By Mamdouh Abdulmaksoud Mohamed Abdulrhman, Professor of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Among the health
benefits of honey are its anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial effects. Because diabetes mellitus is thought to be precipitated by an autoimmune process, inflammation, or infections (or a combination of these) in genetically predisposed individuals, it is worthwhile to try honey, despite its high sugar content, in treating the disease.
It has been observed that the increases in blood glucose in type 2 diabetes were higher after fructose or sucrose intake than after honey.
After obtaining consent, four volunteers with type 2 diabetes mellitus stopped taking all their medicines and were then given bee honey therapy (BHT).
Plan of Management:
No medicines (insulin is tapered)
Bee Honey (oral ± IV)
No diet restriction except:
Salt restriction in hypertensive cases(1&2)
Replacing sugar by honey as a sweetener
Bee Honey Therapy (BHT):
Oral:
The minimum dose is 50 ml t.d.s in case 2 and 30 ml t.d.s in those receiving IV honey (cases 1 & 3 & 4)
Honey is dissolved in water and given before meals.
IV honey solution:
Case 1 received 20 injections at mean intervals of 4 days , each was 3ml 20% solution .
Case 3 is receiving 5ml at mean intervals of 2 weeks ( the concentration was gradually increased from 5 to 20% ).
Case 4 is receiving 5ml at mean intervals of 2 wks ( the concentration was gradually increasing from 5% and last injection at 5 October 2006 was 18% ).
Follow Up:
History
Physical examination
Urinalysis
RBS
Serum lipids
Renal functions
Fundus examination
ECG
No complications:
No coma
No ketonuria
No eye problems
No kidney problems
No foot problems
No CVS or CNS complications
Conclusion:
For the first two patients, bee honey therapy helped alleviate the disorders associated with diabetes (hypertension, angina, and dyslipidemia) despite the persistence of high blood sugar. Not only is the high blood glucose associated with BHT benign; it may also be needed to prevent and treat complications of diabetes. Alternatively, high glucose may be only a temporary reaction that would be the last one to disappear .
The situation in cases 3 and 4 is nearly similar to cases 1 and 2 but in their earlier stages although the progress in case 4 looks more rapid.
