Medihoney...heard of it???

ktwlpn, LPN · Jan 22, 2008

Has anyone out there heard of medihoney for diabetic ulcers? Have you had any patients who use it, and was it effective? I have a diabetic nephew that heard of this and he is asking me all about it. I have never had any experience with it, never seen it used. Any info would be great, thanks!!

There is another thread around here that mentions honey for wound healing-here's what I found with a quick search...

Medihoney honey is a standardised antibacterial honey used in a range of medical honey products branded Medihoney.It's predominantly leptospermum honey, selected for its unique wound cleaning and antibacterial barrier properties.It's available in gel and dressings and is inexpensive.

It can be used for both chronic and acute wounds and provides a moist environment for healing.It's use is indicated in arterial and diabetic ulcers,surgical wounds,burns,donor and recipient graft sites,pressure sores and general first aid.I'm going to mention it to our wound Guru.....

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jan 22, 2008

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/565016

There is research noted here that all honeys are not alike. I certainly would not recommend your nephew to try it on his own. Have him ask his pmd about it.

vigilants · Jan 22, 2008

Has anyone out there heard of medihoney for diabetic ulcers? Have you had any patients who use it, and was it effective? I have a diabetic nephew that heard of this and he is asking me all about it. I have never had any experience with it, never seen it used. Any info would be great, thanks!!

hi,

in my experience

i use medihoney for wounds that are sloughy and smelly due to infection and its has a good effect.

EmmaG, RN · Jan 22, 2008

Five years ago a 12-year old patient was submitted to our unit. Doctors at another hospital had removed an abdominal lymphoma, leaving an open drainage site on his abdomen. On admission, his wound was infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Although the patient was scheduled to receive chemotherapy, treatment could not commence until the infection cleared. The wound was treated with a local antiseptic (octenidin) for 12 days. Since no improvement occurred, we decided to use an Australian medical honey (MedihoneyTM), which contains leptospermum honey, a type with excellent in vitro activity against MRSA (5-7). The wound was free of bacteria two days later, and the chemotherapy against the underlying illness could be started.

What makes medical honey effective? Medical honey is hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture out of the environment and thus dehydrates bacteria. The enzyme glucose oxidase, produces gluconic acid and minute amounts of hydrogen peroxide when in contact with the wound surface.
In addition, each charge contains light- and heat-stable, in vitro confirmed antibacterial properties from Leptospermum spp. honeys. The pH level of honey is low (mean 4.4). Bacterial colonization or infection and recalcitrant wound healing situations are often accompanied by high pH values in wound exudates and lowering the pH speeds healing.

In a study conducted in 2003, Biswal et al. (47) investigated the use of honey in 40 adult patients with head and neck cancer. Patients consumed 20 ml (one and one-third teaspoon) of pure honey 15 min before, 15 min after and 6 h post-treatment. There was significant reduction in the symptomatic grade three-fourth mucositis (which describes the necessity for morphine infusion and parenteral nutrition) among honey-treated patients compared with controls; i.e. 20% versus 75% (P
Al-Waili et al. published a cross over trial (9) in which 16 adult patients with a history of recurrent attacks of herpetic lesions, 8 labial and 8 genital, were treated by topical application of honey for one attack and acyclovir cream for another attack. For labial herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting and mean healing time with honey treatment were 35, 39, 28 and 43% shorter, respectively, than with acyclovir treatment. For genital herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting and mean healing time with honey treatment were 53, 50, 49 and 59% shorter, respectively, than with acyclovir. Two cases of labial herpes and one case of genital herpes remitted completely with the use of honey.
http://www.medihoney.com/PDF/Medical_Honey_for_Wound_Care_Still_the_Latest_Resort.pdf
http://www.medihoney.com/PDF/Medical_honey_MRSA_Au_final.pdf
Fascinating :)

trmr · Jan 23, 2008

http://www.medihoney.com/PDF/Medical_Honey_for_Wound_Care_Still_the_Latest_Resort.pdf
http://www.medihoney.com/PDF/Medical_honey_MRSA_Au_final.pdf
Fascinating :)

wanted to thank you for this, very helpful!!!!!

lorabel · Jan 23, 2008

trmr, Very interesting! My dad raises honeybees and sells the honey and bee pollen. You would be amazed at things honey is used for. I don't want this to sound like a sales pitch..but...here goes. Honey is the purest food......bacteria can't grow in it. When we get a cut we put a lil honey on it and it heals 10 times faster! A teaspoon or so of PURE honey is better than any cough syrup on the market... It is also a natural sugar substitute. When buying honey though, make sure it's pure and not pasteurized or watered down or whatever they do with it. Search the web and you find lots of info on honey! At my hospital we were not allowed to give any info on drugs, etc. that weren't approved by our facility. I would recommend that you tell your patient you can't advise him but recommend he search the internet or ask his MD? I'm sure buying pure honey is cheaper than "medihoney"!!!!! :idea:

EmmaG, RN · Jan 23, 2008

Medihoney is irradiated to rid it of clostridium spores. I wouldn't advise using raw honey on a wound.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm

stacey2275 · Feb 6, 2008

I have a patient with a new order to begin MediHoney to her non-healing wounds. We are just waiting for insurance approval and delivery. I came across this very interesting article while trying to find as much information about this treatment: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22398921/

allnurses Guide · Apr 8, 2008

There are also FDA-approved dressings impregnated with medical grade honey. Also called Medihoney, by Comvita. There's a nice range of alginates impregnated with honey.

nightmare, RN · Apr 8, 2008

Is this the same as menuka (sp?) honey?Which I know diabetics in the UK use for slow healing ulcers.

sfsn · Apr 9, 2008

Honey is the purest food......bacteria can't grow in it.

I think this is all very fascinating! But I thought we can't feed honey to babies because it can contain botulinum toxin.