Avoiding Deadly Infection While In The Hospital - Getting Sick While Getting Well
by Ask a Healer
If you are a woman preparing for surgery, please read this important information from Healthy Women. For example, they talk about the benefits of outpatient surgery, if you don't have other medical conditions that might make it dangerous for you. They address emotional preparation as well, and I think this is vital for good outcome.
If the surgery you are preparing for is gastric bypass surgery, read these helpful tips for a successful bypass surgery experience. I interviewed a friend who had gastric bypass and asked her what she would tell someone who was considering it, to help them have a successful experience.
One of the reasons I may seem so anti- anything that ends you up in a hospital is because the number of people who contract infections and die while in hospitals is absolutely staggering. Over 100,000 a year, according to the last statistics I read, die from infections they catch while in the hospital. Be sure you get what I'm saying here ....
These are not people who were hospitalized because they already had an infection and then died of infection-related complications. These are people who caught an infection AFTER going in the hospital for something else and died from an infection they caught IN the hospital. Used to be that if I knew someone going in the hospital, I also knew they'd likely get a staph infection. It was so common even back 10 years ago that it would have been laughable if not so serious an issue.
Not Just Staph Anymore:
Of course, most doctors, even a decade ago, probably didn't suspect that staph infections could mutate to the nasty MRSA's of today. However, persistent voices from the alternative medicine community have been putting out the warning about antibiotic resistance for longer than that.
Because of the well-publicized school cases of MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection, that have been in the media lately as well as several well-documented MRSA outbreaks in hospitals, there's a lot more attention to this issue of antibiotic resistance than there used to be. In fact, a hot laser of focus has been aimed at hospitals everywhere and it's common now to see signs assuring patients that it is alright to ask if hospital staff have washed their hands before they are touched by hospital staff.
Even now, with the threat of MRSA and occasions of staph infection so virulent that no antibiotic is effective, I still do not feel hospital staff take the situation as seriously as they should because the main reason sited for this absolutely unacceptable number of infection-related deaths is what I consider a shocking one ..... Doctors, nurses and hospital staff who still do not wash their hands between patients EVERY TIME.
Almost 100,000 people suffer infection-related deaths in hospitals every year because doctors, nurses and hospital staff who STILL do not wash their hands between patients EVERY TIME.
I realize how busy nurses can get and I realize they may sometimes forget to wash their hands but believe me, it is in your best interest to make sure that they either wash their hands in antibacterial soap or use hand sanitizer before they touch your IV or catheter. If you don't see them use the hand sanitizer when they come in, ask them to do so, particularly if they will be handling your IV or catheter. If they are good nurses, they will appreciate it. If they are not, they may get offended; if so, it's good to know you have a nurse with an attitude. Ask for another nurse if you have to do so, to get safe care.
What happens with a MRSA infection is that the doctors have a hard time finding an antibiotic that will work against it. Sometimes, people end up suffering for a long time and even end in amputation of the foot. This is not a common result unless the personal also has a pre-existing condition or some immune function issue but it does happen. Another complication of MRSA is that some strains of it may develop into a condition called necrotizing fasciitis, or what is called the "flesh-eating" form of bacteria. MRSA bacteria spreads very fast so prompt treatment is vital to avoid complications such as bone disease, necrotizing fasciitis or amputation.
Natural Help for MRSA:
Obviously, this type of staph infection can be life-threatening so see a doctor immediately if you suspect you have MRSA. Don't wait around for a natural remedy to work if you already have swollen or oozing sores, for example. Be wise with your health! As adjunctive support for healing, and in cases where the doctors can't stem infection, there are some natural supplements have strong antiviral properties.
Perhaps the strongest, but also most expensive if you get good root is goldenseal. You want potency for sure. In other words, don't buy your goldenseal at Walmart because it probably doesn't have enough actual herb in it to make any difference whatsoever. If you are getting it cheap, it almost certainly isn't good goldenseal unless you happen to live in the mountains and can dig it yourself (if you can find it, that is). I have linked to Starwest Botanicals because I believe they carry quality herbs. Nano colloidal silver is another thing to check out for staph infections.
Essential Oils with antiviral properties:
I'm a big believer in pure essential oils for health and healing and have used them myself for years. Pure EO's have the ability to cross the blood/brain barrier and that means they rapidly impart their healing properties into the body. I encourage reading up on their properties for assisting the body in fighting infection. Essential oils I'd suggest would be oregano, thyme, tea tree oil and frankincense.
I also recommend reading the personal story of someone who went the medical route for MRSA but then finally healed it with natural remedies. This is ancedotal, which means it has no basis in scientific study and should not be considered replacement for any needed medical evaluation, testing or treatment. First Person MRSA Story
Health Care Disclaimer: Hospital staff are acutely aware of patient concern over this issue of infection-related deaths in hospitals. Though it may still feel a little awkward to ask that the nurse, or even the doctor, sanitize their hands in your presence, you have the right to request that in any hospital today.
