Sunday, February 22, 2009

Honey, the Ultimate Natural Antibacterial Agent

Honeymark, a manufacturer of skin care products, uses honey as a main ingredient because of its ability to kill bacteria and other infectious microbes.

Most people think of honey as merely a food item. However, honey is gaining its well-deserved notoriety as a medicinal ingredient because of its powerful antibacterial properties. There are four main characteristics of honey that are responsible for its ability to kill bacteria: Osmolarity, acidity, hydrogen peroxide and floral nectar.

Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugar that is high in osmolarity. It is this osmolarity that allows honey to destroy bacteria and fungus by drawing moisture for their cells. Fungal and bacterial cells require moisture to survive. Therefore, honey destroys bacteria and fungi by dehydration.

In addition to honey's osmotic effect, its acidity plays an important role in its antibacterial activity. Honey contains a number of acids, including amino acids and organic acids. Honey has a pH between 3.2 and 4.5 which inhibits the growth of bacteria. The optimum pH for growth of these species normally falls between 7.2 and 7.4.

The hydrogen peroxide producing capacity of honey is believed to be the main reason for its antibacterial activity. Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria on contact and has been widely used for that very purpose. However, straight hydrogen peroxide is unstable and rapidly loses its effectiveness when exposed to air and light. It can also damage tissue when used in high concentrations. However, honey produces low levels of hydrogen peroxide over a prolonged period of time. This slow-release capability makes honey particularly ideal for treating infected wounds.

The variation of honey's antibacterial properties are predicated on the floral source, more specifically, the nectar used by the honeybees that produce the honey. Some types of honey contain more antibacterial properties than others. It has been determined that Manuka Honey from New Zealand has the highest amount of antibacterial properties than any other type of honey. Manuka Honey is made by bees that gather nectar from the flowers that grow on the Manuka tree which can be found predominately in New Zealand and certain parts of Australia. It is believed that the floral components of Manuka Honey enhance the other antimicrobial properties that are present, creating a synergistic action that is optimal for therapeutic use.

In addition to Manuka Honey's antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, it has been determined that it stimulates B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes to multiply which boosts the body's immune system. Manuka Honey also contains anti-inflammatory properties which can help reduce pain when used topically on the skin. Manuka Honey is also rich in vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids.

Manuka Honey has a miraculous way of repairing damaged skin and regenerating new skin growth which is why it is an excellent natural ingredient to use in skin care products. A company called Honeymark has developed a line of skin care products that contain Manuka Honey as a natural healing agent. Honeymark's line includes the following products:

Blended with other useful ingredients, Honeymark products take the sticky mess out of applying honey directly to the skin. Honeymark also sells pure Manuka Honey for individuals who are interested in taking advantage of its internal uses. When taken orally, Manuka Honey is effective in treating conditions such as stomach aches, stomach ulcers, soar throats, steph throat, acid reflux disease, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, cold and flu symptoms, etc.

"Manuka Honey has far more impressive healing qualities than any other type of honey," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "Honey was used for medicinal purposes for many years before modern-day medicines were invented. With growing concerns of the negative side effects associated with the use of pharmaceuticals along with the ineffectiveness of antibiotics against certain drug-resistant strains of infectious bacteria, honey is slowing finding its way back into the favor of medical professionals around the world."

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Honey, the Medicine of Choice for Many

After being forgotten as a viable treatment source, honey is being rediscovered as a preferred method of healing a wide spectrum of health conditions, both internally and topically on the skin.

Many cultures have embraced the concept of using honey as a medicine. Cave paintings in Spain dating as far back as 7000 B.C. show men collecting honey from a bee colony. The medicinal properties of honey have been known since ancient times. A Sumerian tablet from around 3000 B.C. prescribes honey to treat an infected skin ulcer. Papyrus writings dated 2000 B.C. from Egypt prescribes honey to treat a gaping wound of the eyebrow. Before modern-day medicine as we know it was invented, honey was used for its medicinal properties.

The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans all used honey to treat a variety of ailments. Around 350 B.C., Aristotle wrote about honey being used to treat wounds and sore eyes. Muhammad, the Muslim prophet, recommended honey to treat diarrhea, and the Koran mentions the curative properties of honey.

Once the therapeutic value of honey was discovered, it was widely used regularly as for medical purposes. Ancient cultures accepted the use of honey as a medicine. The medicinal benefits of honey were passed on from generation to generation, and today honey is a popular medicine in many parts of the world, with a notable exception of the United States.

Why not the U.S.? Many in the American medical community still view honey as a food item and well outside the mainstream of medicine. Many U.S. doctors are reluctant to even experiment with honey for fear of being ostracized by their peers. However, European and other countries have a long history of honey and its medicinal benefits.

