5 Things You Didn't Know About Honey

Honey has been valued as a natural sweetener long before sugar became widely available in the 16th century. Before honey production flourished in ancient Greece and Sicily; many animals raided honeybee hives, risking stings for the sweet reward. Honey is truly a remarkable substance, made even more extraordinary by the process with which it is made. This blend of sugar, trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids is quite unlike any other sweetener on the planet. And while honey is high in fructose, it has many health benefits when used in moderation (assuming you’re healthy). Before I delve into those, here’s a brief “lesson” on how honey is made... How Honey Is Made It takes about 60,000 bees, collectively traveling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey. Once the nectar is gathered, the bee stores it in its extra stomach where it mixes with enzymes, and then passes it (via regurgitation) to another bee’s mouth. This process is repeated until the nectar becomes partially digested and is then deposited into a honeycomb. Once there, the honeybees fan the liquid nectar with their wings, helping the water to evaporate and create the thick substance you know as “honey.” This honeycomb is then sealed with a liquid secretion from the bee’s abdomen, which hardens into beeswax. There are more than 300 kinds of honey in the US, each with a unique color and flavor that is dependent upon the nectar source. Lighter colored honeys, such as those made from orange blossoms, tend to be milder in flavor while darker-colored honeys, like those made from wildflowers, tend to have a more robust flavor. 5 Honey Facts You Might Not Know Honey, particularly in its raw form, offers unique health benefits that you might not be aware of. Among them: 1. Honey Makes Excellent Cough “Medicine”. - The World Health Organization (WHO) lists honey as a demulcent, which is a substance that relieves irritation in your mouth or throat by forming a protective film. Research shows honey works as well as dextromethorphan, a common ingredient in over the counter cough medications, to soothe cough and related sleeping difficulties due to upper respiratory tract infections in children. 2. Honey Can Treat Wounds. - Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished with the advent of penicillin. Now the use of honey in wound care is regaining popularity, as researchers are determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections. Honey has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidants activities that make it ideal for treating wounds. In the US, Derma Sciences uses Manuka honey for their Medihoney wound and burn dressings. Manuka honey is made with pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush (a medicinal plant), and clinical trials have found this type of honey can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria. Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). It is so called because no one has yet been able to discover the unique substance involved that gives it its extraordinary antibacterial activity. Honey releases hydrogen peroxide through an enzymatic process, which explains its general antiseptic qualities, but active Manuka honey contains "something else" that makes it far superior to other types of honey when it comes to killing off bacteria. That being said, research shows that any type of unprocessed honey helped wounds and ulcers heal. In one study, 58 of 59 wounds showed “remarkable improvement following topical application of honey.” 3. Honey Improves Your Scalp. - Honey diluted with a bit of warm water was shown to significantly improve seborrheic dermatitis, which is a scalp condition that causes dandruff and itching. After applying the solution every other day for four weeks, “all of the patients responded markedly.” According to the researchers: “Itching was relieved and scaling was disappeared within one week. Skin lesions were healed and disappeared completely within 2 weeks. In addition, patients showed subjective improvement in hair loss.” 4. Help Boost Your Energy. - A healthy, whole food diet and proper sleep is the best recipe for boundless energy, but if you’re looking for a quick energy boost, such as before or after a workout, honey can suffice. This is particularly true for athletes looking for a “time-released fuel” to provide energy over a longer duration. 5. Reduce Allergy Symptoms. - Locally produced honey, which will contain pollen spores picked up by the bees from local plants, introduces a small amount of allergen into your system. Theoretically, this can activate your immune system and over time can build up your natural immunity against it. The typical recommendation is to take about a teaspoon of locally produced honey per day, starting a few months PRIOR to the pollen season, to allow your system to build up immunity. And the key here is local. This approach only works because it has pollen of local plants you may be allergic to. Honey from other parts of the country simply won’t work. While research on this has yielded conflicting results, one study found that, during birch pollen season, compared to the control group, the patients using birch pollen honey experienced: • 60 percent reduction in symptoms • Twice as many asymptomatic days • 70 percent fewer days with severe symptoms • 50 percent decrease in usage of antihistamines Interestingly enough, there were few differences between the two honey groups (those who took regular honey, versus those who took honey that contained birch pollen.) However, the birch pollen honey group used less anti-histamines than those who used regular honey. The authors concluded: "Patients who pre-seasonally used birch pollen honey had significantly better control of their symptoms than did those on conventional medication only, and they had marginally better control compared to those on regular honey. The results should be regarded as preliminary, but they indicate that birch pollen honey could serve as a complementary therapy for birch pollen allergy." 