Ulcers in diabetics: Treating with honey?

Applying honey to ulcers in diabetics will heal wounds that are not " limbs " (amputation of arms and legs) to avoid necrosis? An American physician is testing the method, according to AFP news on May 4 .

Ulcers in diabetic people are long and often have to be spent to avoid necrosis (Photo: jmu.edu)

The professor (Professor) Jennifer Eddy, of the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin, USA, used honey to heal ulcerative wounds of many diabetics, helping them not to suffer from limbs. due to infection and necrosis of the wound.

This therapy is very simple. The doctor only needs to apply a thick layer of honey to an ulcer after disinfecting the wound and removing dead cells.

Prof. Eddy said honey has a bactericidal effect because honey is highly acidic, has low water content and has hydrogen peroxide produced from its natural enzymes. Moreover, the use of honey also helps to prevent bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

In diabetics, the ability to fight infection has been reduced. Therefore, when they are injured or sores, they are very difficult to treat and often heal very long. When the wound is severely infected and the necrosis is widespread, it is difficult to avoid the passage. Mrs. Eddy said that now every 30 seconds, there is a case where the limb happens somewhere in the world.

Six years ago, Eddy used honey to heal a persistent ulcer in a 79-year-old diabetic patient.

She said: 'Due to drug resistance, all antibiotics become useless for this injury. After failing in all other therapies, I thought about honey. While covering honey on my wound, I did not allow patients to take any antibiotics. Luckily, the ulcer has healed completely in a short time. '

She said: 'Demonstrating honey that is able to accelerate the healing process will open great hope for many patients. This therapy not only addresses the problem of drug-resistant bacteria but also saves the cost of treatment. Its potential is huge. '

Honey can become a new, simple and effective therapy for treating wounds. (Photo: AFP)

Experts believe that the treatment of honey wounds will open enormous opportunities for about 200 million diabetics in the world, of which about 30 million suffer from ulcers .

After the initial successes are exciting, Professor Eddy is preparing to conduct a large test to widely apply this therapy to treat long-term wounds, especially in people with diabetes. She said: 'Rapid wound healing is an extremely important issue for human health'.

To participate in this trial, the patient must be over 18 years of age, with diabetes, suffering from ulcers below the knee and not taking Prednisone.

Professor Eddy hopes to complete testing and publish research results in 2008 or 2009.

Minh Quang