HOLY GRAIL FOR BOIL CARE

[YEA]  08/05/2006: Sean from Milwaukee, WI writes: "I am going to try to give a good synopsis of what I have learned from infectious disease doctors (several), and many naturalists. At the FIRST sign of a boil (yes even a painful pimple), I would start with the following:

Wash thoroughly twice a day for at least 10 days (or longer if you still have the boil) with either:

a) enough good quality(dr bronners baby unscented is great) liquid soap to wash you entire body to which you add approx 5 drops of good quality 100% pure Tea Tree Oil, for each washing. or

b) A chlorhexidine solution available over the counter under the brand name Hibiclens (this is the western medicine option)

Ok, this is the most important step! Don't skip it, you will regret it when you have a relapse.

Take a small clean glass jar and mix about 2-3ml (think thimble full or less) of KY jelly or equivalent with 1-2 drops of 100% pure Tea tree oil. Cap jar and shake to mix completely. Take a cotton swab (q-tip) and dip it in the solution and apply it to the inside of your nostrils, one clean swab full per nostril (it will sting a bit at first but you'll get used to it fast). Once you have it in both nostrils pinch your nose closed and squish your nose around to spread it out inside your nose. Do this twice a day religiously until 10 days after you are boil free. Then do it 2-3 times per week for a month. This step is super important because MRSA will usually hang on in your nose even after all infection appears gone just to rear its ugly head again when conditions are right. (an antibiotic like mupriocin would be used by a western doctor worth his salt)

Supplements:
Zinc 50mg-90mg daily (never more than 100mg)
Vitamin A (one softgel) daily,
Turmeric 1tsp (or two 00 caps) 3 times daily (thanks Earth Clinic!),
Neem (1 capsule) twice daily.

I currently consider this the holy grail of knowledge on natural MRSA treatment. I hope to post an update with more details soon. Good Luck!"

8/5/2006: Shawn adds more to his earlier post: "Apply 1 drop of 100% pure Tea Tree oil directly to the boil and cover with Band-Aid (or a telfa (nonstick) pad with tape for large boils) 2-3 times daily.

Avoid using plain gauze, it tends to make the boil dry out or scab over. You want to keep it moist.

I suggest using a moist compress as hot as you can stand it (i use a tea kettle), apply tea tree and/ lavender oil to maximize effect. Do this several times per day (inconvenient, but so are boils!)

And, of course, NEVER SQUEEZE A BOIL! it can spread the infection very quickly to the surrounding tissue.

If you see red spider web like lines around the boil, see a doctor immediately. This can be a sign of the infection spreading to the blood, which is very dangerous.

Once a boil has a white tip or has opened, it should be kept covered and treated liberally with tea tree directly into the wound if possible.

Notes on Tea Tree Oil : Has been shown very effective against MRSA, nearly as effective as the best antibiotics.

HONEY

[YEA]  10/01/2009: Katndog from Ventura, Ca writes: "Honey kills staph infections

HOT COMPRESSES, OATMEAL WITH BAKING SODA

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND WITCH HAZEL WITH TEA TREE OIL

IODINE

KEFIR

[YEA]  12/04/2008: Carolyn from Hollywood, Florida writes: "At the end of 2006, I contracted MRSA. I still have scars from that early time before I learned about kefir. I bought my kefir grains from Mike at http://www.sleepersawaken.com/ I only bought one batch of kefir grains from Mike in early 2007, and I am still fermenting using grains created from that first batch. I never took any antibiotics. After I started sipping homemade kefir all day and night, I have never had any more outbreaks, except one time in 2008, I stupidly cut back on the amount of kefir I was drinking and got paid back with an outbreak on my chest. I am sipping my kefir as I write this. My primary said my MRSA looks "dormant". Yes, it is "sleeping" but if I stopped kefir, it would rage up again. Mike is located in DELRAY BEACH, Florida, if any of you are near him. But he mails the grains out very fast and I will tell you they are fresh and very powerful. Here is Mike's email address: bacteriapimp at yahoo.com -- put the @ symbol in for the word "at".

