Proof The Bible Is True

Al Sears, MD

About a week ago, a patient of mine came to my clinic for his scheduled therapy.

As he walked to the front desk to check in, I could see he was bleeding profusely from a gash in his left knee.

He had tripped over a tree root in his friend’s front yard a couple days earlier – and his wound wasn’t healing. The handkerchief he was using to apply pressure was already soaked through.

My clinic manager immediately cleaned him up and applied a manuka honey patch to his injury.

She gave him a few more to take home.

A few days later, my patient came back. He rolled up his pant leg and showed me his knee.

“I’ve never had a wound heal so quickly or so cleanly,” he told me. “You can see, there’s almost nothing left to it.”

My patient was surprised. But I wasn’t.

That’s because honey remains an under-the-radar skincare miracle – even though it’s been used for thousands of years.

Honey and milk were commonly used in ancient Egypt. In Europe and western Asia, honey was used to make a special skin balm called a Melhem.

And during World War I and II, wounded soldiers were treated with honey while injured on the battlefield.

I read an interesting review of seven studies that included 264 people treated with honey versus conventional antibiotics and other methods.

The honey-treated people produced better outcomes, shorter healing times, and virtually no infection.¹

After seven days, 58% of patients were healed with honey versus 19% with conventional antibiotics and unconventional treatments such as silver, amniotic membrane, and potato peelings.

And 85% who were treated with honey saw the infection in their wound vanish compared to 30% with the other treatments.

After 21 days, 99% of patients were healed with honey versus 75% with other treatments.

Honey also prevents scarring to the extent it heals ulcers and burns without the need for skin grafts. Scientists theorize sugar and honey encourage the production of hyaluronic acid (HA) to prevent stiff, stringy collagen (the cause of scarring).

Surgeons use it to heal wounds from burns and cuts. Plastic surgeons use honey to fix skin grafts in place and prevent complications, such as graft loss, infection, and graft rejection.² Honey can heal acne and help make post-acne scarring and inflammation disappear.

Honey encourages your skin to make hyaluronic acid (HA).

HA fills out your skin because it holds 50 times its weight in water. Honey also forms a delicate, mesh-like collagen structure that can bring your skin’s surface back to normal and allow it to heal.³

You can also use honey for other skin problems like hemorrhoids, psoriasis, eczema, and dandruff.

And it’s antibacterial, too.

Honey works well against bacteria for two reasons. The first is that its sugars bind to water molecules. This denies bacteria the moisture they need to grow.

The second is a secret ingredient added by bees. It’s an enzyme called glucose oxidase. It helps stop bacteria by increasing hydrogen peroxide, a natural disinfectant.⁴

Honey is also deadly to the “superbug” bacteria you may have heard about recently. Mixtures that have as little as 40% honey kill all the harmful bacteria.

Even the newest bacterial threat, gram-negative bacteria, can’t stand up to honey. In one study, researchers used only a 30% mixture on the five known gram-negative strains and honey killed all of those, too.⁵

Easy Wound Healing At Home

You can make your own sterile Manuka dressings to heal wounds easily at home.

You will need medical grade Manuka honey.

Check the label for UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) or MGO ratings. The higher the MGO number, the more portent it is for therapeutic use. UMF 20+ or MGO 850+ are very high grades).

1. Cleanse Wound. Wash hands, wear gloves, and gently clean the wound with sterile saline or water.
2. Apply Honey. Dip sterile gauze into the Manuka honey, wiping off excess, then place directly onto the wound.
3. Cover. Apply a secondary absorbent dressing if needed, or cover with a sterile bandage.
4. Change. Change every 12-24 hours, or if drainage is heavy; once draining stops, it can stay longer.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

References:

1. ?Moore O, et al. “Systematic review of the use of honey as a wound dressing.” BMC Complement Altern Med.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
2. Maghsoudi H and Moradi S. “Honey: A Skin Graft Fixator Convenient for Both Patient and Surgeon.” Indian J Surg. 2015 Dec;77(Suppl 3):863-7.
3. UCLA Health. “Lessons from Grandma: Medicalgrade honey helps heal wounds.” www.uclahealth.org/news
4. Mandal M and Mandal S. “Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity.” Asian Pac J Trop Biomed . 2011 Apr;1(2):154–160.
5. Mandal M and Mandal S. “Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity.” Asian Pac J Trop Biomed . 2011 Apr;1(2):154–160.