Types of Staph Infections

Staph infections can vary from simple minor infections such as pimples and boils to much more dangerous and life threatening infections such as pneumonia, mininges, septicema, endocarditis and osteomyelitis.

The various types of infections caused by the S.Aureus bacteria include:

Furuncles:

Furuncles are small sized skin boils and occur when a hair follicle gets bruised and allows and thereby provides a medium for bacteria to enter into the body's tissues. Once they enter the skin can for a boil which gets accumulated with pus and dead tissues and cells.

Carbuncles:

A carbuncles is an accumulation of a number of skin boils into one large one and are therefore much larger in size in comparison to a furuncle. Treatment of carbuncles and furuncles are almost the same.

Impetigo:

Impetigo is a staph infection that usually affects small children upto 6 years of age and has general characteristics of red small blisters on the arms and face which would form into a honey coloured crusty layer.

Cellulitis:

Cellulitis is a condition in which the skin around the legs , feet and arms become swollen and red. The infection is not dangerous but can turn deadly if it enters the bloodstream. Cellulitis should therefore be treated as soon as possible.

Meningitis:

Meningitis is a condition in which the meninges which are the fluid filled membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord get inflammed due to bacterial infection. The infection can turn deadly and requires immediate medical attention.

Osteomyelitis:

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bones and is caused due to the S. aureus bacteria breaking into the body's tissues and entering the bloodstream through an open wound.

Endocarditis:

Endocarditis is a very serious, dangerous and life threatening infection that occurs when the staph bacteria attaches itself to the heart valves and endocardium membrane. Endocarditis is not commonly seen in healthy and active people but in people whose valves have already been bruised due to a previous medical disease.

You can visit the these pages to learn more about the different types of staph infections and about staph infection symptoms to look for

Wound Treatment - Uncover Useful Tips to Deal With Wounds and Effective Methods to Stop Bleeding

Whether you happen to cut your finger, step onto nail, scrape your knee or experience some more serious injury resulting in bleeding, you should take care of the wound as soon as possible. Otherwise, an infection most likely develops. Before beginning on wound treatment, you need to take some important steps to avoid infection. And you need to take them right.

1. Before taking care of the wound, you should wash your hands thoroughly.
2. Wash the wound under running water. Afterwards wash it with hydrogen peroxide at 3wt% concentration or normal saline of 0.9% w/v salt.
3. The next step involves disinfection of the wound. Treat it with alcohol at 70% concentration or vodka, but be careful. Remember to clean the skin around the wound in direction of the wound towards undamaged skin at the beginning. And only then continue cleaning the very wound. A convenient way to clean the wound relates to the use of syringe. Simply fill it with the saline and spray over the wound. In this case do not use the needle.
4. If there still is some foreign body in the wound (splinter, tiny piece of glass, etc.), undertake to pull it out only if you are completely sure of getting it out. Otherwise, you can move it deeper in tissue and then a visit to a doctor is unavoidable.
5. When the wound is washed and cleaned, you can disinfect the wound by applying the tincture of iodine around it.
6. If the wound is bleeding, you need to stop it by applying a pressure dressing. In addition, you can use the methods described below.

The following methods are going to stop the bleeding.

1. Effective remedy to stop bleeding involves using common yarrow or plantain. If your wound is small, for instance, scratch, the bleeding can be stopped by using common yarrow juice. Simply juice the leaf of common yarrow and drop it directly in the wound. Common yarrow is rich in K vitamin that facilitates blood fibrillation. You can apply to the wound scrunched plantain leaf washed under running water. The leaf should be scrunched up in order to facilitate the separation of juice. In terms of large wound, you should thoroughly reduce the leaves to small pieces, wrap them in the gaze and only then put them on the wound.
2. A leaf of aloe or ornamental houseplant kalanchoe is a good remedy to stop the bleeding of cut wound. Take a piece of aloe or kalanchoe leaf and bind it to the wound. It is going to reduce the pain and facilitate the healing of the wound.

