Wound Care May Matter More Than Antibiotics

interesting to share..posted on the NewYork Times...another drugs vs. nature debate...

Preventing infection in a wound may depend less on choosing the right antibiotic than on simply keeping it clean.

Researchers writing in the March issue of Pediatrics studied 200 children ages 6 months to 18 years. Each had a skin infection (generally from allergies,diaper rash or eczema), and 137 tested positive for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus, or MRSA. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either clindamycin, an antibiotic that is effective against MRSA, or cephalexin, one that is less active against it.

The choice of antibiotic made no difference. After two to three days, 97 percent of the children on clindamycin showed improvement or complete healing, and so did 94 percent of those on cephalexin. Of the nine children whose infections were worse at this point, three were on clindamycin and six on cephalexin, an insignificant difference. There was a significantly lower rate of improvement among children under a year old, no matter which drug they were given.

The lead author, Dr. Aaron E. Chen, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins when the study was done (he is now at the University of Pennsylvania), said he was not prepared to conclude that antibiotics are useless in treating these skin infections. But he added: “The most important part is good wound care, drainage of lesions and close follow-up. Antibiotics are probably not as important as we think they are, but we need larger studies to answer that question.
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Cure.

So the other day...the lyrics of Nick Jonas's song 'A little bit longer' crossed my mind.. "waiting on a cure..but none of them are sure"....I began to think....well is there really a cure for any thing or any disease...he says hes waiting for a cure for diabetes and millions are raised every year in cancer research to search for a possible cure. However one cannot really help but think if this will ever be possible...in diabetes ..cancer or any other illness that has been claimed to have been cured.

Before exploring this topic lets quickly get a worthy definition of the word cure.

" To heal, to make well, to restore to good health"...

looking at the first word used to define 'cure' the word heal...to me when something is healed the problem is no longer there...for example as in the case of a cut...it heals by forming new skin over the previously injured one...although many times there is a scar left where the wound once sat, the main 'problem' fissured skin and blood has subsided.

I truly don't believe there is any man made cure for any illness...drugs and therapies that have been discovered are simply interventions that will not heal nor make well permanently...rather there make well and temporarily restore health...as when one simply stops these drugs or interventions the illness will present its self once again....

However I believe what can truly cure and maintain good health is a good diet and regular physical activity.....for years now researchers ...scientist..and healthcare professionals have been emphasizing the importance of a good diet thats high in fruits, vegetables and protien..lean meat and essential oils and fatty acids and regular exercise can increase our overall health and decrease the risk for many illnesses.

And just to prove how much exercise can take years of your age ..consider this...

A recent study conducted at McMaster University using 4 mice genetically designed to age faster...the study involved putting 2 of the mice on a treadmill 3 times a week for 45 mins a day...while the other 2 mice lived the regular mildly active sedentary life styles...

It was then noticed that the 2 mice that lived sedentary live styles began to age their fur becoming almost grey and barely being able to move and their mitochondria which controls the bodies energy levels aging..that the other two mice appeared full of live..their fur colour rich and darker than before and their mitochondria couldn't be more alive....

This simple experiment done on mice can definitely be applied to humans......so the cure that many are looking for to stay healthy and disease free is the use of our bodies natural drugs and the ingestion of what nature has provided for us....

so low....

Okay so obviously you know from my name that I am a Registered Nurse Alhamdulilah (All praise be to God)...and recently I got a job at a Drs. office ...definately not what I wanted to go in but for now while I look for something more 'me' and fast paced it will do........anyways...the point of the blog....

A patient came in to the clinic with her mother and her mother told me and the receptionist that her b.s was 30 last night and she was concerned...I thought wow 30...is she diabetic..which she was n't..so concerned I took her current b.s and it stood at 15.6 still very high for a non diabetic and sometimes even a diabetic...concerned for her well being I asked the Dr. to see her right away instead of making her wait through this busy Wednesday line..so he did and he had ordered some blood work and discussed the concern with her...

The following day we receive her results and the diabetes was evident....the patient returned to receive her results....a bright young girl full of life and had nothing but a smile on her face the entire time...until he delivered the news where she was broken to tears...

as she left the clinic I couldn't help but give her some words on encouragement...words I heard once spoken by Nick Jonas when he shared with the world about his Type I diabetes diagnosis..which was .."this is a manageable illness and one can live a very healthy and normal life" and to further elaborate to the patient that although this was bad news it was not the absolute worst...I reminded her that no matter what life threw at us..things could always be worse in this case I gave her an example was that it wasn't cancer..which is so much more terminal than a disease such as diabetes. ............

---Listening to the Dr. give this little girl the bad news it reminded me of why I prefer to be a nurse over a doctor any day...which is never having to diagnose a patient...the bearer of bad news Ill never have to be...even in pronouncing death or tell a loved one that there wasn't anything more we could do for their family or friend...

Anywho this was interesting event to me as as new grad I'd never really come across such a situation where a pt presented such a situation and the diagnosis process I've never been part of before..so this was a new for me and was a learning experience.....