Medical-grade honey kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria

I was reading about Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which sadly took the life of a model in Brazil recently.

The bacteria causes about 10 percent of the roughly 2 million hospital-acquired infections each year in the U.S., according to health officials. - dispatch

It seems resistant to antibiotics, but some work. Honey also seems to kill it.

Antibiotic resistance among microbes urgently necessitates the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Since ancient times, honey has been used successfully for treatment of infected wounds, because of its antibacterial activity. However, large variations in the in vitro antibacterial activity of various honeys have been reported and hamper its acceptance in modern medicine. METHODS: We assessed the in vitro bactericidal activity of Revamil (Bfactory), a medical-grade honey produced under controlled conditions, and assessed its efficacy for reduction of forearm skin colonization in healthy volunteers in a within-subject-controlled trial. RESULTS: With Bacillus subtilis as a test strain, we demonstrated that the variation in bactericidal activity of 11 batches of medical-grade honey was <2-fold. Antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella oxytoca were killed within 24 h by 10%-40% (vol/vol) honey. After 2 days of application of honey, the extent of forearm skin colonization in healthy volunteers was reduced 100-fold (P < .001), and the numbers of positive skin cultures were reduced by 76% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Revamil is a promising topical antimicrobial agent for prevention or treatment of infections, including those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

via Medical-grade honey kills antibiotic-resistant bac...[Clin Infect Dis. 2008] - PubMed Result.

Now I know why we put honey in our tea for sore throats. (It has been about 25 days and my long lasting sore throat is almost gone...)

Renewed interest in honey for various therapeutic purposes including treatment of infected wounds has led to the search for new antibacterial honeys. In this study we have assessed the antibacterial activity of three locally produced honeys and compared them to three commercial therapeutic honeys (including Medihoney and manuka honey). METHODS: An agar dilution method was used to assess the activity of honeys against 13 bacteria and one yeast. The honeys were tested at five concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 20%. RESULTS: Twelve of the 13 bacteria were inhibited by all honeys used in this study with only Serratia marcescens and the yeast Candida albicans not inhibited by the honeys. Little or no antibacterial activity was seen at honey concentrations <1%, with minimal inhibition at 5%. No honey was able to produce complete inhibition of bacterial growth. Although Medihoney and manuka had the overall best activity, the locally produced honeys had equivalent inhibitory activity for some, but not all, bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: Honeys other than those commercially available as antibacterial honeys can have equivalent antibacterial activity. These newly identified antibacterial honeys may prove to be a valuable source of future therapeutic honeys. - nih

So how do you kill candida yeast (a fungus)?

One site says the way to fight a candida explosion naturally is taking pro biotic bacteria, eating chlorophyll-rich foods, like leafy greens which promote acidophilus growth and discourage yeast reproduction, German chamomile tea before or after eating to stimulate HCL and promote proper digestion (also fights gas). The site also says that "berberine in these herbs is lethal to candida." and while some people are sensitive to it, garlic is a powerful antifungal and immune stimulant.

After about 25 days of mostly resting and drinking fluids but still having a sore throat, a cough and swollen glands in my neck, I'm wondering what the heck I have. I'm looking at all options. In the process, I'm eating a lot of healthy stuff. Blood test results tomorrow. Hopefully from the white blood cell count I'll be able to tell something...

A white blood cell cont of less than 500 puts you at risk for a fatal infection, and a WBC of above 30,000 indicates a massive infection or serious disease such as lukemia. Normal is 4,500 to 10,000. I asked to find out the numbers of different types of white blood cells too because that can explain some things. More details on the normal readings of various types of white blood cells here.

Update 1.27.2009. Thanks for the positive vibes. It worked. :-) The cough is finally gone, after about 1 month. The sore throat is almost all gone, but I still have the swollen neck glands. All tests came back normal, including tests for Neutrophils. I didn't pick up a parasite, no bacterial infection remains and that I don't have any STDs (I got checked for EVERYTHING just in case.) I just had a bad virus and I suspect that the secondhand smoke I am unable to escape in my living situation slowed my recovery and is playing a part in my symptoms at this point.