[YEA]  07/23/2007: Carolyn from Hollywood, Florida writes: "My very restricted vegetarian diet with sea salt and turmeric, has helped my MRSA boils condition tremendously, but I wanted to tell you I just began making and drinking kefir. After only one day, the wannabe boil which was trying to form on my bottom for over a month, receded and is extremely small now. I bought my kefir "grains" from Mike who is in Daytona Beach, Florida and who does NOT overcharge for the grains or postage as do many people on the net. His website is www.bacteriapimp.com and he also sells on eBay which is where I found him. He has Kombucha grains too, which I have not tried as yet because I am getting used to making kefir correctly. Kefir contains approx. 30 kinds of good bacteria and helps to jumpstart the good bacteria in the gut. Mike gives a lot of good information and he is a truly kind and wonderful caring human being. Anyone can please write to me anytime. My skin is clear now and my energy is back. Is my diet icky??? YES. Does it work to inhibit boils? YES."

MAGNESIUM

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  05/15/2008: Leah Huete from Baltimore, MD writes: "I am writing about all of the people who have talked about tumeric or garlic as a potential cure for MRSA.

I've been doing some studying and there is a commonality I've found in these items:

Magnesium
Tumeric: http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/2043.html
Very high in manganese and high in magnesium.

Garlic:
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/11215.html
Very high in manganese (both also very low in sugar and in fats)

French Green Clay has been touted as curing MRSA -HIGH IN MAGNESIUM

Antibiotics and poor digestive tract absorption will cause a magnesium deficiency.

Antibiotics kill off beneficial organisms in the gut, causing loose bowels, which decreases absorption.

"Antibiotics can also lower magnesium availability. Included on the antibiotic list are neomycin, tetracycline, erythromycin, ***sulfamethoxazole****, and sulfonamides.

Other medications that reduce the body's supply of magnesium include the anticoagulant drug warfarin; corticosteroids; oral contraceptives (birth control pills); and the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine."

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75Magnesium deficiency

"Antibiotics (e.g. gentamicin and amphotericin) These drugs may increase the loss of magnesium in urine. Thus, taking these medications for long periods of time may contribute to magnesium depletion [9-10,12]."

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp

"Because magnesium plays such a wide variety of roles in the body, the symptoms of magnesium deficiency can also vary widely. Many symptoms involve changes in nerve and muscle function. These changes include muscle weakness, tremor, and spasm. In the heart muscle, magnesium deficiency can result in arrhythmia, irregular contraction, and increased heart rate. Because of its role in bone structure, the softening and weakening of bone can also be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Other symptoms can include: imbalanced blood sugar levels; headaches; elevated blood pressure; elevated fats in the bloodstream; depression; seizures; nausea; vomiting; and lack of appetite. "

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

"Deficiency symptoms have three categories:Early symptoms include irritability, anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. Other symptoms include poor memory, apathy, confusion, and reduced ability to lea. Moderate deficiency symptoms consist of rapid heartbeat and other cardiovascular changes. Severe deficiency of magnesium could lead to tingling, numbness, sustained contraction of the muscles, and hallucinations and delirium. "

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002423.htm

What Magnesium does in your body:

"Magnesium: What is it?Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant [1].

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis [2-3].

There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys [1-3,4]."

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp

Also

"Magnesium ions are essential to the basic nucleic acid chemistry of life, and thus are essential to all cells of all known living organisms. Plants have an additional use for magnesium in that chlorophylls are magnesium-centered porphyrins. Many enzymes require the presence of magnesium ions for their catalytic action, especially enzymes utilizing ATP, or those which use other nucleotides to synthesize DNA and A."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium

Magnesium is VERY important to support a healthy immune system http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail&origin=ibids_references&therow=747350 http://web.mit.edu/london/www/magnesium.html

Now I will say I am drawing correlations which are not scientifically proven. They are loose correlations and drawn conclusions. I am not affiliated with any health products or sites or doctors, I am not advocating the use of any health food product (it's really best to go natural with regards to vitamin intake). I have been suffering from fatigue, CA-MRSA, sleeplessness, arrythmia and bloating. I'm going to try more magnesium!

