Flesh Eating Bacteria Alert!

Avoid unwanted hitchhikers at all costs.

Bad bugs are everywhere these days. We all have to be especially mindful because of the current outbreak of flesh eating disease or necrotizing fasciitis. This infection is usually caused by a virulent strain of strep or staph that goes wild and produces endotoxins that can spread rapidly resulting in a death rate of up to 40% with loss of limbs.

While the young woman in Georgia contracted necrotizing fasciitis from Aeromonas hydrophila, an extremely rare strain of bacteria (not strep or staph) found in warm and brackish waters, just yesterday I read that six patients infected by strep and/or staph-induced necrotizing fasciitis were treated at the Nebraska Medical Center’s hyperbaric oxygen unit during the last month.

Good to know.

I never would have considered hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a first line treatment against this life threatening bacteria. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy not only helps to greatly enhance the immune system to fight off the infection but can even turbocharge the antibiotics that are also prescribed.

A hyperbaric oxygen chamber can rapidly deliver oxygen into areas of the body that aren’t getting enough oxygen due to tissue swelling, damage, and inflammation.

After reading this article, I located a site that lists all of the hyperbaric oxygen centers throughout the United States. So just in case—and this information can truly be life saving—you should be aware of the closest hyperbaric oxygen center in your area.  Check out this link and have an emergency plan ready for your family and loved ones.

Who gets sick?

In most cases, individuals that are most susceptible to the bacteria are those with compromised immune systems.

Diabetics, substance abusers, the obese, and smokers are more vulnerable.  But, anyone—even in the best of health—can become infected.  It appears that the bacteria can pose a very serious risk to even healthy people—via a cut or lesion—when it gains access to the blood stream.

So—regardless of whether you are dealing with a paper cut or big scrape, use a 50/50 hydrogen peroxide wash immediately and cover with a bandage.  Remember to wash your hands before and after cleaning the wound.  If you start to experience more swelling, fever, pain, or the cut becomes red and more inflamed, then it’s time to head to the emergency room.

Other tips to outsmart the smart bugs:

1) Since nearly 75% of your immune system resides in your GI tract, a probiotic will help shield your body from the invasion of pathogens. Look for a probiotic formula like Flora-Key that contains 10 billion beneficial bacteria per serving. Avoid very high dosage probiotics that surprisingly can induce an auto-immune response.

2) Keep your adrenals strong—advice that is generally omitted when the topic of immunity is discussed.  Your energy, endurance, and resiliency all depend upon the functioning of your adrenals—the glands of stress.

To minimize negative responses to environmental assaults, the adrenal secretes anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-like hormones.  Just consider how many conditions hydrocortisone (the synthetic version of the adrenal’s naturally produced cortisol) treats:  swelling, inflammation, and auto-immune disorders. Strong adrenals allow your body to withstand stress of any types. People with weak adrenals don’t fend off coughs, colds, skin conditions, or allergies like other people. They frequently suffer from hay fever, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, multiple chemical allergies and suffer from recurring respiratory infections.

I personally take my adrenal glandulars three times daily upon arising, mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Look for a formula like UNI KEY’s Adrenal Formula which contains the highest-grade raw bovine whole adrenal gland (200 mg) and raw bovine adrenal cortex (15 mg) from New Zealand. It also contains tissue glandulars from the spleen (100 mg) and liver (25 mg), as well as vital nutrients for rebuilding adrenal function including vitamin C, pantothenic acid, zinc, serotonin-building vitamin B6, infection-fighting vitamin A, and the anti-stress amino acid, tyrosine. Tissue glandulars, unlike herbs, provide a DNA/RNA blueprint for our own glandular regeneration.

3) Last but not least, hit the hay early and get at least seven hours of restorative sleep to meet the challenges of our increasingly toxic environment.

With these tips in mind, may good health always be your companion!