Manuka Honey may Treat Deadly Heart Disease Naturally
In a recent discovery by University of Iowa researchers, it was found that the lethal effects of staphylococcal infective endocarditis, a bacterial infection which can cause the heart valves to stop working properly and kills approximately 20,000 Americans every year is really due to superantigens – toxins produced in very large quantities by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria. These bacterial toxins cause the immune system to break down and in the process lead to a debilitating and possibly fatal heart disease along with a host of other health concerns.
Fortunately, there is a natural treatment for staph bacteria that has been well documented – manuka honey.
There is a synergistic action between oxacillin and manuka honey against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This study found in PLOS One was undertaken to search for further synergistic combinations of antibiotics and honey that might have potential in treating wounds.
“Fifteen antibiotics were tested with and without sublethal concentrations of manuka honey against each of MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using disc diffusion, broth dilution, E strip, chequerboard titration and growth curves. Five novel antibiotic and manuka honey combinations were found that improved antibacterial effectiveness in vitro and these offer a new avenue of future topical treatments for wound infections caused by these two important pathogens.”
Read: 5 Natural Antibiotic Solutions for Antibiotic-Resistant Infections
If, according to Patrick Schlievert, Ph.D., UI professor and chair of microbiology at the UI Carver College of Medicine, the ‘function of a superantigen is to ‘mess’ with the immune system,’ and the immune system is positively influenced by manuka honey, then it is possible that this heart valve degradation would not ensue. Other problems with an over-active immune system include capillary leakage, low blood pressure, shock, fever, destruction of the heart valves, and strokes – all induced by staph bacteria.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), staph bacteria is one of the most significant causes of serious infective diseases in the United States. The ScienceDaily article (linked just above) states that “Despite the serious nature of this disease, little progress has been made over the past several decades in treating the deadly condition.”
However, manuka honey has been shown to heal numerous infections, wounds and ulcers to a much more pronounced level than many other types of antibacterial honey. It even assists in growing new skin that is resistant to further staph infections.
So don’t wait – experience the many health benefits of honey today.