Ancient Healer Effective in Treating Infected Skin Lesions
Jem Bonnievale was 15 when he contracted meningococcal septicemia
caused by an infection of Neisseria meningitidis. By the time the
British teenager reached the hospital, he had multiple purple batches
on his legs and fingers, which rapidly progressed to tissue death.
Both legs were amputated below the knee as well as fingers on both
hands. He endured multiple skin grafts and suffered for months with
non-healing infected sores. His case was extreme and difficult to
treat because of the severe pain it caused. "I can't even begin to
explain how painful it was just to have a small piece of dressing
changed.
The nurses tried everything to make it easier, like changing the
dressing in the bath, but it was agony," said Jem. Over the next six
months the success of the grafts was variable and the sores showed
heavy growth of Pseudomonas and Staphlococcus aureus. All traditional
treatments were tried without success.
When nothing else had any effect on the chronic infected sores,
clinical nurse Cheryl Dunford and her colleagues turned to honey.
Dressing pads impregnated with sterilized active manuka honey from
New Zealand were applied to one leg and a traditional dressing to the
other leg. Within a few days, the honey dressed leg showed a
reduction of wound bacteria. Both legs were then treated with the
honey dressings. Within 10 weeks, all lesions were healed. Jem was
released from the hospital, fitted with artificial legs and is
getting on with his life.
The use of honey as medicine is mentioned in the most ancient written
records. Today scientists and doctors are rediscovering the
effectiveness of honey as a wound treatment. Peter Molan, Ph.D.,
Professor of Biochemisty at Waikato University, New Zealand has been
on the forefront of honey research for 20 years. He heads the
university's Honey Research Unit, which is internationally recognized
for its expertise in the antimicrobial properties of honey. Clinical
observations and experimental studies have established that honey has
effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It
painlessly removes pus, scabs and dead tissue from wounds and
stimulates new tissue growth. "Randomized trials have shown that
honey is more effective in controlling infection in burn wounds than
silver sulphadiazine, the antibacterial ointment most widely used on
burns in hospitals" says Dr. Molan. The significance of the case of
the British teenager, as reported in the June issue of Nursing Times,
is that it is the first case in which honey was used on multiple
meningococcal skin lesions. The antibacterial action was evident as
the mixed infection of Pseudomonas and Enterococcus cleared from the
lesions in a few weeks and the number of colonizing staphylococci
diminished to a harmless level.
Dr. Molan believes that if honey were used from the start in cases of
meningococcal septicemia, there would be far less tissue damage
resulting. "The remarkable ability of honey to reduce inflammation
and mop up free radicals should halt the progress of the skin damage
like it does in burns, as well as protecting from infection setting
in," said Dr. Molan. "At present, people are turning to honey when
nothing else works. But there are very good grounds for using honey
as a therapeutic agent of first choice."
Researchers believe that the therapeutic potential of honey is
grossly underutilized. It is widely available in most communities and
although the mechanism of action of several of its properties remains
obscure and needs further investigation, the time has now come for
conventional medicine to look at this traditional remedy. With
increasing interest in the use of alternative therapies and as the
development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, honey may
finally receive its due recognition as a wound healer.
Jem Bonnievale was 15 when he contracted meningococcal septicemia
caused by an infection of Neisseria meningitidis. By the time the
British teenager reached the hospital, he had multiple purple batches
on his legs and fingers, which rapidly progressed to tissue death.
Both legs were amputated below the knee as well as fingers on both
hands. He endured multiple skin grafts and suffered for months with
non-healing infected sores. His case was extreme and difficult to
treat because of the severe pain it caused. "I can't even begin to
explain how painful it was just to have a small piece of dressing
changed.
The nurses tried everything to make it easier, like changing the
dressing in the bath, but it was agony," said Jem. Over the next six
months the success of the grafts was variable and the sores showed
heavy growth of Pseudomonas and Staphlococcus aureus. All traditional
treatments were tried without success.
When nothing else had any effect on the chronic infected sores,
clinical nurse Cheryl Dunford and her colleagues turned to honey.
Dressing pads impregnated with sterilized active manuka honey from
New Zealand were applied to one leg and a traditional dressing to the
other leg. Within a few days, the honey dressed leg showed a
reduction of wound bacteria. Both legs were then treated with the
honey dressings. Within 10 weeks, all lesions were healed. Jem was
released from the hospital, fitted with artificial legs and is
getting on with his life.
The use of honey as medicine is mentioned in the most ancient written
records. Today scientists and doctors are rediscovering the
effectiveness of honey as a wound treatment. Peter Molan, Ph.D.,
Professor of Biochemisty at Waikato University, New Zealand has been
on the forefront of honey research for 20 years. He heads the
university's Honey Research Unit, which is internationally recognized
for its expertise in the antimicrobial properties of honey. Clinical
observations and experimental studies have established that honey has
effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It
painlessly removes pus, scabs and dead tissue from wounds and
stimulates new tissue growth. "Randomized trials have shown that
honey is more effective in controlling infection in burn wounds than
silver sulphadiazine, the antibacterial ointment most widely used on
burns in hospitals" says Dr. Molan. The significance of the case of
the British teenager, as reported in the June issue of Nursing Times,
is that it is the first case in which honey was used on multiple
meningococcal skin lesions. The antibacterial action was evident as
the mixed infection of Pseudomonas and Enterococcus cleared from the
lesions in a few weeks and the number of colonizing staphylococci
diminished to a harmless level.
Dr. Molan believes that if honey were used from the start in cases of
meningococcal septicemia, there would be far less tissue damage
resulting. "The remarkable ability of honey to reduce inflammation
and mop up free radicals should halt the progress of the skin damage
like it does in burns, as well as protecting from infection setting
in," said Dr. Molan. "At present, people are turning to honey when
nothing else works. But there are very good grounds for using honey
as a therapeutic agent of first choice."
Researchers believe that the therapeutic potential of honey is
grossly underutilized. It is widely available in most communities and
although the mechanism of action of several of its properties remains
obscure and needs further investigation, the time has now come for
conventional medicine to look at this traditional remedy. With
increasing interest in the use of alternative therapies and as the
development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, honey may
finally receive its due recognition as a wound healer.
