Posts Tagged ‘antimicrobial’

Bacteria awareness programs have their primary focus set on eradicating bacteria on all surfaces.

Sanitizers

Sanitizers are antimicrobial hand, counter, surface, cutting boards, and all surface germ killers. These have to be used over and over because they are effective for about up to 4 hours. Antiseptic hand washes are being introduced that provide up to six hours of prolonged germ kill with repeated use.

Evaluating data seems to say it does kill bacteria, but is it really disease prevention? One thing you can count on, it has the staying power to drive sales. Wipes will continue to be a good seller, consumer disposable products demand has continued to climb.

Disease Prevention at a Price

Disease prevention isn’t in a broad spectrum biocide. It will not assure that the public remains disease free. This is a simple minded solution to a very complex and growing threat.

Since the beginning man has lived on fertile ground. Slogging through fields and plains, growing, planting and harvesting. We develop immunity by being exposed to all kind of pathogens.

A word of caution, and what you need to know, about the use of chemicals to enhance your health. There are additional risks from liberal use of antibacterial products.

We are both absorbing chemicals and killing off good bacterial with every wipe. A new UC Davis study shows that a common antibacterial chemical added to bath soaps can alter hormonal activity in rats and in human cells in the laboratory–and does so by a previously unreported mechanism.

The findings come as an increasing number of studies reveal that some chemicals in household products can interfere with normal hormone action. These endocrine disruptors have been linked in animal studies to cancer, thyroid problems, reproductive failure, and developmental anomalies.

This is the first endocrine study to investigate the hormone effect of the antibacterial compound triclocarban, which is widely used in household and personal care items. “The finding may eventually lead to an explanation for some rises in some previously described reproductive problems that have been difficult to understand,” stated author, Bill Lasley, A UC Davis expert on reproductive toxicology and professor emeritus of veterinary medicine. Lasley said “Our mothers taught us to wash our hands well before the advent of antimicrobial soaps, and that practice alone prevents the spread of disease.”

Real Prevention

Real prevention is not going to come from an industry that is built upon fragrances, color, stabilizers with antibacterial compounds. They do kill viruses and germs, but they aren’t building a strong immune system. To prevent disease, we must create a healthy environment in our bodies, and that means keeping the good bacteria, while building immunity to the pathogens in the environment.

Essential oils are powerful antimicrobial that could potentially combat drug-resistant super-bugs.

Essential Oils

The next-generation of antimicrobial protection may be derived from plants. Essential oils are a cheap and effective first line of defense against infections. It can be used as an intervention in treating microbes responsible for staph infections. With it being both safer than antibiotics it could become a healthy alternative.

Professor Yiannis Samaras and Dr. Effimia Eriotou, from the Technological Educational Institute of Ionian Islands, in Greece led the research by testing the antimicrobial activity of eight plant essential oils. They found thyme essential’s oil was the most effective, and just about completely eliminated bacteria within 60 minutes.

The essential oils of thyme and cinnamon were found to be particularly efficient antibacterial agents against Staphylococcus a bacteria that is common inhabitant of the skin. Drug-resistant strains such as meticillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are extremely difficult to treat. “Not only are essential oils a cheap and effective option for antibiotic-resistant strains, but decreased use of antibiotics will help minimize the risk of new strains of antibiotic resistant micro-organisms emerging,” said Professor Samaras.

Essential Oil Use

The Greek team believes essential oils have diverse medical and industrial applications. “The oils-or their active ingredients-could be easily incorporated into antimicrobial creams or gels for external application. In the food industry the impregnation of food packaging with essential oils has already been successfully trialed. They could also be included in food stuffs to replace synthetic chemicals that act as preservatives,” they said.

Hibiscus has a range of powerful compounds that prevent E. coli from adhering to the urinary track and bladder wall linings. Both the flower and calyx are abundant in a distinct antimicrobial compound that has been shown to inhibit the activity of a host of microbes.

Essential oils can be used in hot or cold compresses for muscle aches and pains. They are used in gargles and mouthwashes. Also, they are used in sore throat remedies as an antiseptic.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy has gained in popularity. The most common ones are lavender, myrtle, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, sage, and thyme. The most basic method of administering aromatherapy is direct or indirect such as inhalation of essential oils. Aromatherapy steam devices are commercially available.

Essential oil diffusers, vaporizers can be used to disperse essential oil over large areas. Eucalyptus and tea tree oil are known for their antiseptic qualities and are used to disinfect areas.

Because of their potency, essential oils are diluted in carrier oil before being applied. Aromatherapy is used in health care practices by aromatherapists.

For direct application massage is a therapeutic technique used in conjunction with aromatherapy.