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Infrared Light Therapy - Treating Equine Diseases and Wounds

Infrared therapy is a safe, effective tool in equine wound and infection management. Not only does it accelerate healing and reduce swelling and inflammation, early application of infrared therapy can reduce scarring and ease pain.

How does infrared therapy help heal infections?

Infrared therapy works most effectively on soft tissue areas, especially those at or near the surface of the skin. The heat and energy generated by infrared stimulates cell activity and increases blood flow to the area, bringing healing oxygen and nutrients. The increased metabolic activity and circulation around the treatment area will also help to reduce inflammation, and consequently ease pain and sensitivity. And that's not all - targeted infrared therapy and healing wounds can reduce scarring, and prevent formation of 'proud flesh' or excessive scarring.

Infrared can also help with more systematic infections. 'Blanket' infrared treatment, where infrared rugs are used for an all-over body treatment, can help horses recover from fever and disease. Infrared doesn't directly treat disease, but by stimulating the horse's metabolism and improving blood flow around the body the horse's own system can attack the infection more effectively. This is especially important for horses where their illness has significantly restricted their mobility, and they can't use normal movement to maintain circulation and metabolic function.

Is there a risk?

Infrared therapy comes with very few risks and virtually no side effects. You don't need a veterinarian to get the equipment or apply the therapy. However, there are some cases where it can be dangerous. 'Trapped' infections, where a wound has healed over with an infection trapped under the scab or scar, can be aggravated by infrared therapy, and your veterinarian may want to conduct some initial treatments to release the infection. Severe fever is another contraindication for infrared, where reducing the horse's body temperature is the first priority. If you are considering using infrared for infection management, discuss your plans with your vet first and decide on the right combination of treatments.

Infrared therapy isn't a replacement for antibiotic or antiviral medications. However, thoughtful application of infrared therapy in infection management can reduce the need for medications, and reduce the length of time you need them.

What equipment do I need?

The equipment you need to use infrared therapy is simple and easy to use, and there a number of options you can choose. The up-front investment may seem like a lot compared to a tub of wound cream, but remember the equipment doesn't run out, expire, or get contaminated like most topical treatments. An investment now in infrared therapy equipment will give you a versatile, easy to use, and effective preventative and therapeutic tool in your equine veterinary supplies. Here are some of the options for treating equine wounds and diseases with infrared therapy.

• Prolotex leg wraps: Prolotex uses bioceramic technology, which uses a mixture of chemicals that naturally emit infrared rays. The chemicals used in Prolotex leg wraps are deeply penetrated into the fabrics, so they don't rub off or wash out. You can use the leg wraps for surface injuries on the legs, but you can also apply the bioceramic fabric as a pad over injuries on other parts of the horse's body, although fixing the bandage can be tricky.
• Revitavet IR2: The Revitavet IR2 system uses actual LED lights to emit the infrared. This means you can pinpoint the specific are you want to treat, and adjust the wavelengths for lesser or greater tissue penetration. It is a bigger investment than bioceramics, but once you've got the base unit, you can get different treatment products, including multipurpose pads, leg wraps, and hock boots. The unit is rechargeable, so you don't need to plug it in while it's on the horse, but you do need to remember to recharge it!
• Thermotex: Thermotex uses electrically generated infrared to create therapeutic heat and penetration. The benefit of Theormotex is the greater intensity than you can get from bioceramics, but the downside is the fittings have to stay plugged in, meaning you need to keep the horse near an electrical outlet. Thermotex makes a variety of packages including leg wraps and stable blankets, making Thermotex best for large-area treatments.
• Remember that whichever infrared treatment type you chose, you not only have a great tool for infection management, you can also use the equipment for treating all kinds of other injuries, and for preventative uses too!

This is another article in the series on the uses of infrared light therapy for treating several different equine ailments. This article deals with the use of light therapy to treat equine diseases and wounds. Let us save you time and money in all of your Equine needs and horse grooming supplies. We do the the comparisons and you make the right selections, with knowledge!