Magnesium rich foods:

http://www.usaweekend.com/02_issues/020901/020901eatsmart.html

MANUKA HONEY

04/14/2009: Timothy Tang from Singapore writes: "Try Manuka honey. Research has found it to be more effective in treating MRSA and Staph than clinical antibiotics."

[YEA]  06/22/2008: Angie from Las Vegas, NV writes: "I started using Manuka Honey on my outbreaks after 10 horrible months of recurring MRSA boil outbreaks, unfriendly & unhelpful doctors, painful cutting and draining. Once I received the honey I started putting a poultice of it on the boils overnight. Not a lot of honey but enough to cover the boil completely then cover it with gauze. The boils now only last 2-3 days and do not get very large. Now I need to find a way to stop getting them! At least I haven't needed antibiotics since I started using the honey which is wonderful because I became allergic to the Bactrim after 6 months of almost constant use."

[YEA]  10/21/2006: Joanne from Victoria, BC Canada writes: "Manuka honey is being used in many places (UK, Australia, New Zealand) for treatment of MRSA. One teaspoon morning and night for prevention and up to 3 tsp. once or twice a day for an internal infection. It can also be used topically to stop skin infection, 50/50 with water in an atomizer for chest infections, along with many other uses. One potential reason for its effectiveness may be the existence of small amount of naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide in the honey, although researchers put it down to "Manuka factor," an unknown active ingredient."

MISC RECOMMENDATIONS

[YEA]  06/28/2008: Patrick from New Haven, CT writes: "So I've been battling with Staph for many years...I think I may have caught it in high school or college as I was a dancer. I've gone every route possible...expensive derm Dr.'s in NY...anything that I could find to kill germs...EVERYTHING! Last November I visited the most amazing naturopath in Santa Fe... Govinda McCrostey. Three things to do.

1. sugar and anything the body turns into sugar feeds the staph.
2. Natural anti-bacterials such as Olive Leaf Extract, Uva Ursi, Usnea, Melissa, Noni, Colloidal Silver will all work on ridding the body.
3. Stop any crazy body and household cleaners and go the natural route. Treat your body and the environment you live in gently and it will calm down. I have been using very gentle soaps and moisturizing (BWC Vitamin C Lotion)

MRSA, ANTIBIOTIC ALLERGIC REACTION AND STEROID-INDUCED MANIC EPISODE

[YEA]  07/06/2007: Nick Yee from Mountain View, CA writes: "re: MRSA -> Severe Allergic Reaction to Antibiotics -> Steroid-Induced Manic Episode. Probably a worst-case scenario, but important for other people to know about drugs that can make things much worse: http://www.nickyee.com/abscess_septra.html

MULTIPLE REMEDIES

Our final breakthrough has been the addition of really high quality probiotics to our supplements. The immune system relies on good bacteria for optimal functioning, and although our regimen above was working, it felt as though we needed one last boost to our health.

There are hundreds of brands of probiotics to choose from, so do your research as thoroughly as you can. We checked product reviews, and also forums for other ailments such as Crohn's disease or IBD. If you read carefully, you will find that there are a small number of brands that seem to get consistently great reviews by people across the spectrum. We chose one that specifically mentioned MRSA in its literature, as well as getting many positive reviews.

It seems to have been the last puzzle piece for our recovery. Each family member has seen a small potential outbreak begin and fade away all in the same day. That is real progress, the sign that our immune systems are doing what they are supposed to. We are still very diligent in our cleaning and prevention routines, but it is nice to feel more confident in our bodies' ability to recover.

We hope this is helpful to other MRSA victims."

