Anyone living an active lifestyle knows how valuable antiseptic ointment and bandaids can be. Young families concur: cuts and scrapes are an inevitable part of life, and infection is a real threat. While Polysporin and Neosporin might be convenient, they aren’t your safest options.
The Problem with Antibacterial Ointment
Antibacterial ointment is marketed as an essential tool for families and childcare workers. These products include Betadine, Dettol, Comvita, Hygex, Bepanthen and Medicreme. But these products aren’t all roses. In fact, Emerging Infectious Diseases suggests that these ointments may be one of the factors behind the spread of a deadly MRSA strain, called USA300, around the world (1).
The World Health Organization explains: “Antimicrobial resistance happens when microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites) change when they are exposed to antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics). Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as ‘superbugs’… As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.”(2)
Most people believe that antimicrobial resistance affects people on an individual basis, making their bodies more prone to infection, but this simply isn’t true. In reality, antimicrobial resistance affects the bacteria themselves, causing them to become more resistant. This makes everyone on earth more vulnerable to these deadly infections, to which modern medicine is ineffective.
In addition, some people experience allergic reactions to the creams and ointments, which also contain petroleum products and other questionable ingredients (3).
Turmeric for Skin
Turmeric is best known as the colorful spice in curry. It’s also closely related to ginger, another medicinal root.
You can also use turmeric to treat minor wounds thanks to its antiseptic properties. Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, treats chronic pain, inflammatory dermatoses, skin infections, acne, and dyspigmentation. In the case of wounds, the spice helps reduce muscle soreness after injury. It also speeds up wound closure, to reduce your risk of a serious infection (4).