Health
Honey, A Better Cough Remedy Than Over-The-Counter Medicines
Used for centuries, now, new research claims honey may be a better treatment for cough and colds than over-the-counter medicines.
A team of researchers at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom set out to see if honey was effective for the symptomatic relief of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), which has been used for years.
The researchers aimed to determine honey’s effectiveness for URTIs since the over-prescription of antibiotics aggravates the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Further, honey is a well-known home remedy for cough and colds and has an emerging evidence base for its use. The research is published in the current issue of the journal.
Antibiotic resistance
Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are the most common reason for an antibiotic prescription. Since most of URTIs are viral, an antibiotic prescription is ineffective and inappropriate. Antibiotic resistance is an emerging health threat today.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. The incidence of the misuse of antibiotics is increasing, and a growing number of infections are becoming hard to treat, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, to name a few.
“Antibiotic overuse is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance, rated by the UK government as one of the top 10 risks facing Britain. Furthermore, drug-resistant infections are associated with worse patient outcomes than antibiotic susceptible infections, underlining the impact of antimicrobial resistance on individual patients,” the researchers noted in the paper.
\Honey is one of the most appreciated and valued natural products since ancient times, and it is not only used as a nutritional product, but also in traditional medicine. For years, it has been used in treating clinical conditions ranging from wound healing, eye diseases, and bronchial asthma, to throat infections, and fatigue, among others.
Honey has antimicrobial properties, which can kill pathogens that cause infection, including bacteria and viruses. Apart from this, honey has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.
Further, the healing property of honey is tied to its antibacterial property, its ability to maintain a moist wound condition, and its high viscosity, providing a protective barrier to prevent infection. Honey has antimicrobial property, which is due to the enzymatic production of hydrogen peroxide. It also has a low pH level and high sugar content with high osmolarity that is enough to block the growth of pathogens.
The study findings
To arrive at the findings of the study, the research team analysed existing evidence to determine how the symptoms of URTIs responded to honey. The team performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by using Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cab abstracts, AMED, and LILCAS, among other sources.
The team has identified more than 1,300 unique records and 14 studies. Nine of the studies involved children, and most of the studies compared its use with more conventional treatments like over-the-counter medicines.
The researchers found that compared with usual care, honey improved the symptoms of URTI, including cough, nasal congestion, sneezing, and sore throat.
“Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections,” the team wrote in the paper.
“It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics. Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but further high quality, placebo-controlled trials are needed,” they added.
Honey might, therefore, provide an alternative in treating URTIs, the researchers said. However, they warned that not all honey is made the same way and that it is a complex substance.
By: Kevin Nengia
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.