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  08/27/2009: Gerryl from Philadelphia, Pa writes: "One thing I found is the occurrence of mrsa boils decreased quickly after I started sanitizing laundry - mainly undergarments, towels, and wash clothes. Use 1/2 cup of borax per load. I also spray toilet seats and chairs with disinfectant as have noticed boil out-breaks where my bare skin touches the edge of seats (buttocks and back of legs). Also wash cloth belts and sanitize pocket wallets. I swear this bug is able to survive in material for a few days! Daily sups of tumeric and silver has almost stopped the outbreaks completely. When I do find a sore bump I hit it head on with deluted hibicleanse (50% water in a seperate bottle). Im now down to 1 small boil every couple of months!"

[YEA]  02/02/2009: Judith from Lansing, Iowa, USA writes: "a few new suggestions for MRSA:

I just got over a bad case of MRSA - started with boils in my nostrils then spread to the corners of my mouth. I thought it was cold sores for a long time, until I started getting a bad rash and pimples all down my cheeks from the corners of my mouth down to my chin. Then it started at the outside edges of my eyes. It burned so bad it felt like acid was on my face. I got a lot of help from the remedies here, particularly the tumeric. I swabbed the inside of my nose with a mixture of glycerine, tee tree oil, Grapefruit seed extract and Thieves from Youngs Living essential oils, and added some calendula oil. I also sprayed my face with hydrogen peroxide and colloidal silver. My eyes were a particularly tricky area and what I found to be extremely effective was dunking my face in a bowl of cold ozonated water. I used an inexpensive water ozonator and ozanted cold water for about 15 minutes, then dunked my entire face, holding my breath for as long as possible. I repeated this for about 10 minutes - about as long as the ozone lasts before is becomes oxygen. It was very soothing for my skin and immediately relieved the burning. The rash around my eyes cleared up after the first try.

The other thing I found very helpful, which I have not seen listed here, is zinc oxide ointment - particularly the diaper ointment by Burts Bees - it has zinc oxide, Vits E & A as well as a number of herbs. I put this on my face at night and it really soothed the burning so I could sleep. But the best thing was it dried out the oozing and really sped up the healing process.

Thanks so much for this site - I hope my experiences and suggestions can help someone as much as others have helped me."

NEOSPORIN

OIL OF OREGANO

[YEA]  08/03/2009: Ted from Long Beach, Ca writes: "I picked up a Staph infection from a friend who had slept on my sofa. After, 7 days-I got 3 skin eruptions on my inner thigh and starting feeling sick. After seeing a doctor-he wanted to put me on a string of antibiotics. Antiobiotics usualy leaves me with a yeast infection or thrush. After having such bad experiences with antibiotics, I went and got oil of Oregano for about 20.00 I used 4 drops in water and 1 drop under my tongue, Within 2 hours-my energy came back and I started to feel better. After 5 days-I can no longer tell that there was anything wrong with me, in the first place. I used oil of Oregano before when eating out because most restaurants are very dirty and full of workers that carry bacteria, so it has always worked for food poisioning but it also worked for staph and the boils that appear as a sympton of this infection."

[YEA]  05/29/2007: Bobbie from Dubuque, USA writes: "Wild oil of oregano with P73 kills MRSA as well as many parasites, virus, fungi & bacteria."

PINK GRAPEFRUIT

06/27/2009: Robin from Shakopee, Minnesota writes: "Skin Lesions: My sweetheart had a black, odd shaped, itchy lesion on his right nostril. He mentioned it to his doctor whenever he went for a check-up and was given a steroid cream that seemed to help but whenever he'd stop using it the lesion came back. We thought it was a fungus when it spread to his cheek, but when he went back to his doctor they took a sampling of it and said it was 'due to the cold'. Minnesota is infamous for it's frigid winters!. He was prescribed another steroid cream, told to use it sparingly and everyday.. but the same thing happened again..as soon as he stopped using it the thing would come back!

