Slinging mud
Mud from around the world may be the next big weapon against antibiotic- resistant superbugs.
Mainstream medicine has gotten very good at mudslinging against natural remedies over the years. So I was a little taken off guard when I discovered that some of the mud they’re slinging these days isn’t so bad. In fact, not only is it good mud, it’s REAL mud.
With deadly superbugs like MRSA on the rise, and increasingly resistant to conventional therapies, researchers are frantically searching for alternative methods of reigning them in. But at least a few of those researchers appear to have enough common sense to realize that the last thing we need is another “new and improved” antibiotic. As Lynda Williams, Ph.D., the lead researcher of a new study funded by National Institutes of Health, put it “Our goal is to find out what nature is doing and see if we can find a better way to kill harmful bacteria.”
So Williams and her colleagues at Arizona State University recently conducted a study to investigate the healing properties of clays from around the world. They tested more than 20 samples for their effects against various strains of bacteria including E. coli, salmonella, and MRSA. They found that at least three of the clay samples killed or significantly reduced the growth of these and other bacteria.
They’re continuing their investigation in the hopes of identifying and isolating the specific compounds in the clays that offer the antibacterial and antimicrobial benefits, as well as the best methods of delivery. Of course, the official results of this research won’t be in for awhile, and the researchers caution against heading to the backyard after the next rainstorm and slathering yourself with the mud you find (which, thanks to the ever- increasing industrialization in this country is likely to contain toxic chemicals). But it looks like this could be a very promising start to what could be “the basis of a new generation of inexpensive, highly effective antimicrobials.”
In the meantime, Dr. Wright has also covered several natural options for battling potentially deadly superbugs. In the September 2006 issue of Nutrition & Healing, he talked about colloidal silver’s germ-fighting abilities. And in the upcoming May issue of Nutrition & Healing, Dr. Wright begins a two-part series about the use of ultraviolet light for taking on potentially deadly superbugs.
So keep an eye out for your next edition of Nutrition & Healing. And in the meantime, subscribers can download and view the September 2006 issue for free by logging on to the archives section of www.wrightnewsletter.com and entering the username and password from your most recent issue. (And if you’re not already a subscriber, the website also offers details on how to become one and take advantage of these natural superbug-killing tips starting today.)
Source:
“‘Healing clays’ show promise for fighting deadly MRSA superbug infections, other diseases,” ScienceDaily (www.sciencedaily.com), 4/6/08
