The following natural products have claims to reducing MRSA infections or preventing infections. MRSA Survivors Network does not endorse any products, but believes that alternative and complementary medicine can be possibly beneficial and may help. Each individual is different and how their body reacts to any type of substance can vary. A daily diet of vitamin rich fresh vegetables and fruits is a great way to boost your immune system.
Manuka Honey
Researchers have found that honey from the flowering manuka bush that grows in Australia and New Zealand has antimicrobial properties and can be effective against MRSA infections. Honeybees consume the nectar of the manuka bush and produce a dark kind of honey with an unidentified component that isn’t found in other honey.
Researchers have found that MRSA bacteria treated with manuka honey often lacks a protein necessary for the synthesis of fatty acids, which is essential for building cell walls and internal structures. More research is being conducted which could lead to more new treatments. Honey bought in a store is not sterilized and can contain microbes, which could make an infection and wound worse.
Garlic
Garlic has been considered a natural antibiotic since ancient times and the active component within garlic is allicin. Allicin is what gives garlic its distinctive smell and believed to help fight infections. Garlic can be eaten raw, cooked in food or taken in tablet form or used topically. It is believed that allicin is destroyed when cooked in oil. Some use topical allicin compounds for eliminating carriage of MRSA or other microbes from the nose, wounds and skin.
Probiotics
Many who have been on high dosages of antibiotics and for prolonged periods of time may experience a disruption in the natural flora in the digestive track and become susceptible to C. difficile or other complications. Research is emerging on the potential health benefits of the use of multiple strains of probiotics in health drinks, yogurt or tablets and probiotics might help to stimulate the immune system. Antibiotics can destroy the bad bacteria but also they destroy the good bacteria in the digestive tract and taking a probiotic can help to balance and restore your natural immune system.
Silver
Some studies report that silver can be a highly effective antimicrobial against MRSA. Silver is used in medical dressings and can also be applied as an ointment to wounds and also in the prevention of an infection and has been used since ancient times. Breakthroughs in ionic silver technology have produced a new generation of silver antimicrobials in the form of gels that can be applied to cuts and scrapes to prevent an infection.
Oil of Oregano
Oil of oregano comes from the leaves of plants grown in Turkey and has been used for centuries to treat allergies, asthma, headaches, diarrhea and many other medical conditions and has been used internally and externally. Some claim that oil of oregano is an antibacterial agent and active against the majority of pathogenic bacteria; including staph, strep and E. coli.
Copper
Laboratory tests claim copper and copper alloys (such as brass and bronze) kill 99.9% of bacteria within two hours when regularly cleaned during disinfected programs. Copper products such as bed rails, call buttons and sink faucets in healthcare facilities could help reduce infections. More studies are being conducted.
