Healing with Honey
By EatingWell Editors, March/April 2009
The ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans all considered honey a basic component of any first-aid kit and today, we’re hearing more and more about honey’s healing power. We sort through the claims and the science.
A Diet Helper?
In a 2008 study in the Journal of Food Science, scientists reported that rats that were fed a honey-sweetened diet gained 23 percent less weight than those that ate food spiked with refined sugar over one year. (One rat year equals about 20 human ones.) “The honey we used was high in antioxidants so it is possible that this led to greater fat burning,” says Lynne Chepulis, Ph.D., lead researcher and author of the book Healing Honey (Brown Walker Press, 2008). Chepulis points to research linking other antioxidant-rich foods (e.g., green tea) with speeding up your metabolism. But not all honeys are rich in antioxidants. Another study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that the most common type of honey—clover—doesn’t have many more antioxidants than refined sugar.
Bottom line: Research linking honey with weight-loss benefits is preliminary at best. Adding any sweetener to your diet without subtracting another can lead to weight gain.
A Cough syrup?
Researchers at Penn State University tested honey against dextromethorphan—the active ingredient in most cough medicines—as a cough suppressant in children and found honey to be more effective. Sweetness may be honey’s “active ingredient.” The brain part that registers sweet tastes and the part that causes coughing are located near each other so sensing sweetness may affect coughing, says author Ian M. Paul, M.D., who published the study in 2007 in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
Bottom line: If you’re trying to soothe a child’s cough, or yours, try honey. Don’t give it to a baby younger than one: honey may contain spores of a bacteria that causes botulism, which an infant’s immature immune system can’t handle.
Relief from Allergies?
The theory is this: Honeybees gather pollen from the very plants that cause your itchy eyes, so consuming a small daily dose of the local honey—and subsequently these pollens—may stimulate your immune system and reduce allergies, explains Miguel P. Wolbert, an allergist and immunologist at the Allergy & Asthma Care Center in Evansville, Indiana. But the pollens that cause sneezing and congestion—such as ragweed—are windborne, while the pollens bees collect are too heavy to fly in the breeze. Windborne pollens can fall onto flowers, get picked up by bees and end up in honey, says Wolbert, “but it’s likely to be a very, very small amount.” Not enough to make a difference. And, so far, no clinical evidence shows that honey alleviates allergy symptoms.
Bottom line: It’s not likely that honey will help your allergies, says Wolbert, but, “I don’t tell my patients not to eat it.”
MY THOUGHTS
Awww! My confidence in honey as an alternative medicine just got shot to pieces.
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Honey Remedies
Honey Remedies
Honey may help soothe common health complaints like cough and sinusitis.
By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
Updated April 28, 2010
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
In traditional medicine, honey has long been used in remedies for a variety of health problems. Found to possess antioxidant and antibacterial properties, honey contains many vitamins and minerals (including vitamin B2, vitamin B6, iron, and manganese). Common honey remedies include the treatment of wounds, allergies, cough, and colds.
Although honey's health effects have yet to be extensively researched, some studies suggest that honey remedies may be useful for certain conditions. Here's a look at several key study findings:
Honey Remedies for Sinus Problems
In a test-tube study published in 2009, researchers found that honey can kill three types of drug-resistant bacteria known to cause sinusitis. In fact, study results showed that honey knocked out the bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus) more effectively than commonly used antibiotic drugs.
While these study results indicate that honey remedies may be of some use to people with sinusitis, it's important to seek medical attention in treatment of sinusitis in order to reduce risk of serious complications (such as meningitis and vision problems).
Honey Remedies for Cough
When it comes to easing the cough and sleep problems associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection, honey may be preferable to standard cough suppressants. That's the main finding of a 2007 study, in which 105 children with upper respiratory tract infections were given a single dose of honey, dextromethorphan, or no treatment a half-hour before bedtime. When comparing the effects of honey and dextromethorphan, researchers found no significant differences.
In a report published in 2010, however, researchers concluded that there is "insufficient evidence to advise for or against the use of honey for acute cough in children."
Honey Remedies for Allergies
Some honey proponents claim that regular consumption of locally harvested honey can help protect against allergies (such as hay fever). To test this theory, researchers in a 2002 study assigned 36 people with rhinoconjunctivitis (allergy-induced runny nose and itchy, watery eyes) to eat a tablespoon of locally collected honey, nationally collected honey, or honey-flavored corn syrup each day. Study results showed that neither group of honey-consuming study members experienced significantly greater improvement in their symptoms (compared with the placebo group).
