cell that is immune to the antibacterials. Thus, 'superbugs' are born.
Some companies have gotten the hint on this. Look for hand sanitizers that the only main ingredient is alcohol. Most drug stores own brands now contain this. For dishes or cleaning at home, plain old bleach is the answer. Why? Alcohol and bleach kill the microbes. They can't mutate if they are dead.
Antibacterial soaps don't work. We are creating worse bugs than we started with.... nature learns to beat all of the odds..... the best thing to do is use soaps that are not laden with nasty chemicals and instead use soaps that are natural such as castile soaps. Check out www.cosmeticdatabase.com to find out how safe your products really are.
Where I live, we've had MRSA show up in schools among the athletic teams and since then, I've noticed you have more professional atheletes suffering from this type of infections.
I don't take extraordinary precautions, other than simple hand washing with soap. I don't use anti-bacterial products usually.
I also heard that Host Jane. It is really something to fear. I don't even like to visit anyone in the hosppital for fear of getting some germ or super bug.
I saw a news feature recently that said the antibacterial gels aren't that effective on MRSA, that old fashioned soap and water hand washing was better.
Unfortunately, it's scary to have someone in a hospital now, especially if they are elderly.
We see a LOT more MRSA in the hospital lately than we used to. And more and more than we're seeing is in small children. It can really be a scarey thing. We're told to scrub our hands when we go in, double glove and scrub when you leave the room.
It's really getting to be scarey in this day and age that we have to worry about these super-bugs. I just read in the paper a 17 year old high school football player died from MRSA.
My ex went to a very reputable hospital today for an overnight procedure and he had to buy a kit ( like iodine) for $25 and coat the area to be operated on the night before and the day of the procedure! It's almost like living in a Third World Country. What's going on?
We can't be too careful today - I even stopped ordering lemon in my water. I saw on the show Food Detectives that most restaurant lemons are full of bacteria. UGH...don't need that - have enough problems trying to stay healthy.
I use hand towels and wash (& unfortunately bleach*) them frequently, especially if I have company. On holidays when I have a lot of company, I put out fancy paper napkins for my guests.
When I'm out, I use a paper towel to open the bathroom door when exiting and toss it in the nearest receptacle.
Many years ago I worked with an older woman who used to spray Lysol on her phone if anyone used it, and we used to laugh - now I've become her. She's quite up there in age today, so she must have been doing something right!
ps. regarding bleach, in an effort to go a "little green" I was trying not to use it; same goes for exorbitant use of paper towels and napkins. I saw a show that says by taking just one napkin instead of numerous in a restaurant can help save the planet....go figure. So much to think about today!
I read that you can use peroxide in lieu of bleach, does anyone know if it has the same whitening effect?
One of the things I think about most when I am washing up is cross-contamination in the fight against germs. This was something drilled into my head when I used to do daycare years ago. I wish I had one of those faucets like they have in some public restrooms, where you wave your hand underneath and the water comes on without you having to have to touch the knobs, and to dry you wave your hand for the air to dry them.
At home, to avoid recontaminating yourself, is it best to use paper towels or just a regular hand towel?
I saw a scary news item on the evening news a few days ago about the rise of one of these super bugs in hospitals, rehab hospitals and nursing homes. One of their points was that the anti-bacterial gel (like Puril) that is supposed to be the answer to everything, not only doesn't help reduce the spread of this bug, but actually may promote it.
Washing with soap and water seems to be the solution. As someone else pointed out, we need to be exposed to bugs and germs to a certain degree. Our immune systems need to be exercised to protect us.
My husband is a nurse, and he definitely agrees that not only are we reducing our resistance to germs and disease by trying to live in uber-sanitized environments, but that it's also been attributed to the rise of childhood allergies - the more you render your home antibacterial, the more chance your children will develop sensitivities, if not allergies.
Regular soap and warm water is sufficient if you lather for at least 15 - 20 seconds, rinse well and dry thoroughly.
You're probably right there, Donna about the antibacterial thing going a bit overboard. I mean I love that they are antibacterial but it seems that EVERYTHING is antibacterial now. Even laundry detergents, deodorants, sunscreens, and stuff like that. What's next? Milk? LOL just kidding!
She's quite up there in age today, so she must have been doing something right!
