Hi there! Edited this post a little to leave out names! :)
A close friend came down with MRSA.
That.
Freaked.
Me.
Out.
Big Time.
Seriously. A lot of people don't seem to quite grasp the seriousness of it or have even heard of it. (Example of how serious it can be: Two years ago, a New York Giants player contracted MRSA. It was career-ending and they contemplated amputation of his lower leg because the infection was...well, you can only imagine.)
I'm not going to go into the whole MRSA thing because you can Google and look it up. But what I am going to do is tell you what happened to my friend, worked for her, and has continued to work in fighting it. (Eliminating it?)
A timeline that's important: She got a boil on her thigh. Two summer's ago. Painful. Hot. Red. Warm compressions, soaks, etc. Didn't go to Dr. at the time.
A few months later, another boil.
A month later: Called me to say her elbow was really red. Next day, a smallish "pimple" on KNEE looked infected. She is not a pimply person and before this, never had boils or funky stuff.
Turns out she was diagnosed with Cellulitis which is a soft tissue infection. Meds. She was okay. Drs. at the hospital felt that she might have cut herself shaving, entered in knee and traveled up to elbow. Odd.
Two weeks later, at her Drs. appointment, her doctor recommended HIBICLENS to use 1-2 times a week. After her reviews and researching it, I got some. Love this stuff. Research. I will never be without it in house and you shouldn't either. (Must get foaming pump with it!)
Few months later: ANOTHER Boil. So painful she couldn't walk. Had to have it lanced. They didn't swab it. Looking back, they should have.
Fast forward to 6 months later: a normal INVISIBLE spot on forehead started to bother her. Monday morning, she felt like it was below the skin. Maybe a TINY pimple she said.
By Wednesday, full blown BOIL that was so big, her eye was closing. Emergency room didn't do a thing. She found a great Dermatologist who took her right away when she said it was size of a golfball (!) and an hour later, lanced and LOOKED fine. Amazing how she looked! A tiny scratch. This Dr. swabbed it and said by looking at it and hearing about her boils/cellulitis, etc., she felt confident it was MRSA.
It was.
Test results came back positive.
The Dr. seemed like it wasn't a big deal but my friend wasn't taking any chances. She had a special cream she had to use in MRSA-friendly body places and that was it. (Now she puts the Hibiclens in those same spots once a week,)
After researching how MRSA can make tunnels under the skin (She thinks that was happening on boils) she knew she had to do something and I was happy to research for her.
NOTE: As scary as it was, after Googling and seeing IMAGES of MRSA infections, I knew hers was pretty "mild" but the pics of what could be scared the heck out of me. Google MRSA images at own risk.
I researched essential oils and came up with an Essential Oil recipe that I swear has been a miracle. FOR ANY SKIN INFECTION. Seriously, over the last year, I cannot tell you how many people have used the spray for ALL SORTS of skin problems and it's cleared them up. Friend has had a few hard "spots" appear and taking no chances, she sprays them and they are gone the next day.
I will never be without the following recipe:
In a small SPRAY bottle (Not a roll on since it's used for infections and you don't want to share roll-ons) I added 20 drops of each of the following:
Lavender, Tea Tree, Frankincense, Lemongrass, Thyme, Oregano, Thieves, RC, and topped with Fractionated Coconut Oil (No smell!), shake gently and spray directly on area when needed.
In the last two weeks, it has cleared up a friend's infected fingernail, boils on my colleague's 15 YO son who wrestles. eczema on my niece, and used on a friend's nasty scrape from falling off a bike. (Not infected but probably would have been!)
The oregano, lemongrass and Thyme are HUGE anti-bacterial oils. (I finally understood Perdue Chicken commercial: "We don't use antibiotics on are chickens. Instead, we feed them oregano.") Everyone knows about the benefits of Tree Tee. All the oils above are awesome! Together, they really work well. THIEVES is probably best known oil. Research it!
I also read that you should diffuse with above oils (minus the coconut oil) on a regular basis and my friend has gently swabbed nose area too as that's where lots of MRSA colonize.
We used Young Living Oils but as long as it's 100% oils with nothing added, you should have same results. (Eden's Garden? doTerra?) I wouldn't buy supermarket ones but I would buy from any of the trusted companies out there. I'm sure there are a lot more companies out there that are awesome that I'm just not aware of.
If you are still reading, we also learned about the amazing healing powers of MANUKA Honey. Look it up. If someone has a wound that isn't healing (diabetics, MRSA patients) buy some of this. I spent $45 on a smallish jar and have it on hand "just in case" for my family. Seriously, look up MANUKA honey. Amazing. I used it on a sore throat for a few days and loved it.
NOTE: I've been using oils for about two years now. My family, in the beginning, didn't buy too much into them. Now? Let's just say they are all believers. (My husband gets terrible poison ivy. Nothing stops it except this combination of oils someone made for him. ) OILS mentioned above should be RESEARCHED before used. Oils are STRONG and ones like OREGANO above can be dangerous on kids. A little goes a long way. (Please research oils! PLEASE! For example, if you get oil in eyes, NO RINSING WITH WATER! Some oils are PHOTOSENSITIVE too. You can get a TERRIBLE burn if you have them on in the sun.
NOTE: When I first used Peppermint oil, I applied it to my rash I had from an allergic reaction to meds. My itching was intense and the Peppermint oil was INSTANT RELIEF. I loved the smell and cool sensation. I used it for 5 days straight and without mixing with a carrier oil. On the sixth day, I could feel my skin burning inside. Like a terrible sunburn inside my legs. I didn't know I was supposed to add a carrier oil and called my friend who promptly informed me. I immediately went to store and slathered it on and (I use coconut oil) the burning instantly stopped. That's why I urge you to research first and proceed with caution. I seriously could have had serious burns and damaged some organs if I kept slathering it on my legs and used on torso where itching was just starting.
Don't let the above story scare you off. Just EDUCATE yourself and you'll be fine.
NOTE: Lots of people I know INGEST oils in capsules or add to tea. NOT ME. Never. After researching, this isn't something I want to take a chance on at all.
I hope you never need this information or spray but if you find yourself with a nagging skin infection or something more serious, know there is help.