One U.S. company has made major strides in bringing the use of honey as a medicine back into the limelight. Honeymark International, a New York-based company uses a particular type of honey from New Zealand known as Manuka Honey in its products. Even though all types of honey have medicinal qualities, Manuka Honey seems to have more than others.

When using Manuka Honey to treat internal ailments, such as stomach ulcers, strep throat, acid reflux, etc., ingesting it is easy because many of us enjoy eating honey, and it tastes better than medicine. However, using Manuka Honey topically on the skin can be somewhat of a sticky mess. Honeymark has developed skin care products containing active Manuka Honey as a natural healing agent to avoid this inconvenience. Honeymark's cream-based products and lotions make it easy to take advantages of the health benefits of Manuka Honey.

Honeymark offers a line of Manuka Honey skin care products to treat conditions such as infected wounds, burns, eczema, ringworm, acne, arthritis and even wrinkles. Manuka Honey has very powerful antibacterial properties that make it ideal for eliminating infectious bacteria that are responsible for many health concerns. One of Manuka Honey's greatest accolades is its ability to health MRSA Staph infections, where antibiotics and other traditional forms of medicine have failed.

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Honey, Natures Medicine

It has been discovered that honey contains natural healing properties that are capable of treating a wide range of health conditions.

The idea of using honey as a medicine should not be viewed as being far-fetched. After all, honey is derived from the nectar of flowers and many plants are well known for their medicinal qualities. Honeybees enhance the medicinal qualities of the nectar by adding enzymes to it when producing honey.

Honey is considered to be antimicrobial and capable of destroying many of the infectious microorganisms that cause disease and health complications. Whether it's a bacteria, virus, fungus or parasite, honey inhibits these pesty little microbes from causing harm. Honey has been known to be effective in destroying the following pathogens:

* Bacillus anthracis
* Corynebacterium diphtheriae
* Escherichia coli
* Haemophilus influenzae
* Listeria monocytogenes
* Mycobactyerium tuberulosis
* Pasteurella multocida
* Pseudomonas aeruginosa
* Salmonella
* Serratia marcescens
* Shigella
* Staphylococcus aureus
* Streptococcus species
* Vibrio cholerae

Honey’s antibacterial properties vary predicated on the floral source, more specifically, the flowers that the bees gather nectar from. Some types of honey are more effective as a medicine than others. For example, Manuka Honey from New Zealand is exceptionally effective in treating many conditions from stomach ulcers to MRSA Staph infections. Manuka Honey’s healing properties are due to osmolarity, acidity, hydrogen peroxide and unique plant derived components. As a result, Manuka Honey is being viewed as an excellent alternative to traditional forms of medicine, particularly in cases where conventional medicine has proven to be ineffective.

“The therapeutic potential of honey is grossly underestimated and underutilized,” says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International, which is a manufacturer of health care products containing active Manuka Honey as a natural healing agent. “It’s health benefits, both internally and topically on the skin, are being recognized worldwide and will most likely replace many chemical-based ingredients in health care products in the future.”

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey and Manuka Honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Monday, February 2, 2009

5 Reasons to Give Manuka Honey a Try

As the world seems to get smaller and technologies continue to be developed in all aspects of life, people the world over seem to be getting worse over time. Each year more people suffer from allergies than ever before. The immune system of many people is frazzled to say the least. It seems as though we are being attacked on all sides.

More and more, people are looking to find natural remedies for what ails them. Manuka honey has shown tremendous potential in helping people from all walks of life. What follows is a brief list of reasons to try manuka honey and see how it can transform your life.

Antibacterial

Manuka honey fights off harmful bacteria and actually helps accelerate the healing process in many individuals. Tests prove that manuka honey’s antibacterial properties are second to none and can stave off harmful bacteria, even if seriously diluted in the process. Malodor is not a problem when the antibacterial properties of manuka honey are allowed to do their healing work.

Healing Properties

The natural healing properties of manuka honey help to create a protective barrier between wounds and the elements. This barrier ultimately helps wounds to heal faster and skin tends to regenerate faster as a result.

Stimulates Growth

As the healing process continues to work, manuka honey and products made from manuka honey help to stimulate growth of new tissue at the sites of wounds and other skin and affected tissues. Blood vessel stimulation and regeneration is another amazing result of the continued use of manuka honey and its many by-products.

Antifungal

In addition to being anti bacterial and having healing properties, manuka honey is also an antifungal product of nature. Fungus can have serious adverse effects on people; clearly manuka honey is a product that is worth looking into, since it fights bacteria and fungi, all while retaining restorative properties.

