Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day from Naturally!

Are you in need for a last minute gift? Why not give an essential oils for mother's day? Some aromatherapy? Maybe a diffuser and an oil? A relaxing scent such as lavender is always a gift that is appreciated. Other wonderful scents are Sandalwood, Jasmine, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, or any citrus essential oils. Or what about a Spa treatment?

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Thyme Essential Oil in killing bacteria resistant to many antibiotics

Thyme Essential Oil made the news again. Just last month I posted an article about thyme EO and its properties in suppressing the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme. Today I found another article on BBC News that talks about the medicinal properties of thyme oil and how it helps in the fight of the bacterial infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is highly resistant to some antibiotics. A high grade or Grade A quality thyme oil can be used internally and that means that you could gargle with a few drops of thyme oil in warm water to kill off bacteria. Here is the article I mentioned:

Essential oils destroy MRSA, Brighton scientists say

Essential oils could kill the hospital superbug MRSA, scientists at the University of Brighton have found.

A study found a blend of oils derived from thyme plants was effective in destroying MRSA in two hours.

The research was carried out by a team of microbiologists at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.

MRSA is a potentially lethal bug that is difficult to combat because it has developed resistance to some antibiotics.

The study was set up when Sussex-based company Benchmark Oils asked the university to carry out research into the effect of its oils.

'Promising results'

Director Maggie Tisserand got in touch because she believed a blend of essential oils derived from thyme and used in aromatherapy could tackle MRSA.

Dr Jonathan Caplin, who carried out much of the research, said: "These are very promising results.

"We have shown at least in the laboratory that this blend of thyme has a very strong killing-effect on MRSA.

"Now further work needs to be carried out to ascertain its effect in real cases."

The research has been published in the International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics.

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A word of caution about Furniture.

The chemicals in the furniture we sit on also are absorbed by our skin. This article talks about Skin Rashes caused by the Chemicals used to prevent mold in Furniture shipments.

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

March 5, 2010 (Miami Beach, Fla.) -- Your new sofa may be the last thing you suspect is causing that red rash on the back of your legs, but it could be the culprit.

Doctors say a chemical added into furniture shipments from China to prevent the growth of mold has been linked to severe rashes.

The chemical, dimethylfumate (DMF), can penetrate the fabric and subsequently clothing when a person sits on the furniture, says Joseph F. Fowler Jr., MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.

DMF is also used in the shipping of some clothing and shoes, Fowler says. And some people are very allergic to the preservative, he tells WebMD.

When they come into contact with DMF, susceptible individuals develop contact dermatitis, a rash that can occur anywhere on the body. Irritated skin becomes dry and chapped and eventually red, scaly, and inflamed.

At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Fowler described what he called "an epidemic of Chinese sofa and chair dermatitis."

Fowler said that the first five cases were reported in Europe in 2008.

"Since then, there have been a good 1,000 cases in Europe, maybe more," he says. Cases have also been reported in Canada.

In the U.S., there have been no published reports, although Fowler says he treated one man who developed contact dermatitis of the foot from a shoe that was contaminated with the chemical. The rash went away after the patient disposed of the offending footwear, he says.

Jenny J. Kim, MD, PhD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, tells WebMD that Fowler's report is the first she has heard of the allergen.

Kim says she will start asking patients in whom she can't find a cause of rash about recent furniture purchases. "I'm going to start looking for [DMF allergies]," she says.

Fowler says DMF is "put into little packets, or sachets, that are then put in with furniture, clothing, and shoes to prevent mold during shipping."

As more U.S. doctors hear about DMF-contaminated furniture and clothing, "we'll be hearing about a lot more of these cases," he says.

SOURCES: 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Miami Beach, Fla., March 5-9, 2010.

Joseph F. Fowler Jr., MD, clinical professor of dermatology, University of Louisville, Kentucky.

Jenny J. Kim, MD, PhD, associate professor of dermatology, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. 

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