Honey is a saturated solution of sugar made by bees that collect nectar which is a liquid secretion from flowers. The honeybees take this nectar back to their hives where they add enzymes to it and place it in wax cells called honeycombs. This is where it ripens to form honey. During the ripening process, the enzymes convert sucrose into glucose and fructose.
There are many different types of honey. The differences are predicated on the floral source. What most people don't know is that honey has the ability to kill bacteria and heal wounds because it is very acidic. In fact, many years ago, honey was frequently used for medical purposes. However, with the advent of antibiotics, medical professionals were under the misconception that they were more effective than honey. As antibiotics are proving to be less effective on certain types of infections, doctors are now reconsidering honey as a viable treatment solution.
Manuka Honey
Honey has a high sugar content and produces an antibacterial molecule called hydrogen peroxide, which can been used as a disinfectant. One particular type of honey known as Manuka Honey is especially effective in treating infected wounds and other skin conditions because it contains an additional antibacterial component known as the Unique Manuka Factor or UMF. Manuka Honey's healing properties are so powerful that scientists now believe it is more effective in treating certain health conditions than antibiotics and other traditional forms of medicine.
Unlike the days when honey was used as a natural remedy, medical professionals now know that many health conditions are caused by the presence of infectious bacteria. Over the course of the past few decades, there has been a significant overuse of antibiotics by doctors. In addition, bacteria has the ability to mutate and become resistant to elements that are attempting to destroy them, such as antibiotics. In the wake of an overwhelming amount of reported cases of Staph infections involving antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, doctors are scrambling in search of a viable alternative. What they're now realizing is that Manuka Honey contains extremely powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. To date, there have been no types of bacteria that have shown a resistance to it.
Manuka Honey destroys bacteria in a different manner in which antibiotics do by drawing water out of the bacteria, making it impossible for the bacteria to survive. As a result, wound dressings containing Manuka Honey have been successful in treating life-threatening infections involving hard-to-kill bacteria such as MRSA and VRE. This has been viewed as a major breakthrough in the health care industry.
Honey is no longer being regarded as just a food item. It's transition from the food cabinet to the medicine cabinet is inevitable. Not just any honey will do though. Laboratory studies have indicated that even though ordinary honey may contain some antibacterial properties, Manuka Honey is significantly more potent.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey is destroyed when honey is exposed to heat or light. However, Manuka Honey is stable so there is no concern about it losing its healing properties in storage. Manuka Honey provides a more potent antibacterial action, diffusing into the depth of infected tissues, more so than the hydrogen peroxide from other types of honey.
Research also shows that Manuka Honey reduces malodor and eliminates scaring. Additionally, Manuka Honey is now being used to treat antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. It is important to know that Manuka Honey is an all-natural, organic substance that has been found to have no known side effects.
The Unique
Characteristics of Manuka Honey
There
are a few major differences between ordinary honey and Manuka
Honey.
1.
Only Manuka Honey provides non-hydrogen peroxide antibacterial components.
2.
Manuka Honey’s antibacterial factor is unaffected by enzymes in the body that
destroy hydrogen peroxide components.
3.
Manuka Honey is highly effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of
bacteria.
4.
Manuka Honey maintains its potency even when diluted over 50 times, as will
happen when used on the body.
5.
Manuka Honey is unaffected by heat, light or aging.
6.
Manuka Honey does not require moisture or oxygen to be effective.
7.
Manuka Honey diffuses deep into skin tissue, making it possible to get to
effected areas.
15 Reasons to Use
Manuka Honey for Medical Purposes
Other
benefits to using Manuka Honey for medicinal purposes are as
follows:
1. Manuka Honey has natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties;
2. Manuka Honey creates a moist healing environment that allows new skin cells to grow across a healing wound flush with the surface of the wound, preventing deformity of the skin and scaring;
3. Manuka Honey rapidly clears infection by destroying bacteria;
4. Manuka Honey repairs damaged skin and regenerates new skin growth;
5. Manuka Honey hastens the healing process;
6. Manuka Honey eliminates malodor by destroying the bacteria that cause it;
7. Manuka Honey can heal Staph infections and destroy antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA and VRE;
8. The viscosity of Manuka Honey provides a protective barrier to prevent wounds from becoming infected;
9. Manuka Honey causes scabs and dead skin cells to lift off the surface of the wound, leaving a clean healthy wound bed in which the regeneration of skin tissue can occur;
10. Manuka Honey stimulates the growth of tissue involved in the healing process;
11. Manuka Honey stimulates the formation of new blood capillaries and the growth of fibroblasts that replace the connective tissue of the deeper layer of the skin and produce the collagen fibers that give strength to the repair;
12. Manuka Honey has an anti-inflammatory action that relieves pain;
13. Manuka Honey has antifungal properties that can cure ringworm and other fungal conditions such as athlete's foot, jock itch and nail fungus;
14. Manuka Honey is all-natural and organic;
15. Manuka Honey has no known side effects.
At a time that consumers are losing faith in pharmaceuticals and gaining faith in natural alternatives, Manuka Honey has earned its well-deserved recognition as a powerful healing agent. Even though many people are still unaware of its potential, it is believed that Manuka Honey will soon become a valued resource in the medical industry.
