I know there have been a lot of debates about the effects of honey; should we consume it?, how much should we consume?, etc. So I thought I would give you a little bit of my experience with various types of honey and what it has done for me.
First, I kind of grew up on peanut butter and honey(clover) sandwiches, which I loved. We were poor, my parents had 5 children, and there was rarely a lot of money to spend on groceries. And those two items were fairly inexpensive at that time so that's what we ate. I have since learned that, since honey contains anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, it's great for the immune system...but only when you're sick. Well, lol, so much for a staple diet of peanut butter and honey. And although I don't eat nearly as much honey as I did when I was a kid I still find it incredibly helpful and effective when I am feeling sick or even have injuries. I will give you a few examples.
A few years ago I was working in the outdoors on a mountain located about two hours from the nearest hospital. I was equipped with a radio, GPS, and satellite phone but there was very limited signal at our location. We had been informed the day before that a massive storm would be headed over us the following evening. My coworkers and I weren't overly concerned. Most of us were familiar with the outdoors, camping, and"roughing it" and we knew how to prepare the camp and ourselves for our assumption of what was coming. The next morning was beautiful! It was the middle of February, I might add, but crystal blue skies, dark evergreens and twisted cedars laden with snow made for a breath-taking view. We were all enjoying the day. We had a small fire going and had just finished lunch when somebody looked out to the mountains just south of us. A drawn-out "Uh-Oh!" was all we heard and when we looked for ourselves we had a bit of a surprise. I can tell you in all my years of living in the Rockies I have never seen black clouds in February. These looked like low-rolling thunderheads with a massive wall of mist shrouding it's approach. The clouds tumbled and rolled over the mountains like waves to an ocean floor during a tsunami and I have to say I felt a bit of a chill. Growing up in the Rockies you also learn that any storm that comes from the south is gonna hit heavy and it's gonna hit hard. And this one was gonna hit hours before it's predicted arrival. We scrambled; looking for more guide lines to secure the tents, gathering more wood, stowing equipment under tree clusters and tarps, and in the tents. We knew the storm would hit within an hour so we needed to build up the fire in order to at least have hot coals left when the storm passed.
Now any idiot knows that wearing cotton or flannel into the wilderness, especially in the winter, is nothing short of stupid. So what did I do? I wore, not only cotton pants and long-johns, but frayed cotton pants. It's the same sad story. I thought to myself "Nothing will happen. I don't want to wear my good clothes up there. We have communication, tents, and a warm fire. It's just for eight days, no biggie. Nothing will happen to me." Ugh!! And into the fire circle I went with large log in hand and a buddy on the other end helping. I will tell you this, after being exposed to the cold for so long your skin becomes a bit numb, maybe not dangerously so but to the point that it affects your sensory ability. And all I could feel in that fire circle as I placed the log over hot coals was a nice, cozy, warmth traveling over my frigid skin. I even remained close to the fire for several more moments and didn't realize anything was wrong until I heard someone calling my name and yelling to me that I was on fire! I looked down, undisturbed by the statement, and sure enough I was on fire. Whoa! And then I felt the burning. It was like someone had laid hot coals all over my knee and was pouring a hot, fiery liquid down my leg. As much as it hurt I still didn't feel panicked. I simply thought, "Just reach down and smother the flame." So I reached down to smother the flame but I couldn't get it to go out. I reached down again, and again, and again. My pants were burning like an accelerated char-cloth and before I knew it the flames had burned from my knee to the bottom of my pants in less than a few seconds.
If any of you know anything about burns you know that first degree burns feel very similar to a bad sunburn. Third degree burns you can't feel at all because the nerves have been burned away. And Second degree burns hurt like a son of a gun! And as I surveyed the damage, I wouldn't describe it as horrific but it was definitely in need of immediate medical attention. I had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my knee and first degree burns from just above my knee down to my lower calf. I did everything you're NOT supposed to do when treating severe burns but I felt that under the circumstances it was the lesser of two evils. There was a severe storm approaching, we had no communication, no vehicle, and no way to treat burns. Our first aid kit was basically empty and with the storm we probably wouldn't see anyone for several days. Severe burns over large areas and especially over joints can be a window for infection. So I followed my gut. My clothes had melted into my skin - I pulled them out. I cleansed the wound with the only thing I could find that was halfway sanitary - a wet wipe; you're not supposed to clean burns with soap. I lathered it in honey - no 'ointments' over burns- put a gauze pad on it - gauze can adhere to burned flesh, and iced it for the rest of the day ( about 6 hours). Icing for too long can cause nerve damage. And then the storm hit. I have to say that the freezing cold helped the burning feeling quite a bit. It was hurting pretty good.
But I woke up the next morning with very little pain. I checked the burn, cleaned it, and put more honey and a fresh gauze pad on. And today you can barely see where the burn occurred which is amazing since I tend to scarr easily. I also have feeling to the entire area. Every once in a while there are pain flare-ups as if the nerves are still growing back but other than that I'd say it's completely back to normal.
I have had friends and family members who have used honey for burns and received the same results. Honey is a natural pain killer, is high in vitamin C, has small amounts of hydrogen peroxide (good for bacteria), and other nutrients that aid in healing. I have also been able to use honey to clear up chronic ear infections, sinus trouble, and to cleanse adenoids. I have used it in combination with pine needle tea to clear up the 3-week-cold in two days. If this interests you, do your own research. Make sure it will be something that is beneficial to you. We've been provided with everything we need to heal and stay healthy. We are each the captain of our own vessel and may choose to do what we wish for our betterment or to our detriment. I hope the rising health trend will spur all of us into action.
Have a great day!
Quietjewel
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