Summary
see also
Infections to compare bacterial, viral, fungal,
and parasitical.
Bacterial infections are prevalent and the cause much
discomfort and illness.
Below is a brief description of bacterial infections in
general and links to some common health concerns caused by
bacterial
infections.
Following this brief introduction are comparisons of
bacterial and viral infections and a discussion of MRSA.
Bacteria
This is a one cell organism that are prolific in many
places in our environment. Many of these exist very
well in the comfortable environment of the human body.
Of those that live in or on the human body 99% are good or
helpful. Unfortunately the remaining one percent can
cause a number of uncomfortable or serious health concerns.
Examples of common diseases caused by bacteria are:
•
Acne
•
Ear
infections
•
Impetigo
•
Kidney infection
•
Mastitis
•
Meningitis
•
Pneumonia
•
Staphylococcus
•
Strep throat
•
Tonsillitis
•
Tuberculosis
•
Stye
Infections – Bacterial vs. Viral
(see also
MRSA)
Robert James
Viruses are about 100 times smaller that bacteria. And
about 100 times harder to get rid of than bacteria. Viruses
also live and reproduce inside a host cell. They are
basically a protein that has either a DNA or RNA gene
molecules. Viruses are harder to kill because they are not
exactly alive in the first place. Antibiotics have no
effect on viruses. Most control of virus comes in the form
or prevention or immunization. If a doctor prescribes an
anti-biotic for a virus, it is likely for a placebo effect.
It will not help.
Bacterium, is a living cell that has all the biological
workings for carrying out life processes, including
reproduction. Unlike the bacterium a virus is nothing
more than a single or double strand of RNA or DNA wrapped in
a coat of protein. Not all bacteria are bad, and the good
bacteria in our body is essential for many functions.
Some essential oils have been studied for their
anti-viral activity. Many more are considered effective
against bacteria. The most amazing thing about essential
oils and bacteria is their ability to effectively kill bad
bacteria while leaving good bacteria alone!
Oils that inhibit the growth of micro organisms like
bacteria or fungi (antibacterial) are basil, cassia,
cinnamon, clove, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender,
lemon, marjoram, melaleuca, myrrh, orange, oregano,
peppermint, rosemary and thyme.
Oils that have been studied to help control viral
infections include, basil, cassia, cinnamon, eucalyptus,
frankincense, lemon, lemongrass, marjoram, melaleuca, myrrh.
oregano, and thyme.
It is difficult to make clear cut decisions on which oils
do what. Some oils may have properties that test as very
effective at inhibiting viral growth, but the percentage of
the property contained as a constituent may be quite small.
They also may have two such properties, and synergistically
they might be fairly effective together at attacking
bacteria or virus respectively.
In reading several books by trusted doctors, PhD's and
scientists, we find that they often do not cite the same
oils as having the same results but I have looked for those
with a common consensus. Constituents that seem to have that
common consensus for antiviral activity include, but are not
limited to; anethole, carvone, beta-caryophyllene, citral,
eugenol, limonene, linalool, and linalyl acetate.
Some essential oils are believed to attack viruses in the
host cells, at a cellular level. That is why I personally
believe I've seen oils like oregano effective against SARs
and shingles. Of course, many essential oils are well known
for their ability to stimulate the immune system and offer
some indirect protection against viral infection through
these effects.
MRSA, what is it?
Robert James
A common misconception is that MRSA is a virus or caused
by virus. In fact you will probably still find some
argument about it. But my understanding is that MRSA is not
caused by a virus. Instead, MRSA is a strain of the bacteria
Staphylococcus aureas. MRSA even got its name because it is
a bacteria that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin.
It has since become resistant to almost all types of
antibiotics. If you get MRSA, and a hospital is treating
it, it almost become a game of cat and mouse as they
determine what antibiotic might be most effective in your
body vs. dealing with horrific side effects and allergic
reactions - or in other words, your body saying; WAIT! What
the he#% is that!!
New strains of MRSA have recently emerged in the
community that are capable of causing severe infections in
otherwise healthy individuals. These MRSA infections are
known as CAMRSA or community-associated MRSA. MRSA
infections that are acquired in the hospitals and healthcare
facilities are known as healthcare-associated MRSA.
Depending on where you get your statistics from. If you
get MRSA during a hospital stay, you have about a 5-10%
chance of dying. MRSA now kills more people than the aids
virus. The actual numbers that die annually from MRSA or
Staph are all over the board, but I assume quite
understated. (of course I'm a "conspiracy theory" kinda
guy) All I know is that my grandmother died of it after a
simple operation, and my uncle got a blood infection (staph)
after he had a stint put in... (thank goodness for
frankincense and melaleuca!)
[search help: bacteria, bacterial, antibacterial,
anti-bacterial, fungi, fungus, fungal, antifungal,
anti-fungal, virus, viruses, virii, antiviral, anti-viral,
infection
Oils, blends & products
recommended:
Oils & Blends:
Common antibacterial oils/blends: ClearSkin, basil, cassia, cinnamon,
clove, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon,
lime, marjoram, melaleuca, myrrh, OnGuard, oregano, peppermint,
Purify, rosemary, thyme, wild orange
Suggested protocols:
See individual health concerns for detailed protocols.