3 DIY Honey Home Remedies Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture, making it an ideal addition to moisturizers, shampoos, and conditioners. Along with its antimicrobial properties, honey makes a wonderful addition to homemade personal care products. The National Honey Board has a few you can try out for yourself: 1. Honey Hair Conditioner: Mix ½ cup honey with ¼ cup olive oil. Work a small amount through your hair until coated. Cover your hair with a shower cap and let sit for 30 minutes. Shampoo as normal and rinse. 2. Honey Body Moisturizer: Mix 5 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons rose oil, and 2 cups almond oil in a medium-sized bottle. Apply as needed onto wet skin. 3. Honey Almond Scrub: Mix 3 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 6 ½ tablespoons of finely crushed almonds. Rub the exfoliating scrub onto your face gently and rinse with warm water. The Organic Consumers Association has also published this simple honey lemon cough syrup that’s useful to keep on hand during the winter months: Honey Lemon Cough Syrup Lemon helps promote health by quickly alkalinizing your body, and honey will kill most bacteria while soothing your throat. This is a perfect choice for a quick cough remedy. • Put a pint of raw honey in a pan on the stove on VERY low heat (Do not boil honey as this changes its medicinal properties). • Take a whole lemon and boil in some water in a separate pan for 2-3 minutes to both soften the lemon and kill any bacteria that may be on the lemon skin. • Let the lemon cool enough to handle then cut it in slices and add it to the pint of honey on the stove. • Let mixture cook on warm heat for about an hour. • Then strain the lemon from the honey making sure all lemon seeds are removed. • Let cool, then bottle in a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator. This syrup will keep for 2 months in the refrigerator. To soothe a cough, take 1/2 teaspoon for a 25 lb. child and 1 teaspoon for a 50 lb. child, about 4 times a day, or as often as needed. Adults can take 1-tablespoon doses. Is Honey a Healthy Natural Sweetener? How to Avoid Fake Honey As far as natural sweeteners go, honey does have a place. The main thing to remember when it comes to honey is that not all honey is created equal. The antibacterial activity in some honeys is 100 times more potent than in others, while processed refined honey will lack many of these beneficial properties altogether. Your average domestic “Grade A” type honey found in the grocery store is likely highly processed. It’s also been found that more than 75 percent of the honey on American supermarket shelves may be ultra-processed—to the point that all inherent medicinal properties are completely gone. Nearly all of this “fake” honey is made in China. Some of the honey also comes from brokers who create bogus country of origin papers. A recent study by the Food Safety News (FSN) tested 60 jars of "honey", all of the jars came back negative for pollen, which is a clear sign of ultra-processing. According to FSN: "The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world's food safety agencies. The food safety divisions of the World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of others have also ruled that without pollen, there is no way to determine whether the honey came from legitimate and safe sources." In their investigation, FSN discovered the following: • 76 percent of honey samples bought at grocery stores (such as TOP Food, Safeway, QFC, Kroger, Harris Teeter, etc.) were absent of pollen • 77 percent of the honey from big box stores (like Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, and Target) were absent of pollen • 100 percent of the honey sampled from drug stores (like Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS Pharmacy) were absent of pollen The good news is all of the samples from farmers markets, co-ops, and natural stores like Trader Joe's had the full, proper compliment of pollen, as did organic brands from common grocery stores. When choosing honey, be sure it is raw, unfiltered, and 100% pure, from a trusted source. Honey Should Be Consumed Only in Moderation Honey has many healthy attributes, but it is also high in fructose, averaging around 53 percent. Each teaspoon of honey has nearly four grams of fructose, which means it can exacerbate pre-existing insulin resistance and wreak havoc on your body if consumed in excess. So when consuming honey, carefully add the total grams of fructose (including fruits) that you consume each day, and stay below 25 grams of total fructose per day. Keep in mind, though, that if you have insulin resistance (i.e. if you are taking drugs for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or if you're overweight) you'd be better off avoiding all sweeteners, including honey, since any sweetener can decrease your insulin sensitivity and worsen your insulin resistance. If you’re healthy, however, eating raw honey in moderation could provide many of the benefits listed above. Source: mercola.com, 3/30/16.

