Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Honey and Maggots Used to Fight MRSA

Nursing Times, 7/7/2009

Honey and maggot larvae have been used by nurses at a Somerset hospital to help clean wounds and fight infections such as MRSA.

Staff at the Royal United Hospital in Bath have taken to using medical grade Manuka honey and the sterilised larvae of the common greenbottle fly to clean wounds without relying on modern day medicines.

The honey, derived from the Manuka plant in New Zealand, has an osmotic action that actively draws fluid from the wound helping the body dissolve and remove dead tissue while reducing wound odour…

Dorothy Yeo, from Bath, has been receiving treatment for an ulcer for the last three years and recently began using honey dressings.

She said: ‘After trying the honey dressings I’m optimistic about the future, I’m able to sleep without sleeping tablets and for the first time new skin is forming over my ulcer.’

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