Honey For Coughing
PA State University College Of Medicine conducted a study on children 2 to 18 years of age with upper respiratory infections.  30 minutes before bedtime, they were given one teaspoon of buckwheat honey or honey-flavored dextromethorphan (DM), the latter is the most common OTC cough syrup.

Honey was found to be the only thing that reduced frequency and severity of cough and improved sleep.

Honey For Healing
Honey is also one of the most effective therapies for wounds, burns, surgical cuts, and lesions.  A research study in the U.K. found that honey acted as a barrier against tumor implantation following lapraropscopic cancer surgery which, when the instruments are withdrawn, leave a small hole that can spread cancerous tissue, a not-uncommon risk in cancer surgery. 

Current attempts to reduce this risk involve using various drugs or placing a barrier about the incision. It is just a matter of time before patented and therefore, expensive honey products will be used.

Honey vs Sugar
Sweet tooth?  Don’t worry about dental decay from honey.  Unlike sugar, you can use honey to sweeten tea or coffee because honey's strong anti-bacterial properties help protect teeth against plaque and gums against gingivitis, both caused by bacterial growth. 

“Real Honey?” 
A word of caution here, whether for medicinal or health reasons, avoid any honey that doesn’t say “raw” or "unfiltered" on the label.   All honey is "pure" but processed honey is usually an attractive golden color, will go further and pour easier, all of which means sugar or corn syrup may have been added to boost sweetness.  Trying to find anything truly natural can be difficult but raw, unprocessed honey will be NOT be clear and golden.  It will be darker, “honey” colored and slightly cloudy.  

Honey For Allergies 
Local honey is always best, especially for allergies.  Like an allergy shot but much cheaper (!) honey harvested from local hives stimulates your immune system against allergy-causing pollens particular to your area.

HONEY BEE PROPOLIS

Bee propolis has been used as a healing agent, internally and externally, for more than two thousand years.  So why haven’t you heard about it?  Well, maybe it’s because before there was internet, there were pharmaceutical companies. 

 First, what is it?  Propolis is the sticky resin that seeps from the buds and bark of trees.  The bees gather propolis, carry it to the hive, and with waxy flakes secreted from their abdomens, blend it into a substance used for many purposes.  Bees line the little cells in which the queen bee lays her eggs, and due to its antiseptic properties, the propolis lining insures a hospital-clean environment for rearing her brood.

 Bees use propolis to seal and sanitize their hives.  When an invader gets into the hive, the bees kill it and if the body can’t be removed, they encase it in propolis to prevent decay and the development of harmful bacteria, viruses, mold, and other yucky stuff common to corpses. 

 Fertility? Now you want to know, what does it do for me or my dog? A study in women found astounding benefits in the treatment of endometriosis and infertility problems.  Women given 500mg of propolis twice daily resulted in a pregnancy rate of 60% as opposed to 20% for women not given propolis.  Talk to your vet about the possibilities for a problem brood bitch.

 I know of no similar veterinary study done in dogs but if my bitch was having conception problems, and the vet couldn’t pin it down, I would put her on a propolis dosage appropriate for her size.  What’s to lose?  So let’s also extrapolate the following for canine health as well as our own since propolis has virtually no known harmful or allergic effects.

 Facing surgery for yourself or your dog?  Then you need to know propolis, other natural substances and vitamins (don’t take “E”) may protect against cognitive impairment.  Haven’t you noticed that you or someone in your family was a little “slow” to catch onto things after surgery?  Not remembering much about having been sick is good, it is the brain’s protection for our conscious mind but permanent brain impairment, no matter how minor (?) is not!  In heart or brain surgery wherein the blood supply is held back and then re-introduced, the risk of cognitive malfunction is heightened during reperfusion (blood flow resumption) which is associated with a rapid return of oxygen-derived free radicals.  Such surgery would be a rare procedure in dogs, but the side effects of anesthesia are rarely discussed. 

Anesthesia-induced loss of memory can persist and it occurs in pets as well but how can your dog tell you he feels “forgetful”? 

 Research in Israel has shown that bee propolis is protective against the herpes simplex virus in living organisms.  It has been used for centuries in Egypt where recent studies have also shown it has strong anti-tumor activity.  Get this.  Animals induced with tumors, when given bee propolis, failed to develop cancerous tumors and in fact, the tumors shrank!  According to another Egyptian study, bee propolis has anti-asthma properties.  Maybe Egyptian culture is fascinated with how bees entomb things?

 Bee propolis inhibits vascular endothelia growth and is a significant anti-inflammatory.  It is said to be comparable to silver sulfadiazine in treating second-degree burns.  Well?  Why not?  The application of raw honey saved countless lives following the horrible Bali nightclub fire of 2003 in which over 400 people were trapped and burned.

 I have no medical training.  I only provide anecdotal advice.  Take it for what it’s worth, which may be nothing.  But note that most prescription drugs are chemicalized (patentable versions) of something growing in your backyard or in a mountain meadow.  They are those things naturalists call herbs and drug companies call “discoveries.”

If we don't know something, how can we know we don't know it?  Three generations ago, people knew these things but we've been educated by the pharmaceutical companies.  TV has become our main source of subliminal learning and the barrage of prescription advertising has the desired effect on much of the population.  But now there is internet and over 65% of the population in America has used one or more forms of CAM (Complimentary and Alternative Medicine) and the numbers are much higher in other countries.  My job isn't to convince you of anything, only to present new ideas and knowledge.  The rest is up to you.  

 If you open your mind to the newness of ancient remedies, you and your dogs can benefit.  Learn more about Honey Bee Blessings, Apple Cider Vinegar and other health tips such as whelping aids and what to keep under your kitchen sink!

- Barbara J. Andrews, October 2008