Are Drug-Resistant Super Bugs Smart? / Issue #99 October 17, 2007

Home Spa Lady's
Tips of the Week
Issue # 99 - October 17, 2007
Publisher: Marilee Tolen RN
mailto:marilee777@aol.com
http://www.HomeSpaLady.com
http://www.HomeSpaLady.com/blog (Blog)
Home Spa Lady (TM)

Circulation: 2224

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Make Every Day A Spa Day!

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In This Issue
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1. Are Drug-Resistant Super Bugs Smart?

2. Essential Oil Tip: RC

3. Success Tip: Robert Tisserand

4. Recipe of the Week: Kleenex Soup

5. HSL's Joke or Cute Quote of the Week


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1. Are Drug-Resistant Super Bugs Smart?
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One of my favorite daily reads is the USA Today newspaper.

Yesterday morning (Tuesday,Oct.16th) I zero'd right into the
Health Section. The article "Pressure is on hospitals to stamp
out bacterial bugs" reminded me of my past life as an
Intensive Care Unit nurse.

I worked as a staff nurse and then an Assistant Head Nurse in ICU
for many years. I was involved in dozens of "central line"
insertions at the bedside.

Central lines are like big IV's with a big catheter that is
threaded through a neck vein. They are a port for intravenous
fluids, medications, blood transfusions, and they can also be
used to measure pressures and fluid balance in the patient. Other
locations used for these central lines are the inside of the arm
or the groin area.

These "central lines" are mentioned throughout the article as a
serious source of entry for bad bacteria that cause infections
that don't respond to antibiotics, also called "Super Bugs".

Sterile procedure is always used for these insertions whether in
the operating room or at the bedside. It can happen that
there is a slip up and the sterile technique is broken, which
can result in infection. Infection also comes from carelessness
after the insertion - poor procedure during dressing changes, not
washing hands between patients, etc.

Years back when I worked in ICU and a patient got an
infection (whether they were from central lines,
regular IVs, urinary catheters, and surgical incisions )
it was most likely always taken care of by antibiotics.

Yes, there were some stubborn bugs that necessitated changing
antibiotics, but infections always seemed to clear up.

Today there are infections caused by bacteria that don't respond
to any antibiotics.

It is not uncommon for someone to go into a hospital for a minor
procedure and end up with a major infection. And it's most
unfortunate when it is caused by a Super Bug.

The article mentioned a man who was on a waiting list for two
years for a heart transplant. He was admitted and a central line
was placed in him, which is protocol, and an infection set in and
he lost his opportunity for a new heart.

Hospital acquired infections are happening more and more. In a
2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine 'catheter
associated infections' tripled since 1975 (yikes! that was when I
was a nurse! well, a nursing student). So here we are in 2007
and I'm sure its gone up even more!

MRSA (pronounced "mersa" - an acronym for methicillin resistant
staph aureous) is one of the antibiotic resistant strains that
are among many hospital acquired infections. Anymore this is a
common secondary diagnosis. And now this bug is prevalent outside
of the hospital!

Why are these bugs resistant to antibiotics now and they weren't
before?

Call me crazy. . . but having a tremendous respect for nature I
believe that these microbes are pretty intelligent and they know
what's going on here. It's nature's attempt to survive.

We think we know how to control nature, how arrogant is that?
(I'm saying "we" as if I'm part of this antibiotic manufacturing
and dispensing regime - but I'm not)! We have no clue how smart
these critters are - but they are sure starting to let us know!

I think these little guys (smart, but bad, bacteria) know what's
coming at 'em when the antibiotics show up on the scene.

They have had enough time over these decades of over-usage to
learn the patterns of these chemical molecules and then transmute
themselves so they will survive the onslaught.

So now what? Besides common sense preventive measures - like
basic hand washing - what else can be done in facing this
challenge so that people don't have to continue dying from
these infections?

Enter Essential Oils! Here's my (very simple) take on it:

Besides essential oils being naturally anti-microbial, generally
speaking, nature takes care of nature.

Nature's inherent desire is to create harmony and balance. When
bugs threaten a harmonious environment, the essential oils kick in
and gets rid of them - respecting the rest of the terrain of good
bacteria.

Essential oils are complex enough and vary per batch so there is
never a consistent pattern for the bacteria to identify.

Essential oils (only therapeutic grade - and yes, I am ALWAYS
referring to Young Living ) are effective against bacteria, and
viruses and fungus. There are even a few specific oils that are
known to attack MRSA.

Researchers at the University of Manchester tested the efficacy
of three essential oils against MRSA and E.coli. Within just
two minutes of contact, it was found that they combatted these and
many other bacteria and fungi.

These essential oils were two forms of melaleuca - or "tea tree"
oil and geranium.
Read more: http://tinyurl.com/288fd3


So I say - let's wake up our doctors and our health care systems.

I play my part - when I've had a family member admitted to the
hospital, I bring the diffuser and immediately diffuse in the
hospital room and do all that I can to clean up the area.