How to Use Honey Remedies
More research needs to be conducted before honey remedies can be recommended as a treatment for any health condition. However, since honey is generally considered a safe, healthy substance, it's unlikely that use of honey remedies will produce any adverse effects. In addition to using honey as a remedy, you can increase your honey consumption by using it as a sweetener in a number of health-promoting beverages, such as black tea and green tea.
Sources:
Alandejani T, Marsan J, Ferris W, Slinger R, Chan F. "Effectiveness of honey on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms." Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009 141(1):114-8.
MY THOUGHTS
it seems that honeyis not what we thought it is when it comesto coughs and allergies. i still love honey in my tea and my pancakes. it's undoubtedly a healthier alternative to sugar. give me honey anytime.
Oduwole O, Meremikwu MM, Oyo-Ita A, Udoh EE. "Honey for acute cough in children." Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 20;(1):CD007094.
Paul IM, Beiler J, McMonagle A, Shaffer ML, Duda L, Berlin CM Jr. "Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents." Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007 161(12):1140-6.
Rajan TV, Tennen H, Lindquist RL, Cohen L, Clive J. "Effect of ingestion of honey on symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis." Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 88(2):198-203.
Honey may help soothe common health complaints like cough and sinusitis.
By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
Updated April 28, 2010
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
In traditional medicine, honey has long been used in remedies for a variety of health problems. Found to possess antioxidant and antibacterial properties, honey contains many vitamins and minerals (including vitamin B2, vitamin B6, iron, and manganese). Common honey remedies include the treatment of wounds, allergies, cough, and colds.
Although honey's health effects have yet to be extensively researched, some studies suggest that honey remedies may be useful for certain conditions. Here's a look at several key study findings:
Honey Remedies for Sinus Problems
In a test-tube study published in 2009, researchers found that honey can kill three types of drug-resistant bacteria known to cause sinusitis. In fact, study results showed that honey knocked out the bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus) more effectively than commonly used antibiotic drugs.
While these study results indicate that honey remedies may be of some use to people with sinusitis, it's important to seek medical attention in treatment of sinusitis in order to reduce risk of serious complications (such as meningitis and vision problems).
Honey Remedies for Cough
When it comes to easing the cough and sleep problems associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection, honey may be preferable to standard cough suppressants. That's the main finding of a 2007 study, in which 105 children with upper respiratory tract infections were given a single dose of honey, dextromethorphan, or no treatment a half-hour before bedtime. When comparing the effects of honey and dextromethorphan, researchers found no significant differences.
In a report published in 2010, however, researchers concluded that there is "insufficient evidence to advise for or against the use of honey for acute cough in children."
Honey Remedies for Allergies
Some honey proponents claim that regular consumption of locally harvested honey can help protect against allergies (such as hay fever). To test this theory, researchers in a 2002 study assigned 36 people with rhinoconjunctivitis (allergy-induced runny nose and itchy, watery eyes) to eat a tablespoon of locally collected honey, nationally collected honey, or honey-flavored corn syrup each day. Study results showed that neither group of honey-consuming study members experienced significantly greater improvement in their symptoms (compared with the placebo group).
How to Use Honey Remedies
More research needs to be conducted before honey remedies can be recommended as a treatment for any health condition. However, since honey is generally considered a safe, healthy substance, it's unlikely that use of honey remedies will produce any adverse effects. In addition to using honey as a remedy, you can increase your honey consumption by using it as a sweetener in a number of health-promoting beverages, such as black tea and green tea.
Sources:
Alandejani T, Marsan J, Ferris W, Slinger R, Chan F. "Effectiveness of honey on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms." Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009 141(1):114-8.
MY THOUGHTS
it seems that honeyis not what we thought it is when it comesto coughs and allergies. i still love honey in my tea and my pancakes. it's undoubtedly a healthier alternative to sugar. give me honey anytime.
Oduwole O, Meremikwu MM, Oyo-Ita A, Udoh EE. "Honey for acute cough in children." Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 20;(1):CD007094.
Paul IM, Beiler J, McMonagle A, Shaffer ML, Duda L, Berlin CM Jr. "Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents." Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007 161(12):1140-6.
Rajan TV, Tennen H, Lindquist RL, Cohen L, Clive J. "Effect of ingestion of honey on symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis." Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 88(2):198-203.
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