Alison Odey

Impetigo is usually caused by staphylococcus aureus or by streptococcus, which on many people is carried normally on the skin.
At times however, after superficial trauma to the skin, insect bites, scratching etc, it can cause infection, especially if the immune system is weakened and may become highly contagious and resistant to antibiotics.

It can definitely be stress related as stress in itself will greatly weaken the immune status of the body. In stressful situations (and this includes all situations of stress including the use of antibiotics and also the stress of being unwell) it takes a lot of effort to maintain or regain an efficient immune system.
Often simply being ‘health conscious and eating well’ are not sufficient.

The first recommendation in times of stress or infection is always a daily dose of Colloidal minerals, as minerals are the basis of the body’s ability to maintain good health.
It is important in particular to maintain a sufficiently high Zinc level which the use of a good Colloidal mineral will do.
If high mineral levels are maintained all the time then the immune status will gradually improve.
See page on ‘Minerals – why we need to Supplement’.

Also, a herbal blend such as Echinacea and Golden Seal will further boost the immune status and Golden Seal is particularly effective in combating any Staphylococcus infection.
If treating a child these herbs can be added to a Homeobotanical remedy.

A regular dose of Vitamin C will also help prevent reoccurrence.

If these measures are continued in a regular basis, long term, they will help the body to maintain a healthy condition even in times of stress.

Externally, I have found one of the most effective treatments is to apply a tincture of Golden Seal (sometimes mixed with Calendar, Echinacea or Pau D’arco) directly to the cleansed lesion. This may sting momentarily but is effective and helps dry the lesion. This can be done several times daily. It can be a good idea to also apply this to the surrounding skin as an added deterrent to further infection.
‘Contact us’  if you need herbal remedies.

It is also important to thoroughly wash contaminated clothing,
bedding and towels in HOT soapy water or an antibacterial agent to help prevent re-infection.

If lesions are present then a loose bandage put around the area can be useful to stop infection spreading, but do not use sticking plasters as removing the plaster can cause disturbance of the skin and the infection will spread.

Also make sure that a ‘proper’ soap is being used to wash the skin and not a flowing soap. At times these types of soap do not appear to kill or remove the staphylococcus from the skin.