Note that an infection can be the result of a variety of
strains of bacteria, virus, etc. and that different oils may
be more potent than others against a particular strain.
That is the advantage of some of the blends of oils such as
ClearSkin, DigestZen, OnGuard, Purify. These blends
are made up of some of the most potent oils hence the blend
when used will cover a much wider variety of potential
strains.
What Science & Research are saying
Extract from PubMed.com
Journal of Applied Microbiology. 1999
Jun;86(6):985-90.
Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and
other plant extracts.
Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV.
Department of Microbiology, The University of Western
Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia.
khammer@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
The antimicrobial activity of plant oils and extracts has
been recognized for many years. However, few investigations
have compared large numbers of oils and extracts using
methods that are directly comparable. In the present study,
52 plant oils and extracts were investigated for activity
against Acinetobacter baumanii, Aeromonas veronii biogroup
sobria, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia
col, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype typhimurium,
Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus, using an agar
dilution method. Lemongrass, oregano and bay inhibited all
organisms at concentrations of < or = 2.0% (v/v). Six oils
did not inhibit any organisms at the highest concentration,
which was 2.0% (v/v) oil for apricot kernel, evening
primrose, macadamia, pumpkin, sage and sweet almond.
Variable activity was recorded for the remaining oils.
Twenty of the plant oils and extracts were investigated,
using a broth microdilution method, for activity against C.
albicans, Staph. aureus and E. coli. The lowest minimum
inhibitory concentrations were 0.03% (v/v) thyme oil against
C. albicans and E. coli and 0.008% (v/v) vetiver oil against
Staph. aureus. These results support the notion that plant
essential oils and extracts may have a role as
pharmaceuticals and preservatives.
Brooke - From a
presentation by Nicole Stevens of Brigham Young
University and UNLV Cancer Research Institute.
Nicole Stevens mentioned oils that they were studying for
anti-bacterial properties, specifically testing against
Salmonella, Ecoli, and Staph.
Excellent - Those
oils that had an excellent “zone of inhibition” were:
basil, On-Guard, cinnamon, thyme, and oregano (plate was
clean)
Good - Those
with good “zone’s of inhibition” were: clove, melaleuca and Purify
Some - The others
that had “some” area – but not considered ‘as effective’
were: lemon, rosemary, and orange. (That is not to
say they didn’t have an effect – but just not as
powerful as the others.)
Another thing said was that even diluted by
10,000 times On-Guard was still effective against bacteria.
Protective essential oil attenuates
influenza virus infection: an in vitro study in MDCK cells.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2010 Nov 15;10:69;
Wu S, Patel KB, Booth LJ, Metcalf JP, Lin HK, Wu W.;
Department of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated
Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, PR
China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and
mortality. The recent pandemic of a novel H1N1 influenza
virus has stressed the importance of the search for
effective treatments for this disease. Essential oils from
aromatic plants have been used for a wide variety of
applications, such as personal hygiene, therapeutic massage
and even medical practice. In this paper, we investigate the
potential role of an essential oil in antiviral activity.
METHODS:
We studied a commercial essential oil blend, On
Guard™, and evaluated its ability in modulating influenza
virus, A/PR8/34 (PR8), infection in Madin-Darby
canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Influenza virus was first
incubated with the essential oil and infectivity in MDCK
cells was quantified by fluorescent focus assay (FFA). In
order to determine the mechanism of effects of essential oil
in viral infection inhibition, we measured hemagglutination
(HA) activity, binding and internalization of untreated and
oil-treated virus in MDCK cells by flow cytometry and
immunofluorescence microscopy. In addition, the effect of
oil treatment on viral transcription and translation were
assayed by relative end-point RT-PCR and western blot
analysis.
RESULTS:
Influenza virus infectivity was
suppressed by essential oil treatment in a dose-dependent
manner; the number of nascent viral particles
released from MDCK cells was reduced by 90% and by 40% when
virus was treated with 1:4,000 and 1:6,000 dilutions of the
oil, respectively. Oil treatment of the virus also decreased
direct infection of the cells as the number of infected MDCK
cells decreased by 90% and 45% when virus was treated with
1:2,000 and 1:3,000 dilutions of the oil, respectively. This
was not due to a decrease in HA activity, as HA was
preserved despite oil treatment. In addition, oil treatment
did not affect virus binding or internalization in MDCK
cells. These effects did not appear to be due to
cytotoxicity of the oil as MDCK cell viability was only seen
with concentrations of oil that were 2 to 6 times greater
than the doses that inhibited viral infectivity. RT-PCR and
western blotting demonstrated that oil treatment of the
virus inhibited viral NP and NS1 protein, but not mRNA
expression.
CONCLUSIONS:
An essential oil blend significantly attenuates influenza
virus PR8 infectivity in vitro without affecting viral
binding or cellular internalization in MDCK cells. Oil
treated virus continued to express viral mRNAs but had
minimal expression of viral proteins, suggesting that the
antiviral effect may be due to inhibition of viral protein
translation.
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