The Truth About Chiropractic

Many are confused about the benefits and value of chiropractic treatment. According to Dr. DeMoss, a chiropractor with a practice in Newport Beach, who believes chiropractic is vastly underutilized. He’s also the founder one of the largest chiropractic teaching events in the world. Many will only consider chiropractic when they have back or neck pain, but its scope actually goes far beyond that. “I try to get people to understand that your nervous system and your brain control every function of your body.” “When we have a condition in chiropractic we call subluxation, which is misalignment or dysfunction in the spine as far as mobility is concerned, it can cause nerve interference, which will interfere with the expression of intelligence that flows over the spinal cord and nerves." "It can contribute not only causing pain that most people perceive as a chiropractic problem but also can cause organs not to function 100 percent.” Chiropractic as Preventive Medicine Research by Dr. Harrison and others suggests chiropractic treatments can help prevent progressive spinal degeneration, i.e. osteoarthritis or disc disease. Just like regular dental care will prolong the life of your teeth, getting regular chiropractic treatments can do the same for your spine. Your spinal column, the vertebrae, and the discs, also protect your most delicate and important system — your nervous system — and impingements can contribute to a number of health problems and ailments. According to Dr. DeMoss, anything you do to protect and nurture your spine will promote “greater expression of nerve intelligence” and “a higher vibrancy in health.” “Healthcare is really about doing everything you can to get the body back in alignment, not only chemically but also spiritually and mentally." "Where I think chiropractic shines is that we address the cause of the problem. Your child might have asthma, but it’s not because he’s got a shortage of albuterol; an ear infection is not a shortage of amoxicillin. Those things have their place in a crisis situation. But [chiropractors] don’t look at the symptoms; they look at what caused the symptoms." "Many times if there’s nerve interference lowering the expression and function of organs, it can contribute to the body not functioning at 100 percent and then the body becomes sick or symptomatic." "What we do is look at the individual holistically and see what’s going on with their nervous system." A Brief History of Chiropractic Osteopathic medicine was founded by Andrew Taylor about 140 years ago. Doctors of Osteopathy (DO's), like chiropractors, receive extensive additional training in spinal adjustments. However, in my experience, only a small percentage of DO's are really skilled in this area as they have chosen a more conventional allopathic model, which includes more of an emphasis on drugs and surgery rather than diet and lifestyle changes. Daniel “D.D.” Palmer is considered the father of chiropractic. He opened the first chiropractic school in 1897. In 1910, the Flexner Report, which was funded by the Carnegie and the Rockefeller Foundations, set a new tone for medicine and led to the systematic undermining of natural medicine. In the 1960s, there was a persistent tendency to suppress physicians from referring patients to chiropractors — so much so that Dr. Chester Wilk ended up filing an antitrust suit against the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1976. The lawsuit dragged on for more than a decade, but Dr. Wilk was ultimately successful. In 1987, the court ruled that the AMA had engaged in an unlawful conspiracy in restraint of trade to 'contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession.' How Children Can Benefit From Chiropractic A large portion of chiropractic patients are children. They don’t come in for pain issues, but rather your typical childhood problems such as colic, earaches, allergies, and asthma, for example. “Children are healing machines. As long as you get things properly lined up, their metabolism and capacity to heal is in there." "It’s sad because I’ll see kids that come to me and it’s the same story over and over. It’s like, he’s on his 12th round of antibiotics, and I’m thinking to myself, Why would you continue to do something if it didn’t work the first, second, third, or even fourth time? Why do you keep doing it?" "When you just indiscriminately use an antibiotic ... you’re destroying part of your ... immune function." "The more antibiotics these kids take, the weaker their immune systems and the worse the symptoms get. That’s what I do as a chiropractor. I’m