How does Honey really work?
This time of year brings on an increased number of colds and other respiratory diseases that aren’t fun to deal with. Syrups and medications that promise to clear clogged noses, alleviate sore throats, stop coughing and promote sleep are used by many individuals.
However, new evidence suggests that these drugs aren’t effective. In addition, they may have unpleasant or even deadly adverse effects, particularly for youngsters. So, for their coughing patients, some physicians are now recommending honey, an age-old remedy. It’s the kind of knowledge you’d expect from your grandmother. A recent study, however, reveals that the gooey sweet ooze may have extraordinary healing properties.
Dr. Ian Paul, a pediatrician at the Pennsylvania State University Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa.According to, “Honey has been used in traditional treatments by cultures all over the globe for millennia.”The only reason we decided to give it a go is that we believed it was appropriate.
Coughs that won’t quit
Paul was encouraged to experiment with honey since the treatment of coughs in children has grown more difficult.
As a means of clearing inflamed airways, coughing occurs. However, excessive coughing may exacerbate the symptoms of a cold or flu. If you’re hacking away, you may find it difficult to get the rest your body needs to heal. Parents often provide cough medication to their children to alleviate their discomfort. They have been around for decades and their makers believe that they help teens feel better.. Paul, on the other hand, argues that there have never been any credible studies showing that they are effective.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, codeine, and dextromethorphan (DM), two of the four most often used ingredients in cough medications, do not affect children under the age of six. To stop the body from coughing, drugs like codeine and DM disrupt brain signals that instruct it to do so.
It’s bad enough when medicine doesn’t work. As a side effect, cough and cold drugs might include drowsiness, hyperactivity, hallucinations, headaches, and vomiting. Every year, hundreds of children end themselves in the hospital due to accidental overdoses of cough medication.
A drug test is required.
Paul was fed up with the lack of high-quality research, so he decided to write one himself. He and his colleagues conducted research a few years ago on 100 teenagers who had colds and other indications of illness. Those in attendance ranged in age from 2 to 18.
Parents and kids didn’t know which group was given which kind of syrup.
Before and after the syrup was consumed, parents answered five questions about their children’s symptoms. Those who drank non-medicated syrup gained as much benefit from the study’s findings as those who were given medication. In 2004, Paul and colleagues presented their findings at a conference in Washington, D.C.
According to Paul’s case, the FDA decided in October that parents should not provide cough drugs to children under the age of six. As a result, pharmaceutical companies stopped distributing these drugs for use in children under the age of two.
The perfect answer.
Paul foresaw their parents’ grief when he told them the news. He shared my sentiments.
Doctors have to tell their patients that medicine is no better than a placebo when they don’t have the choice of prescribing it, he says.
As he researched honey’s medicinal properties as an alternative remedy, Paul came upon old stories. Hundreds of years ago, doctors in ancient Egypt used it to treat wounds, coughs, and joint pain.
However, he had also heard that honey was advocated by the World Health Organization, even though there was no scientific evidence to support this claim. Paul reasoned that adding a little honey wouldn’t harm. What’s the harm in giving it a try?
His second research was arranged in the same way as the first.
105 sick children were given honey-flavored DM syrup, buckwheat honey syrup, or no therapy at night. They didn’t tell either of the other two groups, the no-treatment group, and the other two groups that they weren’t getting any treatment.
Before bedtime, youngsters in one group were found to have less coughing and better sleep than those in the other groups, according to the results of this study. Their parents slept better, too.
Paul adds that honey isn’t safe for children under the age of one, but his findings have convinced him to recommend it as a cough suppressant for children beyond the age of one.
Paul thinks honey is the best option for parents who wish to feed their children.
Honey, why are you asking?
As a substitute for sugar in tea, or as a topping for peanut butter and banana sandwiches, honey is a popular choice for many. What’s so strong about this sweet concoction?
According to Katherine Beals, a certified dietitian at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, its thick, sticky consistency may help cover and soothe the throat. National Honey Board, which financed Paul’s current research, employs her as a nutritionist.
Beals thinks antioxidants may be a factor in the problem.
Honey has been shown to increase the body’s antioxidant capacity. Some honey has more antioxidants than others, yet all honey has them. visit-bloghubsite
Honey, according to Beals, has around 300 different types. The sorts of flowers honey-producing bees visit determine the color, taste, and health benefits of the honey.
We get 95 percent of our honey from bees that visit clover plants in the United States. Beals believes that darker honey, like the buckwheat kind Paul used in his experiment, tends to be more antioxidant-rich than lighter honey, like clover.
Additional health benefits of honey are also known. At least some strains seem to be effective at eradicating pathogens. When applied to the skin, a New Zealand honey has shown to be quite useful in healing wounds.
In Beals’ opinion, there is no evidence that honey consumption may prevent the common cold. However, if your throat is sore and you can’t stop coughing, it may assist. In addition, a little amount of sweetness may help lift your spirits.
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