Nature’s Gift

Something that claims to have so many positive attributes usually sounds too good to be true. Manuka honey occurs in nature and is not man-made. Give manuka honey a try for a wide variety of ailments and applications and see if it can help you to transform your current quality of life and care regimen.

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of become a certified nurses assistant. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Manuka Honey for the Treatment of Wounds

Doctors around the world are taking advantage of a unique type of honey that is indigenous to New Zealand called Manuka Honey because of its incomparable healing properties, particularly in the area of wound care.

Manuka Honey is derived from the nectar of the tea tree flower which grows wild throughout the pollution-free countryside of New Zealand. This amazing natural resource is gaining worldwide acceptance as a breakthrough wound dressing because of its exceptional ability to disinfect and heal.

There are hundreds of different types of honeys that are produced by bees around the world. Even though all types of honey contain some healing properties, mostly due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, Manuka Honey is renowned for having the most medicinal compounds which sets it apart of the rest. Manuka Honey is known for having the following characteristics:

* antibacterial
* antimicrobial
* antiviral
* anti-parasitic
* antioxidant
* antiseptic
* anti-inflammatory
* anti-fungal

Because of these curative qualities, Manuka Honey is considered a viable treatment alternative to conventional medicines and has become a staple within the medical industry. Manuka Honey possesses all of the necessary qualities to be the perfect wound dressing. There are many components to wound care. Below are some key points that make Manuka Honey ideal for wound management:

1. Its antibacterial properties destroy harmful microorganisms that cause infection.
2. Its anti-inflammatory properties help to reduce pain.
3. It has the ability to repair damaged skin and regenerate new skin growth.
4. It creates a moist healing environment that allows new skin cells to grow flush with the surface of the wound, preventing deformity of the skin and scaring.
5. It eliminates malodor by destroying the bacteria that cause it.
6. It's effective in destroying antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA.
7. It's an all-natural substance that has been found to have no negative side effects.

One skin care manufacturer is now using Manuka Honey as a main ingredient in their products. Honeymark has developed a wound care product containing active Manuka Honey as a natural healing agent. Their First Aid Antiseptic Lotion has been used to treat serious conditions such as chronic wounds, skin ulcers, pressure sores, MRSA Staph infections and other hard-to-heal wounds where traditional forms of medicine have failed.

"We've taken the sticky mess out of applying Manuka Honey directly to the skin," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "Our First Aid Antiseptic Lotion is a formulation of wound healing ingredients combined with all of the healing benefits of Manuka Honey."

Honeymark's First Aid Antiseptic Lotion with Manuka Honey can also be used for minor cuts, scrapes and burns. For more information or to purchase this product, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Treating Acne with Manuka Honey

It has been discovered that a special type of honey found in New Zealand called Manuka Honey has natural healing properties which help to repair skin affected by acne.

Manuka Honey has been used as a topical agent to treat a wide range of skin problems, including infected wounds, burns, eczema, ringworm, etc. It has recently been gaining worldwide recognition for its ability to draw moisture out of bacterial cells, killing even the most resilient forms of infectious bacteria, including MRSA. It is now recognized that Manuka Honey also has the ability to draw impurities out of the skin, unclogging pores and clearing acne breakouts. It penetrates the blocked follicle, kills the bacteria that cause acne and helps to unblock the follicle allowing the built up infection to be released. This leaves a sterile clear follicle which heals quickly, reducing or even preventing scars from forming.

Independent studies have shown that Manuka Honey reduces inflammation and promotes the healing process. Unlike ingredients found in many acne products, Manuka Honey has a very hydrating effect on the skin. It is a known fact that hydrated skin heals better and faster than dry skin. Manuka Honey is regarded as a natural moisturizer. Since it's a natural ingredient and an anti-irritant, Manuka Honey doesn't aggravate sensitive skin, which is common among acne sufferers.

Manuka Honey is known for its effectiveness as an antimicrobial agent. This makes it useful for treating acne breakouts because it prevents bacteria from growing. The acidic environment of honey is not an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Honey is also low in protein which deprives bacteria of nitrogen, an element needed for bacteria to grow. With infection-causing bacteria eliminated, redness associated with acne is also eliminated. In addition, Manuka Honey's anti-inflammatory properties help to eliminate inflamed tissue that may be causing pain or discomfort.

A New York-based manufacturer of skin care products called Honeymark has combined the formulation of a powerful acne cream with the potent healing properties of active Manuka Honey. Honeymark's Acne Cream contains a medical-grade Manuka Honey that quickly goes to work on pimples yielding immediate results.

"Manuka Honey's antibacterial properties penetrating deeply into the epidermis, killing bacteria and relieving blocked follicles," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "The moist healing environment created by Manuka Honey allows new skin to grow flush with the surface of the skin which prevents scarring or skin deformity in more serious cases of acne."

