Alex Carson
Being Sick
Nobody likes being sick. Spending a couple of days in bed may sound great, but when you combine staying in bed with having a stuffy nose, headache, fever, sore throat, and achy muscles, it isn’t that great. Eating chicken soup, taking medication, and getting plenty of rest is the only way to go back to feeling like yourself again. There are some cases where nothing you are doing at home works, and you need to see the doctor. But, you can try traditional medications.
The Hospital
If you aren’t getting any better, you could be admitted to the hospital. Nobody wants to go to the hospital. Doctors and nurses are coming in your room at all hours of the night waking you up, you can’t sleep in your own bed, and there could be danger lurking around the corner. Even though hospitals are kept very clean, there are so many germs that it can be a dangerous place. While nurses, hospital workers, and linens go from room to room, there is a risk of cross-contamination. As if this weren’t bad enough, there is, even more, to worry about.
Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Hospitals are home to drug-resistant bacteria that survive even after sterilization has killed off other microbes. These infections are difficult to treat, and they often carry a high mortality rate. In 2006, hospitals in Manchester, England were battling against MRSA. This drug-resistant bacteria was attacking cancer patients with weakened immune systems. The doctors didn’t know what to do, but a biochemist named Peter Molan had an idea.
Peter’s Idea
Peter spent years researching the ways that the indigenous people of New Zealand and Australia treated their wounds using a common natural substance. Because the doctors had exhausted all avenues to treat their patients, they decided to follow Peter’s advice. They started preparing bandages to wrap the patients’ wounds following Peter’s specifications. When the doctors realized that Peter’s idea was working, they had to make a special order to New Zealand to get more of the natural substance. It was manuka honey.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is made by bees that feed on the nectar of the manuka tree. Honey is a standard household product, but it has excellent medicinal properties. For example, when you get cut, you put hydrogen peroxide on it to make sure that it doesn’t get infected. The glucose enzymes in honey also produce hydrogen peroxide. The manuka honey has a unique healing factor that typical honey doesn’t. This type of honey has the ability to latch onto bacteria and kill it.
Multi-Purpose
Honey-based slave or honey-coated bandages can help fight infection and inflammation the way that traditional drugs cannot. There are also ways that you can use honey at home. If you rub honey on your face, it makes an excellent acne treatment. Not only will it reduce the inflammation caused by acne, but it will also prevent scarring. If you thin the honey out with coconut oil or jojoba oil, it makes a great all-natural makeup remover. The oil will moisturize your skin, and the honey will keep your face clean and germ-free. You can also use honey to make an exfoliating mask. After you wash your face, you can apply a thin layer of honey to your damp skin and let it sit for 30 minutes. When you wash it off, your face will be clean and glowing.
Eating Honey
Eating honey also has its health benefits. It is better for you than sugar, so you can drizzle it on your dessert or put it in your tea. If you are going to use honey as a sweetener, be sure to use it in moderation. Honey won’t cause your blood sugar to spike the way that sugar does, but you still cannot go overboard.
Cough Suppressant and Heart Health
If you have a cold, honey will make an excellent cough suppressant. Just put a spoonful in your tea, and your cough will subside. Honey can reduce inflammation, which means that it is great for your heart. It can reduce the plaque build-up in your arteries, preventing a heart attack or a stroke. It can also boost your good cholesterol and lower your bad. This is essential to your heart health.
Hard To Come By
Honey is less plentiful than it once was, and if things continue on the way they’ve been, it will be hard to get honey. Due to global warming and urban centers popping up everywhere, the bee population is dying out in record numbers. Fortunately, people like Morgan Freeman have been taking steps to raise awareness of the dangers that bees are in, and have trying to do something about it.
Honey Is Great
More doctors are using a common food to treat people’s wounds in place of traditional medications. People are using this same food for beauty and heart health purposes. It is also great when you are sick. With all of the ways that honey can help the body, you should keep a bottle in your house at all times.
