By: Dr. Alyssa Musgrove
Thousands of years before refined white sugar appeared on the scene, people
used honey to not only sweeten their food, but to support a wide range of body
functions. Honey has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for over 4,000 years.
Ancient Egyptians and Greeks were also very familiar with the medicinal
properties of this sweet substance. Hippocrates, the “Father of Western
Medicine” wrote that both honey and pollen proved effective in healing a variety
of ailments.
Bees make honey using the nectar of flowering plants and then store it in their
hives to eat during times of scarcity. Honey contains natural antioxidants,
enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, including calcium, iron, zinc,
potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, chromium, manganese, and
selenium. Additionally, honey has been shown to contain valuable
nutraceuticals, which help to neutralize free radicals in the body.
However, if you’re looking to reap the many health benefits of honey, you might
not find what you’re looking for in a traditional grocery store. Pasteurization and
processing has removed the pollen, beneficial vitamins, enzymes, and
phytonutrients from most honey typically found on grocery store shelves.
Experts agree that raw, unpasteurized honey offers the real health benefits.
Unlike its highly-processed counterpart, raw honey has not been heated to high
temperatures in order to gain that golden syrupy appearance. As a result, it is
often quite thick and will crystalize over time. Getting to know your local
beekeepers, and only buying from them, can help ensure you are buying a
quality product.
Below are just a few of the many ways that honey can help improve your health:
Soothing a nagging cough. You might recall a mother or grandmother
heating honey for you to drink when a cough kept you up as a child.
Turns out, there might be some truth behind this home remedy. In a study
involving 105 children between the ages of 2 and 18 years with upper
respiratory infections of 7 days or less and night-time coughing, a single
night-time dose of buckwheat honey was shown to be an effective
alternative in relieving the nighttime cough, compared to a single dose of
dextromethorphan (DM). Honey can also be helpful in soothing minor
throat irritations.
Relieving seasonal allergies. Raw honey contains many of the same
spores that cause allergy sufferers problems when the seasons change.
Some experts believe that by introducing these spores into the body in
small amounts through honey – a sort of immunotherapy – the body can
become more accustomed to them, and the threat of an allergic immune
response can be decreased.
Wound healing – Honey has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. In
2010, scientists from the Academic Medical Center at the University of
Amsterdam reported in FASEB Journal that honey's ability to kill bacteria
lies in a protein called defensin-1. As a result, some people have found
that honey applied topically to wounds helps to keep the skin moist,
reduce the likelihood of infection and help prevent/reduce scarring.
Improves skin issues. Honey has a natural pH level of 4.5, which makes
it safe to use for a variety of skin conditions including acne, rosacea,
eczema and hyperpigmentation. When mixed with water, honey releases
peroxide properties, which help heal acne and impede bacterial growth.
To use as a cleanser, add a quarter-sized amount of honey to wet hands,
massage into the face and rinse. Follow with moisturizer.
As a healthy sweetener. Reach for honey over refined sugar when
looking to sweeten your coffee or tea. Honey does contain a lot of
fructose, however, so use it sparingly. Use of honey (even the raw
variety) should be limited to less than one teaspoon a day.
Blood sugar balance. The combination of raw honey and cinnamon can
be especially beneficial to healthy blood sugar management. According to
a study out of Dubai, honey has been observed to cause a lower elevation
of blood glucose levels in diabetics compared to dextrose and sucrose.
Some suggest that the insulin-boosting power of cinnamon can counteract
this glucose elevation in honey, which would make your honey and
cinnamon mixture a low glycemic index food combination. Raw honey
increases insulin and decreases hyperglycemia. Try consuming a little at a
time and see how your blood sugar reacts to it, and add both raw honey
and cinnamon to your diabetic diet plan.
Despite the many benefits of raw honey, there are a few important points to
remember. Never give honey to children younger than 1 year old due to the risk
of botulism. The undeveloped infant immune system cannot guard against
infection. Additionally, those with bee venom allergies could have life-threatening
allergic reactions to honey. So, for those who are allergic, it’s best to check with
a doctor before using it.
Pathways to Healing specializes in holistic chiropractic care. Dr. Alyssa Musgrove
draws on a variety of techniques, including chiropractic, kinesiology, nutrition, food
allergy testing and lifestyle counseling to assist clients in achieving optimal health and
wellness in one setting. Pathways to Healing is located at 1022 Founders Row, Lake
Oconee Village, Greensboro. The office can be reached at 706-454-2040.