Treat infections on the fly

I'll give you fair warning right now: This article isn't for the squeamish. But if you think your stomach is up to a bit of a challenge, the following story might just revolutionize the way you think about wound healing…

One day while doing rounds during my senior year in medical school, six of us were walking down a shiny hall and saw a stream of tiny white things crossing to the wardroom on the other side. We followed the procession into the room and beheld a homeless man with an open ulcer the size of a softball on the side of his calf. It was teaming with the tiny white things we'd followed: dozens and dozens of maggots. This was the prescribed treatment for the man's wound. Once they had thoroughly cleaned the wound of pus and dead tissue, the maggots headed out to find their next meal. They are the perfect natural, painless treatment for an infected wound, because they only eat necrotic (dead) tissue.

Doctors at the University of California, Irvine, tested this technique on 21 patients with nonhealing wounds. They were treated at home with regular visits from a nurse who changed the dressings. Maggots completely or significantly disinfected 86 percent of the wounds. Prior to the study, eight of the 21 patients were told that they would need to undergo amputation, but this therapy eliminated the need for amputation in 5 of those eight patients. At the end of this study, 95 percent of the nurses and 90 percent of the patients were satisfied with the results. 

Maggot therapy is safe and effective and should be considered as a valuable and rational treatment option for homebound and extended care patients with nonhealing wounds. There are reportedly over 100 physicians in the United States and Canada (over 1,000 worldwide) who practice this therapy. The American College for Advancement in Medicine may be able to help you locate one relatively close to you. Contact them at (800)532-3688 or (714)583-7666, or visit them online at www.acam.org.