Manuka honey & neti

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#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.

#31

Has anyone tried this skin cream which contains Manuka Honey from ShopNewZealand … i have been using it since a week and find it pretty effective and my skin has become softer, but still wanted an opinion from others using it as well :confused:

#32

In my area now is very cold , when I use the copper pot the coldness of the pot tip insert into my nostril make me shiver and very uncomfortable.

Wonder if need to pre heat the pot before use

#33

tina – sounds good to me. I suspect running it under warm water from the faucet would do it.

#34

Sorry for not replying sooner.

Change of plans. Yes I tried using the manuka honey in a nasal irrigation. But, no, I have nothing to report.

Why? I’ve been doing pretty good anyway, since last surgury that I can’t say if the manuka helped or not. I also did not have a culture done (before/after).

Best to await the results of a real study where they can test.

That said – IF I had had an ongoing and noticeable sinus infection and IF using this had helped, I would have posted that. I think that (although one person’s story) is helpful to hear (if it helped or not).

I’m looking forward to results from this guy in Canada: (I think they are planing human studies… all they’ve done just happened in a petri dish, so far).

“But testing on live patients “is very, very close,” says Dr. Talal Alandejani, a resident in ear, nose and throat medicine at the U of O, though first they’ll do safety tests on animals. He expects it to pass these tests easily.”

I can’t publish the URL for that article do to this site’s restrictions. But search that name. I have found no updates, and it may be a while before his human studies are (started?) published.

I’m also looking at Himalayan Oregano Oil, which kills MRSA at a 1,000 to 1 dilution (yes? look it it up). Seems that if a touch of soap is used to disperse in water, that at that dilution, it would be unlikely to be an irritant. Haven’t found a source for Himalayan Oregano Oil yet. Other Oregano Oil should be fine but the articles just said Himalayan Oregano Oil was slightly more effective (to my understanding, please search and read yourself).

#35

[QUOTE=Congested;22211]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.[/QUOTE]

Hello Congested, how long did you try the manuka netti for. I know when I first started to do Jal Netti it took quite a while before I saw results, but the present clarity of the last two weeks have certainly been worth it ; it took quite a few weeks if not more of fighting against severe congestion, now two netti pots a day keep it in check.

However I’ve also had great success with fasting with raw onion and honey syrup whenever you feel the need, and citrus or veg juices. Was blown away by the power of the honey and onion mixture to clear my sinuses. Fasted about 3 days each time; fasted around the seasons 3 days start of new season, fast usually appropriate to that season and whatever ailment; but each time it was the sinuses that cleared first. Can’t say I’m completely cured, but amazing compared to what I used to be; usually clear nostrils if netti morn and eve, do have to keep this up though. But the body took a long time to get that congested it takes some time to let it properly clear. If your body is trying to shift inner toxins fasting will help it immeasurably. Have you considered hidden food allergies?