For more information or to purchase Honeymark's Acne Cream with Manuka Honey, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Manuka Honey as a Natural Alternative to Antibiotics

Recent studies have shown that a particular type of honey outperforms antibiotics when treating many health complications, both internally and topically on the skin.

There is a natural alternative to conventional medicine when treating certain health conditions such as stomach ulcers, acid reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, infected wounds, pressure sores, etc. This natural treatment solution comes in the form of a special type of honey found only in New Zealand called Manuka Honey.

Since Manuka Honey contains natural antimicrobial properties, many health conditions caused by harmful microorganisms (bacterial, viral or fungal) can be treated with Manuka Honey. Since pharmaceuticals are notorious for causing negative side effects, Manuka Honey is being viewed as a safe alternative. It has been discovered that Manuka Honey contains extremely powerful antibacterial properties that can effectively treat a wide spectrum of health conditions, without any harmful side effects.

But don't be fooled. Just because Manuka Honey is a natural substance, doesn't mean it has less healing powers than medicine. Not only does Manuka Honey work like a medicine in treating certain conditions, in many cases, it seems to work better than antibiotics and shows effectiveness even where traditional forms of medicine have failed. For example, the resilient antibiotic-resistant suberbugs known as MRSA that are responsible for causing potentially life-threatening Staph infections are no match to the antibacterial action of Manuka Honey. This unique medical-grade honey goes to work at disabling the dangerous microbes by dehydrating them and preventing them from multiplying.

For conditions such as gastrointestinal complications, IBS and H. pylori/stomach ulcers, Manuka Honey can be taken orally. However, Manuka Honey has many useful topical applications as well. For example, when applied directly to the skin, Manuka Honey is effective in treating conditions such as acne, burns, wounds, eczema, ringworm and any other bacterial or fungal infection.

Medical professionals around the world are beginning to recognize the benefits of using Manuka Honey instead of antibiotics and other medications. Unlike antibiotics, it's not crucial to identify the type of bacteria that is causing the infection as Manuka Honey destroys all infectious microorganisms that may be present. When using antibiotics, the specific infectious bacterium has to be identified in order to determine which antibiotic should be used.

There is also no problem with resistance when using Manuka Honey for medicinal purposes. When using antibiotics, there is a 50% chance that it won't work due to bacteria becoming so widely resistant to antibiotics in recent years. To date, there has been no reports of any bacteria being able to develop a resistance to Manuka Honey. With experts predicting the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in the future, doctors will become more reliant on Manuka Honey's unparalleled antibacterial properties.

Manuka Honey's ability to eradicate MRSA is now being viewed as a major breakthrough in the health care industry, as reports of Staph infections are running rampant all over the world. The CDC has recently determined that MRSA now kills more people in the U.S. than AIDS, making it a serious health concern of epidemic proportion. With antibiotics proving to be relatively useless against MRSA, Manuka Honey's efficacy is gaining worldwide recognition.

Another benefit of using Manuka Honey for medical purposes is that it tastes better than medicine. Manuka Honey is also less expensive than most medicine as well. People all over the world are using Manuka Honey to treat heartburn, ulcers, stomach aches, gastritis and other internal health complications. For skin care, Manuka Honey must be applied topically and can be used for any kind of wounds, skin ulcers, sores, insect stings/bites, poison ivy/oak, scrapes, acne, eczema, etc. Even cosmetically, Manuka Honey is being used to reduce wrinkles on the skin.

Because of Manuka Honey's rich, sweet taste, taking it orally is usually not a problem. However, Manuka Honey can be somewhat of a sticky mess when used on the skin. A company called Honeymark has developed a line of skin care products containing active Manuka Honey to eliminate this inconvenience.

"Even though it is very effective, using Manuka Honey externally to treat conditions such as eczema, athlete's foot or any other condition that covers a large portion of the skin can be impractical because of its sticky nature," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "That's why our customers prefer using our Manuka Honey skin care products over pure Manuka Honey. Our products offer all of the same benefits to using Manuka Honey without the sticky mess."

It's important to know that Manuka Honey can be diluted 100 fold and still be effective as a natural healing agent. Therefore, using Manuka Honey as a main ingredient in liquid-based or cream-based products presents no threat of it losing its potency. For internal purposes, Buonanotte recommends taking pure Manuka Honey orally, as long as it's a medical-grade active Manuka Honey (UMF 10 or higher). For external purposes, Honeymark's Manuka Honey skin care products are user friendly with a much more desirable application.

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey and Honeymark's Manuka Honey skin care products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.