Mike Rippe wrote:
>  I'm wondering if
> maybe there aren't some benefits to having honey in a diet that would
> include digestive benefits 
>   
That was my first impression, since any true Doctor would not be 
suggesting someone drop their meds for honey. But honey just does not 
fit that very well either. I think I would stay away from anything 
except sucrose, which is hard to find in our current diet, where 
fructose is all around us and not that great. Plus, the subject is for 
both cancer and arthritis which implies more cure than palliative.

I have not gone through chemo, since surgery removed the cancer and it 
seems to still be away, but those I talked to say it is unpleasant but 
not nearly as bad as it once was. They do use drugs to help you through 
it, but if honey is "the same as " those drugs, then a can of coke will 
do as well.

I have gone down the path of alternative medicines for a variety of 
things to see if honey actually does work. The only area I have seen, 
and I used it, was as a topical dressing for wounds. That is outside the 
body, not inside. There have been articles about its use for a diabetic, 
but that is a no-no. It cures ulcers... well maybe not. Helps 
digestion...well maybe not.

Honey does nothing for arthritis, but bee stings do, as I can testify, 
and it is backed up by good research.

It is a good energy food but no protein, which what a cancer patient 
needs. If there is a study out there that shows it is great for chemo 
patients, I have not seen it (and I did search for it at reputable med 
sites).

It sounds a lot like the people who buy my raw honey to treat their 
allergies. They hear from others that it works. I eat it too, and it 
does nothing for my allergies. But the brain is a marvelous thing and 
can make us feel better when we really are not.

I do not have much truck with those who try and lead cancer patients 
away form conventional medicine. I have friends who I convinced to stay 
the course, it is not pleasant, but they did so, and are still able to 
converse with me without the aid of Bruce Willis.

Grace is always ready to cook up the crow, just I like to see something 
from a reputable source, not Dr. Joe Quakenbush at icureall.com (it is 
availble if you want a quick buck).

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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