really good about adjusting. But I’m really an articulate teacher. I make it so that people can understand it.” Not All Chiropractors Have the Same Philosophy According to Dr. DeMoss, “chiropractic is like brushing your teeth;” it’s something you need to do on a regular basis to maintain the life of your spine, because regular activities, even prolonged sitting, can contribute to its functioning less than optimally. Some chiropractors focus primarily on pain and injuries, so it’s important to make sure the chiropractor you choose has the appropriate health and wellness philosophy. Most of Dr. DeMoss’ patients come to him via word of mouth, and this is perhaps one of the best ways to find a good wellness chiropractor. You may also want to find out if he or she is trained in any other treatment modalities such as muscle testing, physiotherapy, rehab, or nutrition. There are literally dozens of different techniques that can have a profound impact on addressing the underlying component of disease, not just the structural. Tips for Choosing a Wellness Chiropractor • Ask your friends for a recommendation. A friend who knows both you and the chiropractor may be able to judge whether your health philosophies and personalities are compatible. • Meet the doctor. Many chiropractors will agree to a no-cost consultation to determine whether you are a good match. To make this visit as productive as possible, here are a few things to consider: 1. Does the practice focus on vertebral subluxation and wellness? Physical, biochemical, and psychological stress may result in spinal subluxations that disrupt nerve function and compromise your health. If you’re looking for a wellness chiropractor, it’s essential that this be the focus. Some chiropractors confine their practice to the mechanical treatment of back and neck pain, and this is something you need to be aware of beforehand. 2. Does the doctor “walk the talk”? If he or she is overweight, looks unhealthy, or does not live a healthy lifestyle, this speaks volumes regarding their commitment to wellness. 3. Do the two of you "click"? Do you like each other? Do you communicate well? Avoid a doctor who seems rushed, talks down to you, or seems disinterested in listening to your concerns. 4. Does the doctor use objective measurements of function? Since your care is not based just on addressing pain, your chiropractor should be using some form of objective assessment of your nerve function, as spinal subluxations can sometimes be asymptomatic. (I personally prefer the 'progress graph' that measures palpation, posture, range of motion, reflexes, orthopedic tests, neurological tests, etc.) 5. What treatment techniques are used? Chiropractic techniques can include more forceful adjustments by hand, and less forceful adjustments using instruments. Ask which technique would be used on you, and if they have a preference. As mentioned earlier, many chiropractors are also trained in other complementary techniques, so ask what else your doctor may have in his or her tool bag. Chiropractic Is Good for More Than Just Pain According to Dr. DeMoss, if you’re not healthy, chiropractic can often address the underlying causes. Naturally, diet and lifestyle play major roles. To give you an example of what he’s talking about, a patient Dr. DeMoss has treated for 20 years told him about his daughter-in-law’s infertility problem. She’d been trying to get pregnant for two and a half years, and they’d spent about $75,000 on infertility treatments, without any success. “I said, ‘Gary, why didn’t you refer her here?’ It doesn’t make sense to put the bun in the oven if the oven is not working. He didn’t think there was any correlation between her back and her capacity to become pregnant. So he sent her in. She was in her 10th week of care here when she became pregnant." "I want people to understand that when something is not working in your body, there are things that we can do to make it work, other than drugs and surgery. It’s so sad that people have this limited belief set on what chiropractic is about. It’s more than just you coming in and seeing us as a Band-Aid to get rid of your pain." "In reality, I want people to come and utilize chiropractic to maximize their expression of life and maximize not only the quality but the quantity of the life that God have intended for them.” More Information To make an appointment or refer someone to our office to see Dr. Beck, Dr. Thibodeau or Dr. Gomm, please call this number: 920-954-1002. This simple call could have a life-changing effect on you or someone you love. Source: Mercola.com, 3/10/16.