Honey
Copyright © January 2, 2019 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
The following is not medical advice nor is it a medical recommendation.
Please consult a licensed medical professional to have your medical questions answered.
Introduction
On December 24, 2018 a few members of my extended family became sick with flu type symptoms: fever, headache, and coughing. On Christmas day only three members of my extended family were feeling well enough to visit us. In the days after Christmas most of my extended family came down with the flu. On New Year's Day 2019 at least half of the Christmas gifts that were originally under our Christmas tree were still under the tree unopened because our family members had not been able to visit us. The purpose of this short article is to discuss what we learned about the flu this year.
Discussion
My wife did not want to receive a flu shot but shortly after Thanksgiving on November 26, 2018 her doctor insisted that she receive one because of her age. So she followed her doctor's advice and she allowed his nurse to give her a flu shot. Shortly after Christmas on December 28, 2018 she began to run a fever and she felt really bad. The next day she began experiencing the worst case of the flu that she could remember having during her entire life. I have never had a flu shot and on December 29, 2018 I came down with the flu. Although I am older than my wife, this was not the worst case of flu I have ever had. You can make up your own mind on the benefits of a flu shot for my wife and I.
We kept in touch with our family with text messages. Except for my wife and I, all the other members of my extended family visited a doctor after Christmas, and each of them was tested and they received a confirmation that they had the flu, type A. Their doctor gave each of them a prescription for some flu medicine. And their doctor told them to take a fever reducing pain pill, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, to keep the fever down and to help with the discomfort of the flu symptoms. A few of my extended family members had an adverse reaction to the flu medicine and they immediately stopped taking it. It was interesting to me that the flu basically ran its course with each member of my extended family in almost the same way regardless of whether or not they were taking their flu medication. The family members who were taking the flu medicine did not recover any faster than the family members who did not take the flu medicine. The family members who were taking the flu medicine did not appear to have milder flu symptoms that the people who did not take the flu medicine. You can make your own decision on the benefits of the flu medicine for my extended family.
The one exception was my two-year old granddaughter. Because of her age her doctor would not prescribe any type of flu medicine for her even though she tested positive for the type A flu. Instead the doctor told her father to keep her fever down by switching back and forth between liquid children's Ibuprofen and Tylenol. He also told him to give her a total of 2 or 3 tablespoons of raw honey each day, in small 1 teaspoon doses (3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon) spread out during the day, until she was over the flu. (Note: This is consistent with item number 5 in the list at the bottom of this page.) One day later her fever was gone and she was running and playing all over the house. So her parents stopped giving her honey and fever medicine. The next day she had a relapse and the flu hit her harder than before. (Note: In hindsight her parents should have stopped giving her fever medicine unless her fever returned. But, in my opinion, they should not have stopped giving her honey for several more days until the flu virus had been completely expelled from her body.)
Because my wife and I had the flu, neither one of us could get any sleep at night. When my wife received the text message from our daughter about honey she took one tablespoon of honey just before she got in bed and my wife slept peacefully for five-hours. The next day I began taking one tablespoon of honey three times during the day, for a total of 3 tablespoons. That night I was able to get a total of about six-hours of sleep, in two-hour intervals during the night. Today my wife and I still have the flu even though we are both taking honey every day. But we feel a lot better than we did a few days ago and we are both getting about 8 hours of sleep each day. Except for honey and Ibuprofen (or Tylenol) my wife and I have not been taking any flu medicine.
Conclusion
The following information appears as Chapter 62 in my book: The Most Important Survival Skills of the 1800s.
Chapter 62 about honey is a one-page chapter in my book.
My book contains a total of 68 chapters, 188 pages, and 281 full color pictures.
The following information about honey has been in my book since my book was first published on March 1, 2017.
In my opinion, the following is typical of the type of information that is in my book.
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Chapter Sixty-Two
Honey
The following is not medical advice nor is it a medical recommendation.
Please consult a licensed medical professional to have your medical questions answered.
Introduction
God promised to give the Israelites a beautiful land flowing with milk and honey.
The following NIV Bible verses imply that milk and honey were God's good gifts to His people: Exodus 3:17, 13:5; Leviticus 20:24; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 6:3, 11:9, 26:9, 26:15, 27:3, 31:30; Joshua 5:6; Jeremiah 11:5, 32:22.
- Ezekiel 20:6 - On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.
- Proverbs 24:13 - Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
- Mark 1:6 - John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Potential Health Benefits of Honey
WARNING: Never give honey to an infant. Honey contains some types of bacteria that may kill a young baby who does not yet have a fully developed immune system.
Honey can and should be used instead of sugar in some recipes. However, if honey is pasteurized or cooked then a few of its benefits will be lost, such as the friendly probiotic bacteria in honey will be destroyed.
Note: Almost none of the following potential health benefits have been scientifically proven by medical research. Most medical research is done in areas that could increase the profits of the company funding the research.
- Anti-bacteria: When bees make honey they add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide. This gives honey its antibacterial properties, and a very long shelf life.
- Antifungal and Antioxidant: Honey also has antifungal and antioxidant properties.
- Wound Care: When applied to a wound, honey may speed up the healing process by helping to sterilize the wound, and providing a moist wound healing environment, and stimulating the wound tissues to heal naturally. It may also help to treat bacteria that is antibiotic resistant. (Note: Honey was universally used to treat wound infections prior to the discovery of penicillin.)
- Skin Burns: Apply honey to the burn area at least twice per day and cover with a dressing. Continue until the burn is healed.
- Mouth Cold Sores, Sore Throat, and Coughing: The World Health Organization classifies honey as a demulcent because it forms a protective coating inside the mouth that can help relieve minor mouth irritations. Honey may help to relieve the pain of a sore throat and it may help to reduce coughing in children who have an upper respiratory tract infection. A study that included 139 children reported that honey was more effective in reducing nighttime cough and helping children sleep when compared to a commercially available children's cough syrup that contained a cough suppressant (dextromethophan) and an antihistamine (diphenhydramine).
- Digestion: Honey is a probiotic because it contains large quantities of friendly bacteria.
- Weight Loss: Honey may help to digest the fat stored in your body.
- Skin Moisturizer: A combination of milk and honey applied to the skin may help nourish and moisturize your skin. In addition, drinking milk and eating a little honey may benefit the skin all over your body.
- Allergies: Locally made honey contains pollen from local plants. If a small quantity of this honey is consumed each day then it may introduce a small quantity of the allergen into your body to help your body build its natural immunity against it. Honey made in other parts of the country may not provide this health benefit because that honey may not contain the local pollens you may be allergic to.
- Blood Sugar Levels: Honey may help the human body better regulate its blood sugar levels.
- Cancer, Ulcers, and Heart Disease: Since honey contains antioxidants it might help to reduce the risk of some types of cancer, and some types of ulcers, and heart disease.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com