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door : Madeleine Brindley
Zie ook rubriek Aromatherapie

Could common scents snuff out the superbug?

RESEARCH conducted at the University of Manchester has found that three oils usually used in aromatherapy destroyed MRSA and E.coli bacteria in two minutes flat.
Scientists are now suggesting that the oils could be blended into soaps and shampoo which could be used in hospitals to stop the spread of the superbug or MRSA.
Jacqui Stringer, complementary medicine clinical leader at Christie Cancer Hospital, who instigated the research, believes essential oils are so effective because they are made up of a complex mixture of chemical compounds which MRSA and other superbug bacteria find difficult to resist. She is not alone in this belief.
I believe this research could lead to a very practical application which would be of enormous benefit to the NHS and its patients.
MRSA and other hospital- acquired infections kill about 5,000 patients a year in the UK. Many more suffer unpleasant complications to the illnesses for which they were first admitted.
Dr Peter Warn, from the University of Manchester, who carried out the research, said the essential oils could be used to create much more pleasant inhalation therapies - which are likely to have a much higher success than current treatment, which is only effective in around 50% of cases.
The present treatment for MRSA involves the unpleasant application of disinfectant on the affected area.
The resistance to penicillin of certain strains of bacteria, including the antibiotic-resistant MRSA bug, has been named as one reason for the growth in infection, but there is little doubt that this is not the only reason.
Falls in cleanliness standards have also been blamed by many within the health professions and external commentators. The reduction in hospital cleaners in the past 20 years gives this theory credibility.
But irrespective of why, we need to find a solution, and wipe out the superbug.
Could aromatherapy essential oils be the essential ingredient in this fight? After all, the therapeutic benefits of these oils have been known and harnessed for about 5,000 years.
The ancient Egyptians recognised their antiseptic properties and harnessed their potential for medicinal purposes as well as for embalming their dead, by slowing down their decomposition.
Aromatic bonfires were lit to cleanse the air from the 14th to the 17th centuries in plague- ravaged Europe. Doctors wore nosebags of aromatic herbs (including cinnamon and cloves) to kill germs.
The medicinal action of smells was often associated with religious rites and magical incantations, and at first popular healing developed separately in different parts of the world.
This is known as ethnobotany and one aspect of this is the study of remedies and drugs, known as pharmacoethnography.
Recent research has been mostly in tropical regions, studying drugs used by peoples still living in close contact with nature and relatively untouched by modern civilisation.
Modern aromatherapy is primarily associated with the French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse, whose family owned a perfumery business.
While working in the lab he burnt his hand and plunged it into a vat of lavender oil.
His burn healed quickly without scarring and he subsequently discovered the excellent antiseptic qualities of many other essential oils.
His first book, Aromatherapie, in 1928, was the first use of the word aromatherapy".
Modern science is gradually explaining superstitions and removing errors from popular healing. At the same time, chemical analysis and biological study are frequently confirming things which were formerly known only from experience and which had no rational explanation. This phenomenon is now reaching aromatherapy.
In France today, many medical doctors and hospitals prescribe essential oils as an alternative to antibiotic treatment, whereas in most countries the idea of using natural aromatics as a form of medical treatment is still very radical.
Essential oils are highly concentrated and in the UK they are usually only used externally by qualified aromatherapists, combined with massage to provide a very effective treatment for stress-relief and a host of other well-documented therapeutic benefits.
With this latest Manchester research, we can not only prove the centuries-old belief in the benefits of essential aroma- therapy oils, but also move positively towards finding a simple but effective solution to a growing problem in our health service.
It took Kryptonite to subdue Superman in his comic adventures. Maybe in essential oils we will find the means to subdue the superbug.
Eleanor Burnham is Liberal Democrat AM for North Wales. She is a qualified aroma- therapist.

Warmest Wishes,

Jeff
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