Honey Healer

It’s the third most common chronic disease in North America and costs employers an estimated $4 billion in lost workplace productivity annually. And while more than one-tenth of the U.S. population has it, the disease I speak of is one you likely haven’t heard of. It’s called chronic sinusitis, a disease that makes the very act of breathing a chore.

As the name implies, sinusitis is a disease that affects the sinuses (which are located behind the eyeballs) that causes the nasal cavity to inflame. As the nasal cavity inflames, the mucous membranes that normally drain out of the ostia build up, causing a significant amount of pressure on the brain, leading to painful headaches. But headaches are just the beginning of the array of symptoms associated with chronic sinusitis. Difficulty breathing due to congestion is common, as is sore throat, halitosis (bad breath), coughing, fatigue, facial pressure – basically all of the symptoms one typically gets from a really bad cold or flu. And because it’s a chronic condition, these symptoms can be felt for up to 12 weeks. Sometimes, even longer.

It’s not known what exactly causes chronic sinusitis. Some say it’s due to an overproduction of harmful bacteria that form on top of the nasal cavity itself; others say it’s brought on by an allergic reaction to a fungus. Whatever it is, scientists believe they’ve discovered a natural elixir to treating sinusitis, one that’s in the homes of millions of kitchen cupboards right now: honey.

The healing powers of honey have been well-documented, some more powerful than others. For instance, Peter Molan, a biochemist at the University of Waikato in Northern Ireland, says that all honeys contain hydrogen peroxide molecules that derive from enzymes bees provide in the honey-making process. Some honeys have anti-bacterial properties to it, to the point where it can be used as a topical treatment.

Speaking to the British news organization BBC News, Molan said, “It [honey] works on bacteria, fungi, protozoa. We haven’t found anything it doesn’t work on among infectious organisms.”

Perhaps it was this particular variety of honey that researchers from the University of Ottawa used on strains of bacteria that are linked with sinusitis. After applying honey to certain strands of sinusitis bacteria, ones highly resistant to antibiotic treatments, the honey’s effectiveness in killing the bacteria was “significantly more effective” than the antibiotic treatment. The researchers presented their findings to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (wow, that’s a mouthful) in Chicago.

This is a truly exciting finding for the millions of Americans that suffer from this disease annually, but I’m particularly heartened by it because it buttresses the abundance of data indicating how beneficial honey is from a nutritional standpoint, and as this study indicates, from a medicinal standpoint as well.

There are dozens of varieties of honey, but you’re not likely to find an assortment of any kind on supermarket store shelves. Most of them are honey hoaxes –a driblet of pure honey intermixed with copious amounts of high fructose corn syrup. To be sure you’re getting 100 percent pure honey, look for organic sources from whole food markets (all organic honey is 100 percent pure); even better, seek out locally grown honey makers near you.