Posted on 08/22/2020 9:50:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A trio of researchers at Oxford University has found that honey is a better treatment for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) than traditional remedies. In their paper published in BMJ Evidence-based Medicine, Hibatullah Abuelgasim, Charlotte Albury, and Joseph Lee describe their study of the results of multiple clinical trials that involved testing of treatments for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and what they learned from the data.
Over the past several years, the medical community has grown alarmed as bacteria have developed resistance to antibacterial agents. Some studies have found that over-prescription of such remedies is hastening the pace. Of particular concern are antibacterial prescriptions written for maladies that they are not likely to help, simply due to demands from patients. One such case is often URTIs, the vast majority of which are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Because of such cases, scientists have been looking for other remedies for these infections, and one therapy in particular has begun to stand out: honey.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested that honey can be used to treat colds in general and coughs in particular—people have been using it as a therapy for thousands of years. In this new effort, the researchers looked at the results of multiple clinical trials testing the effectiveness of therapies against URTIs. In all, the team looked at data from 14 clinical trials involving 1,761 patients.
In analyzing the data from all of the trials combined, the researchers found that the trials had included studies of virtually all of the traditional remedies such as over-the-counter cold and sinus medicines as well as antibiotics—and honey. They found that honey proved to be the best therapy among all of those tested. In addition to proving more effective in treating coughing (36 percent better at reducing the amount of coughing and 44 percent better at reducing coughing severity), it also led to a reduction in average duration of infection by two days.
The researchers note that the reason honey works as a treatment for URTIs is because it contains hydrogen peroxide—a known bacteria killer—which also makes it useful as a topical treatment for cuts and scrapes. Honey is also of the right consistency—its thickness works to coat the mouth and throat, soothing irritation.
Mix it with tea, lemon and Scotch. Always worked for me.
My wife, Southeast Asian, mixes it with the former every cold and flu season. The addition of the latter works for me!
I am asthmatic. As a child it was particularly bad. The doctors prescribed a cough medicine that gave me horrific nightmares. My mother, without telling the doctors took me off the cough medicine and instead made me Jim Beam and honey “hot toddies”. I slept soundly through the night. Problem solved.
CC
“ My wife, Southeast Asian, mixes it with the former every cold and flu season. The addition of the latter works for me!”
Irish.
It’s a hot toddy
Works like medicine
“ Honey is a traditional remedy. Where have these people been?”
They’ve been where they’ve always been. With their heads in the American, “we make our living off sick people and we deal in high cost synthetic poisonous pharmaceuticals” world.
Where do you think they’ve been?
Tea with lemon and honey....grandma knew best
ping to you.
Honey has had known antibacterial properties since ancient times.
I don’t buy it. If honey based cures were really so effective then the death rate in medieval times for poor fools would have been much lower than it was.
The elitist scum that currently rule America want us to be happy with attempting to treat disease with food ingredients like ignorant peasants and dying like flies.
“ You can leave off assuming ignorance...”
I have worked in the ‘medical industry’ for a whole career. To treat injuries and illnesses personally I get a diagnosis then go to natural remedies. If I could make a living, pay my mortgage, working in natural remedies and healing I would do it.
Ancient Egyptians used it 4,000 years ago. Best medicine in Ancient World. On average Egyptians lived 10 years longer than others in the world. Health care free for all(Nobles and the rich could get better for a fee) As Hospitals were temples and doctors priests—No Malpractice—That was Blasphemy punishable by death. Hospitals were incredibly clean, In fact you were better of in an Ancient Hospital in Thebes than a modern hospital in 1835 London. Why Free? The only “science” they had was trial and error—too work they needed a large pool of study subjects to experiment on—so they used the whole population! In time they did some amazing things.
Ancient Egyptians used it 4,000 years ago. Best medicine in Ancient World. On average Egyptians lived 10 years longer than others in the world. Health care free for all(Nobles and the rich could get better for a fee) As Hospitals were temples and doctors priests—No Malpractice—That was Blasphemy punishable by death. Hospitals were incredibly clean, In fact you were better of in an Ancient Hospital in Thebes than a modern hospital in 1835 London. Why Free? The only “science” they had was trial and error—too work they needed a large pool of study subjects to experiment on—so they used the whole population! In time they did some amazing things.
So how do we apply it to our lung tissue? Is it good enough to have only fumes from the throat?
My little brother was severely asthmatic. My mom went to a local honey bee farm and got several jars for his asthma and my allergies. It worked.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.