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CBCNEWS Honey is sticky alternative to antibiotics: researchers WebPosted Mon Sep 20 11:27:28 1999 TORONTO - Medical researchers in New Zealand are suggesting you can catch more "bugs" with honey than with ordinary antibiotics. The findings of a study that tested honey as a treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria or "superbugs" were released at an international convention of beekeepers last week. Researcher Peter Molan and his colleagues at the University of Waikato Honey Research Unit tested honey, known by scientists for its anti-bacterial activity since the 1960s, on superbugs in the laboratory. They found that the bacteria, resistant to other antibiotics, were as sensitive to the honey as regular bacteria. Molan says this may be a big finding for medical personnel who are trying to find different ways to fight the bacteria, which are constantly adapting to new drugs. Although there have been no clinical trials to back up honey's effectiveness against the superbugs, Molan says plenty of research has been done on honey's ability to fight bacterial infection. "There's a lot of published work, including randomized, controlled, clinical trials, where it's been shown that infected wounds can have the bacteria cleared very rapidly by using honey," Molan says. Molan says honey works as a wound dressing because of an enzyme or protein that bees add to the nectar. When honey is applied to a wound, the enzyme produces hydrogen peroxide, a well-known antiseptic. It is released slowly as the enzyme continues to produce small amounts of the hydrogen peroxide and the wound is cleaned without any damage to the tissue. Molan says not every variety of honey is an ideal bacteria fighter. "We're using honey that has been selected to have a high level of anti-bacterial activity," he says. Molan says the next step for his research is clinical trials on the use of honey against the deadly flesh-eating disease. Laboratory evidence suggests the sticky substance may be as effective at getting rid of the bacteria as the usual procedure of surgery to cut away the affected flesh. Honey has an added bonus, says Molan, of stimulating actual healing of the wound, which reduces scarring in the tissue. <http://cbcnews.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/1999/09/20/honey9909 20> janet paterson 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset 613 256 8340 po box 171 almonte ontario canada K0A 1A0 a new voice: <http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/> <[log in to unmask]>