Honey Recommended for Post-Operative Care, Healing

The newly rediscovered healing properties of honey have been talked about a lot as of late, and now honey is in the news again thanks to a research review of the topic and its post-operative application recommendation appearing in Blackwell's International Journal of Clinical Practice (IJICP).

At least two very fine articles on the topic of the healing properties of honey appeared in late summer written by AssociatedContent.com Content Producers. One was published in September written by Larry R Miller and a slightly earlier one was written by Bobby Tall Horse in August. The stark reality of antibiotic resistant strains have made searching for a safe, sure, dependable alternative a serious priority.

As others have explained, honey is an ancient food that was widely recognized and used for its healing powers, and, according to one old manuscript that the authors of the research review read, wine dregs, juniper prunes and beer also had a good healing reputation, although be forewarned that these last have not been tested at all in modern times. In fact, the review reminds us that a jar of honey was found in King Tutankhamun's tomb and was in edible condition as honey never spoils.

Honey has been found to have significant antimicrobial properties. This means that honey can be of significant benefit in fighting a range of microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and even parasites. Honey also has significant healing properties applicable to wounds, especially those that may be infected or fail to close up properly.

It is the combination of these two properties that led researcher Dr. Fasal Rauf Khan from North West Wales NHS Trust in Bangor, UK, and lead author of the research review, to say that the research conducted by his team suggests that "surgeons should seriously consider" recommending the use of honey for post-operative care and should make this alternative option of honey as a macrobiotic and healing agent available to their patients. In line with this suggestion, they further recommend that patients ask their doctors about using honey for their wounds, if their doctor doesn't take the initiative in offering it.

Dr. Khan further explains the properties of honey by saying: "It can be used to sterilize infected wounds, speed up healing and impede tumors, particularly in keyhole surgery."

The review spans more than 60 years of research and contains 18 studies on the properties and effects of honey; it is this accumulation of evidence that indicates that applications of honey can sterilize wounds in three to 10 days, with regular applications being made at hourly intervals or at twice-daily intervals.

Dr. Khan and team's final injunction is that at all times patients must always follow their doctors advice in post-operative or other wound treatment and not self-prescribe any home remedies.

"Patients should ask surgeons about using honey to heal wounds," Blackwell Publishing, International Journal of Clinical Practice.