Manuka honey & neti

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#11

They did try other honey’s in the study but they don’t have the benefits. There is something that the New Zealand bees get in their honey that makes it efficient.

This is the honey that I got:
http://www.wedderspoon.ca/shop/organic-honey/organic-manuka-honey-active-16.html
I can say without doubts that this honey totally changed my life. I was stuck for 2 years with these reoccurring sinusitis and I could tell something bad was inside of me. It got to a point that I was talking to it. Getting hangry at it. GET OUT!!! GET OUT!!! LOL!!!

I’m confident that it went away with the manuka. Now 3 months later and I haven’t felt this good in years :wink:

hamajack: the manuka from president’s choice is from Australia. Not the same. Doesn’t look/taste the same. Maybe it does work to some extent. We never know!

I don’t disregard other honeys. I’m sure their good for local allergies and getting the nostrils smooth.

#12

[QUOTE=hamajack;14915]I am just using the manuka honey that President’s Choice sells at the grocery store so I’m not sure if it has “active” properties or not. I use about a tablespoon of the honey with warm water and some salt (about a tsp) and a pinch of baking soda. I think that it helps to soothe the back of the throat as well as clearing things out.[/QUOTE]

Hey hamajack,

I’m located in Canada and am wondering what results you have had with the President’s Choice Manuka Honey? Regular Manuka honey with active UMF ratings are not available in the stores (only by web order) and it is 5 times as expensive. I’ve been checking in on this board for a long while, hoping you’d give us an update. Please first preface your reply with an explanation of the length and severity of your sinusitis, whether it was chronic or acute, and which treatments you’ve already tried.

I have had a chronic sinus infection from Oct 2008 until today (4 months). I have been on 4 different antibiotics:

Amoxicillin-10 days b.i.d. (had absolutely no effect)
Zithromax- 10 days q.d. (worked, but phelgm returned 10 days after treatment ended)
Avelox- 21 days q.d. (symptoms disappeared after a week, but returned 3 days after treatment ended)
Clavulin- 14 days b.i.d. (took for 2 days with no effect and stopped because of bad diarrhea)
Ceftin- 14 days b.i.d. (haven’t started the course yet!)

There are many news articles on the study on treating sinus bacteria with Manuka honey. It explains that sinus infections are extremely hard to treat because the bacteria have formed “biofilms”, layers of living material that coat a surface (such as sinus cavities) and fight off normal drugs the way a raincoat sheds water.

Has anyone else with chronic sinusitis tried using Manuka honey with a neti pot for nasal/sinus irrigation?

POST YOUR EXPERIENCES!!!

#13

[QUOTE=jlg;15132]I can say without doubts that this honey totally changed my life. I was stuck for 2 years with these reoccurring sinusitis and I could tell something bad was inside of me. It got to a point that I was talking to it. Getting hangry at it. GET OUT!!! GET OUT!!! LOL!!!

I’m confident that it went away with the manuka. Now 3 months later and I haven’t felt this good in years :wink: [/QUOTE]

Hi JLG,

Well your post seems like it could have a lot of positive implications for the rest of us with sinusitis. So…I have some questions for you. Did you have chronic sinusitis or recurring acute sinusitis? Chronic sinusitis last longer than 6-8 weeks and does not resolve, except sometimes for a few days (after which it returns). Acute recurring sinusitis is sinusitis that cure within 4 weeks, but you keeping getting another infection because you are predisposed to sinus infections or you have a blockage. The difference is that “chronic” appears like its recurring, but its the same infection, and “acute recurring” is recurring different infections. Which antibiotics did u try?

Can you give us a detailed update of events since your last post and whether your symptoms recurred? Also let us know how many times a day you used the neti pot with honey, and for a total of how many days before your symptoms were resolved.

Looking forward to your responses!

#14

Whew, misterblack – has your dr looked at causes of sinusitis that might not be bacterial - like a fungus or something? Or have you (plural) done a culture to make sure it’s bacteria? I recognize that it’s really impudent of me to be questioning your MD but really . . . if a 10-day course of antibiotics was supposed to do the trick, there might be a different trick that needs trying.

