The increase in MRSA infection in UK hospitals is a growing concern for both doctors and patients alike, but according to an American based company an effective, cannabis-based disinfectant is available to fight the super-bug.
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of bacteria which has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. MRSA infection has become increasingly difficult to treat, and can lead to death.
The number of cases of MRSA has been rising sharply - from 2,422 in 1997 in England and Wales, to 7,684 in 2003/4 in England alone. Official figures show that about 15% of reported MRSA cases result in death.
Disinfectant - A Huge Market
UK Children of the 70's and the 80's will be well familiar with the famous Domestos bleach TV adverts which ran for a couple of decades.
Domestos..Kills all known germs..Dead!
Much as they do today, animated germs and bugs ran riot across our screens (and down our toilet bowls), and the unbeatable bleach product would swing in as our saviour, and that of our families and young children.
Today, disinfectant is a huge consumer market, which sees shoppers spending millions of pounds sterling every year on liquid for the toilet, for the kitchen sink, and of course, the new generation of bleach/disinfectant wipes and sprays, used to protect our families from cross-contamination on the kitchen work-tops and food preparation areas.
If only we could kill germs and bugs as efficiently in our hospitals, right? Well apparently we can, according to a study which says Cannabis has shown "Exceptional" antibacterial activity against MRSA.
But the truth is no-one wants us to know about it. At the behest of a government which is dead set against any positive news regarding cannabis being released for general consumption, the press simply refuses to tell us about it.
But thankfully thats not the case in America.
Cannabis Science Inc
Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD., Director and Chief Science Officer for American based Cannabis Science Inc, reported recently on the current state of research into the use of natural plant cannabinoids to reduce the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), and the prospects for development of topical whole-cannabis treatments.
According to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and by the Center for Disease Control in 2007, MRSA is responsible for more than 18,500 hospital-stay related deaths each year, and increased direct healthcare costs of as much as $9.7 billion.
Dr. Melamede stated, “Research into use of whole cannabis extracts and multi-cannabinoid compounds has provided the scientific rationale for medical marijuana’s efficacy
in treating some of the most troubling diseases mankind now faces".
"Infectious diseases such as the flu and HIV, autoimmune diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes".
Amazingly this also includes neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, stroke and brain injury, as well as numerous forms of cancer.
"One common element of these diseases", continues Dr Melamede, "is that patients often suffer extended hospital stays, risking development of various Staphyloccus infections including MRSA".
"A topical, whole-cannabis treatment for these infections is a functional complement to our cannabis extract-based lozenge.”
Investigators at Italy's Universita del Piemonte Orientale and Britain's University of London, School of Pharmacy reported in the Journal of Natural Products that five cannabinoids - THC, CBD, CBG, CBC, and CBN - "showed potent antibacterial activity" and "exceptional" antibacterial activity against two epidemic MRSA occurring in UK hospitals.
The authors concluded: "Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials, … their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising. … Cannabis sativa … represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria."
But as was mentioned at the start of this article, for some reason the British government, backed up by the press, would rather we never got hear about it. Now why would that be do you think?
