September 10, 2009

Home Remedies For Staph Infection On Skin

Posted in Category : Natural Cures

Staphylococcus bacteria are spherical microbes that usually reside on the human skin and enter the body when the body’s immunity is low or there are cuts on the skin. The bacteria are usually present in grape-like clusters on the skin.

When these bacteria burrow inside the skin, they can cause skin infections, meningitis, pneumonia and endocarditis. In severe cases, toxic shock and septicemia cannot be ruled out. Though there is a rare chance of the infection becoming severe, staph skin infections are extremely common and are very contagious. Staph skin infections are characterized by pus filled boils and the pus can cause contamination of the surrounding skin and other things that come in contact with it.

Staph infection treatment

The treatment for staph infection is based primarily on the type of infection. Though antibiotics are usually used to treat such infections, there are other methods that can be used for providing intermittent relief. There are some species of the staphylococcus family, like the S. aureus, that are able to resist most antibiotics and therefore alternative methods are used to treat infections caused by them.

To treat staph infections, several staph infection home remedies are available. Though not all of them promise to be a staph infection cure, they are good to provide intermittent relief and contain the infection to a large extent.

Here are some of the effective staph infection remedies that can be used at home.

  • A warm compress is an effective staph infection remedy. Simply heat a soft cloth and apply it to the boil. It will help bring the boil to a head after which the pus can be drained out easily. Be careful though when you are draining out the pus, clean up the surrounding areas thoroughly so that the bacteria do not spread.
  • On a regular basis, clean your skin thoroughly. Exfoliate using yogurt and orange peel whenever you can, so that the surface of the skin remains clean and the bacteria are not able to form colonies.
  • When you have boils, it is best to take care not to let the pus flow out and infect other parts of the skin. Try to keep the area surrounding the boil clean. Do not touch the boil as this may spread the bacteria. If the boils are naturally draining out, take frequent showers so that you keep your skin clean.
  • The oldest cure for staph infections is to soak fresh bread in warm milk and keep it on the boil. Though this is a traditional method, it has proven effective in healing staph infections.
  • A hot compress using crushed garlic or onion can also be used to treat boils. Alternatively, you can mash up a tomato, heat it and apply it to the boil in order to heal it.