#15

Hi misterblack!

I would say that it felt like 2 years of chronic sinusitis. It was always there… Sure there were days that I felt better but it was still there. Never got any antibiotics. I did go to the hospital one day but after waiting for 7 hours I went home and did my firts neti with a plant watering pot. It was insane and intense but it felt so much better. After that I was doing neti’s 2-3 times / day for almost 2 years waiting for the day it would end. Neti’s were keeping me alive but the problem was never solved just rearranged.

Then one day I read about manuka honey and drove to the nearest health food store and they had it. I can say that I was feeling better right after the first neti with manuka but I kept doing it for a few weeks. I bought 2 x 500g jars and did it until they were gone at a rate of 1 tea spoon in a neti + 1 tea spoon melting in my mouth twice a day the first few days then only once per day. Maybe it was overkill but I wanted to make sure it was gone.

Now a few months later its still gone :wink:

#16

I am fascinated by this forum. I only chanced upon it after googling chronic sinus infection antibiotics. That took me to last year’s study of manuka and sidr (Yemen) honeys by the Univ. of Ottawa, which took me to this forum. I may well be the poster-child for chronic sinus infection. I have suffered from sinus polyps for over 15 years now. I’ve had them removed surgically twice, only to have them return within weeks. I have tried everything, including a strict hypo-allergenic diet for 6 weeks. Didn’t work. I’ve been slowly killing myself with Prednisone for 15 years. It’s the only thing that lets me breathe, taste, and smell. I’m up to 15 mg a day now and even it seems to be losing its effectiveness. That’s why I was most intrigued by this thread. I will give manuka neti a go and report back. Heck, if it works, I’ll build you guys a shrine.

Namaste

#17

If you have never done neti you might want to start with neti with just water + salt at first to get used to the irrigation process.

its harder to do with honey because its thicker and doesn’t flow as easy.

#18

Trust me. I’ve tried neti with saline. I’ve tried neti with oil of oregano. It can be a little frustrating when you’re so congested that whatever’s in the neti doesn’t flow through.

Anyway, I’m just finishing off yet another course of antibiotics - Biaxin - which naturally (I use the term loosely) didn’t work. My ENT doctor keeps seeing infection but doesn’t know what to do with it.

Tomorrow I start the manuka.

Ever hopeful.

#19

Hi I hope everyone is having a pleasant evening.

I am new to the boards but the Neti thread jumped out at me. I have suffered with sinusitis for years and have tried to avoid antibiotics and such. I have done rinses and have had some success. But they kept getting worse.

Now after a CT Scan I have been told I have 2 options: sinus surgery or balloon sinuplasty. Surgery of any kind scares me a little and the balloon is an unknown but supposed to be ok and less invasive.

I am wondering if anyone has had experience with either?

Thanks and peace.
+++
BJA

#20

What kind of sinus surgery are you contemplating? If it’s for removal of polyps, then you should know that they’ll probably return unless you can determine what caused them in the first place, and remedy that.

#21

Despite a pretty serious aversion to surgery I am considering the balloon sinuplasty procedure. From what I have read and watched it looks very promising. Less invasive than traditional surgery and easier recovery.

Still researching though, as well as talking w/ loved ones and of course my doctor (he was my parents doctor before and is more like a family friend).

Have a wonderful evening. Peace,

#22

I can safely say that using the neti with Manuka 16+ did absolutely nothing for me. I am scheduled to see my faithful ENT guy next week but all he will be able to do is set up a 3rd polypectomy. In the meantime, I had noticed that even a high dose of prednisone was no longer doing the trick. I lost my taste and smell 2 months ago do I figured I might as well shake the prednisone habit entirely. I am down to half my previous 15mg daily dosage and I am living in hell. I have to bite the bullet and boost my prednisone again, to ruinous levels, if I want to have the semblance of a normal life. 2 boxes of kleenex a day is not cool. I need a miracle.