Yes, it raises a few eyebrows and gets a bit of attention, but
it's a good way to educate the doctors and nurses and protect
yourself or your loved one.

Would you like to hear from a doctor who believes essential oils
can help prevent infection and would love to see oils used in
hospitals?

If so - you can join us tonight on a "Green Tea with Marilee"
telewebcast. Listen to Joan Barice MD - Harvard/Stanford educated
internal medicine physician talk about the many benefits of
essential oils.

Learn more: http://tinyurl.com/2b62hr


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2. Essential Oil Tip: RC
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Last year at the Young Living Essential Oil convention,
researcher Sue Chao shared the most fascinating slides with us.

Sue studied the effects of YL essential oils on MRSA.

She had MRSA grow in petrie dishes and used several oils - most
of which were effective - but the oil blend that had the best
results against MRSA was RC.

RC has a few different eucalyptus' in it and is actually helpful
for respiratory issues (RC=respiratory congestion).

The petrie dish that had no growth of MRSA, and where existing
MRSA was eradicated, had RC in it.

RC is not only good for MRSA but we can use it on a daily basis
to keep our immune system up.

You can put RC on your feet, on your back, diffuse it, and inhale
it.

For more info or to order contact your Young Living
distributor or go to: http://tinyurl.com/aenfp


By the way - RC is on sale this month!


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3. Success Tip: Robert Tisserand
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"Because essential oils work in a different way from antibiotics,
they do not have the usual side effects, and they tend to
stimulate the immune system instead of depressing it."

-Robert Tisserand, of London, England


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5.Recipe of the Week: Kleenex Soup
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3 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed in a garlic press
Dash of cayenne pepper
Big pinch of oregano
Dash of nutmeg
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
Half a carrot, very thinly sliced
Half a celery stalk, also sliced thin
salt
1 egg, beaten
Garnish: Chopped fresh parsley

Heat the chicken broth to a boil, add the seasonings and
vegetables, then reduce heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until
vegetables are tender, then strain the soup. Season to taste with
salt. Turn heat to medium and slowly pour the beaten egg into the
strained broth, stirring lightly as it goes in, so it looks like
shreds of Kleenex tissue as it cooks. Remove from heat
immediately after the egg cooks.

Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley and serve.


From Maggie Fex: "This is a childhood soup that our mom made when
we were sick - usually with a bad cold or something like that.
Because of the way it looked, we called it Kleenex Soup - because
the beaten egg looked just like a shredded Kleenex tissue. It's a
modification of egg-drop soup that I have further modified over
the years into a form of Sicilian Penicillin."

"A nice meal for someone who is off their feet, has a cold, or
just needs something easy on the tummy. Leave the vegetables in
the soup for those who love vegetables or who can tolerate a
more "solid" meal. Otherwise, this is a good soup for someone
who has been vomiting and is dehydrated, and has been only able
to keep down clear liquids--it's the next step up from plain
broth. Good for invalids, folks going through chemotherapy or
anyone who is suffering--from dehydration to bruised spirits.
Very easy to do, cheap and fast--and it tastes like you spent
hours in the kitchen instead of minutes. A good "sick" meal is a
bowl of this soup, with a slice of hot, crispy rye toast and a
cup of applesauce. Just the thing for the person who says, "Ugh,
I can't eat" or "I'm not really hungry, but I need SOMETHING in
my stomach.""


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7. HSL's Joke or Cute Quote of the Week
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Ladies. . .can you relate?


When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line
of women, so you smile politely and take your place.

Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors.

Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the
woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the
wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants!

The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's
Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty.

You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but
there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your
neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the
FLOOR!),

You yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance."

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to
shake.

You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to
wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The
Stance."

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach
for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser.

In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if
you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was
no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on
yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the
purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not
to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do.
You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller
than your thumbnail

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't
work.

The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck
in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward
against the tank of the toilet.

"Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping
your precious tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor,
lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the
toilet seat.

It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that
it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every
imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because
YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even
if you had taken time to try.

You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew,
because you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public
toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what
kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the
toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of
water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays
a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your
legs and into your shoes.

The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you
grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being
dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing
water and the wet toilet seat.

You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in
your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the
automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry
paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind
soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet
paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED
it??)

You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's
hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered,
used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took
you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a
public restroom (rest? you've GOT to be kidding!).

It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long.

It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why
women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold
the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the
door!


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Where to Meet, Hear, or Learn with Home Spa Lady:

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September 25 - October 30, 2007

"Introduction to Internet Marketing"

Six Weeks of World Experts along with individualized attention
to get you up and going on the internet for your practice or
business!

For details and a very special rate for this course:
http://tinyurl.com/2tkavz

CLASS FULL

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October 17, 2007 "Green Tea with Marilee" Show

"The Doctor Who Dropped from the Sky"

An interview with physician Joan Barice MD.
about the therapeutic use of essential oils.

http://tinyurl.com/2b62hr


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November 3/4, 2007 Healing Touch Level One

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Contact Marilee for details 856-857-1799
marilee777@aol.com