RAW HONEY, BLEACH, SUPPLEMENTS

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  07/30/2009: Sara C. from Park City, IL writes: "I went into a serious case of SAD last winter, didn't eat properly, and compromised by relatively healthy immune system. The 1st of January, got a nasty scrape on my left leg that was abut six inches long and really back. I washed it with hydrogen peroxide and let it dry, then went on about my business. Big mistake. The next day in the shower, I found a red, sore bump that looked like an ingrown hair, but couldn't pull that out. Two days later, the scrape got infected. I put an OTC polymycin salve on it, found that it didn't work and that I was allergic to polymycin. The infection spread, became extremely painful, and by Feb. 1 I was begging to panic, because it should have just dried up and healed. I figured out that I had a staph infection that was getting out of control, in spite of my efforts, and then read about a low hemoglobin count as something that will give you susceptibility to rashes in a medical column, so I started taking iron pills and the infection seemed to stop, but would not clear up. It was so painful that if I took off the bandages, it felt like my skin was on fire because every nerve ending was exposed to air. I spent thirty seconds in the shower one day, crying in pain. I was desperate to find a remedy. I knew it was staph, I looked up the symptoms and images of staph on the internet. I mean, you know these things, and I am frankly unwilling to go to an emergency room these days unless I have a broken bone. I found an antiseptic salve that is specifical directed at MRSA and other varieties of staphylococcus, but I was getting desperate, because I was not getting rid of the toxins in the scrape on my leg and it hurt all the time.

I went to bed that night, asking myself "What do I need to know to get rid of this infection? What am I forgetting?" The next morning, when I woke up, the first thing that popped into my head was "what are the medicinal uses of honey?" I looked up apitheray on the internet and there, right in front of me, was an entire page of the uses of honey, from the Egyptians using it in mummification, along with natrol, to Roman physicians using it to prevent wounds from becoming infected. I had a bottle of raw honey bought from an apiary last summer. The pollen grains looked like dust. I had bought it to work on my seasonal allergies in the spring, but decided to try it on my nasty, horrible wound, which was really worrying me. My whole body was trying to throw off this infection without a lot of help from me, so what did I have to lose?

I took a sterile wound dressing pad, put a tablespoon of raw honey on it, spread it around to cover the lesion, and plopped it, plus two others on the open areas. I did this daily for two days and took a hard look at what was taking place. The solid matter in an infection, which we call pus, is the dead bacteria and dead white cells that are killing them. The excruciating pain, the swelling and the spread of the infection stopped, but it took three months to get my skin to regenerate by granulation, which is healing from within, and close up the lesions. The last one closed up last week and has a healthy scab on it now, which I do not touch. I used the raw honey for a month and went to a great deal of trouble to keep the whole thing as clean as possible, but getting into the shower was very painful for a while. I knew I had won the battle when that no longer hurt. the sugar in honey is so concentrated that it draws water and the toxins in a wound to the surface, and the enzymes in raw honey will digest bacateria, help your white blood cells do their job.

However, staph is one mean little bacterium and won't give up. I have a set of eczematous lesions where it tried to start up again, and used the OTC staph antiseptic, alternating that with antiseptic washes and sprays. Then I heard a dermatologist reoommend a quarter of a cup of laundry bleach (sodium hypochlorite) in a tub of bath water, so I have used about one quarter teaspoonful in two gallons of water, twice in the last two weeks, to wash the skin on my leg, and it seems to be working. I also use peroxide. Just keep shifting the attack weaspons. Some of the eczema started because the paper tape I used took the top layer of skin off those spots and left it vulnerable. I've had bumps appear in my scalp that went away, tiny bubbles appear on my hands that leak clear fluid when they are punctured with a sterile needle. This thing will probably not admit defeat until I sit in a tub full of oatmeal bath additive or milk of magnesia, which is supposed to be healing. My skin has become rather dry, so I need a good, soothing bath salt. Are epsom salts OK for this?

I have noticed in all this that staph will get into anything: your hair follicles (kills the growing hair), your oil glands (dries out your skin), your mouth (blisters your palate), your clothing (use the laundry bleach, you can always buy more clothing). I continue to take the iron pill and upped the amount of lean beef I eat, as well as a multi-B vitamin and Ca/Mg/Zinc and A, D, and Natural E that I have been taking for years. This is seven months after the start of this, and the skin on my left leg looks like the worst sunburn in the world, but is slowly growing back with no scars. The hair follicles are recovering.

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