#23

Hi Congested. Very sorry to hear of your continuing troubles. Wish I had some insight for you, or even a clue about the balloon sinuplasty procedure and whether or not it would work for your condition.
I am wishing you all the best. Take care.

#24

Manuka discussion summary:
I feel people were missing each other’s comments and contributions.

The reason one might be interested in Manuka honey is due to its anti-MRSA properties. That is what jlg was discussing (not anti-allergy properties… BTW local honey does not help allergies… that is a well meaning and seemingly reasonable conjecture but tests don’t show any such effect).

MRSA infections don’t respond to normal anti-biotics and are hard to get rid of, even when you use the expensive stuff that does target them. So the article he/she wanted us to see is REALLY EXCITING STUFF! A lot of people want to know if a diluted solution of [U]this [/U]honey would work to get rid of a MRSA sinus infection. Other honey’s (based on the plants the bees used) did not have the same anti-bacterial effect and were totally worthless [U]for that purpose. [/U]

jlg shared that that (anti-infection) worked for him/her.

Then “Congested” said he/she has recurring sinus polyps. Later “Congested” said that the Manuka honey did nothing to stop the regrowth of sinus polyps.

jlg says, 12-20-2008: “I can say without doubts that this honey totally changed my life.”

Congested says, 07-21-2009: “I have suffered from sinus polyps for over 15 years now […] I will give manuka neti a go and report back.”

I’m not surprised that manuka honey did nothing for polyps.
Congested says 08-20-200: “I can safely say that using the neti with Manuka 16+ did absolutely nothing for me.[…] set up a 3rd polypectomy.”

I’m thinking of trying it. The doctor(s) who did the vitro study said they are doing in-vivo tests but I can’t find results on those yet, so they are probably not completed and written up. I just have the testimony of jlg. But, the cost is low and the risk is null. So… what the heck! :slight_smile:

My only addition will be to test the PH of the solution. I’ll add salt and also add baking soda to adjust the PH after adding the tsp of active UMF 16 manuka honey using a litmus strip.

I may not remember (it will be weeks from now) to return and post results. We know that this honey (and another from Yemen that is very expensive) kill MRSA better than any antibiotic, so I think things will work. I’ve also used Xylotol in a nasal rinse but it was only a minor help.

Cheers!

#25

As per salt. What helps the most in the Dead Sea salt is probably the magnesium. I will say that you don’t want salt with iodine because it stings.

But, you can get a lot of that increased anti-inflammatory help that people report from the Dead Sea salt by adding some simple cheap Epsom Salt (a quart is like $3.00!). It is Magnesium Sulfate. There are some patent applications involving nasal sprays that will include magnesium to reduce inflammation in sinus tissue. I have no advice on the amount… I just guess after adding salt and baking soda (not baking powder). I need to get some litmus strips to check.
From Wikipedia: In its hydrated form the pH is 6.0 (5.5 to 6.5)

#26

[B]PH 8? [/B]

Hard to find what the PH should be (on the internet)… found this:

(approx. pH 8 ) like the nasal mucous membrane. An
isotonic saline rinsing solution buffered with baking soda is even better adapted to the salt concentration in the blood than a pure saline solution.

#27

Manaku honey is a subset.

All cows are animals… not all animals are cows.

All Manaku honey is honey… not all honey is Manaku honey.

Manaku honey has strong anti-biotic properties. Not all honey does.

Honey (in general) is acidic (per wiki).
"The pH of honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5. This relatively acidic"
I’d think you’d want to balance with a pinch of Baking Soda (not Baking Powder).

I recently got around to ordering and received it in the mail, today. Sorry I’m not further along… but wanted to apologize for not getting back sooner.

Will report back. I may want to get some PH tester but I’ll probably just guess and go by feel.

#28

Oh… and local honey does not relieve allergies. Sounds reasonable because of the pollen, but it absolutely does not work.

#29

Manaku honey is collected by european bees, usually in New Zealand where Leptospermum scoparium is a common plant. Leptospermum scoparium also grows in Australia but isn't as common.

#30

Oh I am glad to see this thread up again. Looking forward to hearing the results Allen.