Honey has been used for centuries to treat the symptoms of colds and coughs. In addition to being delicious, honey is nothing but a liquid treasure in terms of health benefits. Antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial, it is one of the best natural antidotes against many diseases. In fact, according to the independent newspaper, health experts have revealed that honey is more effective than antibiotics in coughing.
Honey: your first reflex to treat cough
Health experts said it was better to use honey, in combination with over-the-counter medications to treat cough rather than taking antibiotics. Indeed, many people who run to get a prescription for an antibiotic at the first symptom of cough and contrary to what they think, this automatism is absolutely not effective.
In new guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care (NICE) and Public Health England (PHE), have shown that honey can be particularly effective in reducing the symptoms of acute cough due to respiratory tract infections higher. Your cough can therefore be treated in a short time without you using antibiotics.
Dr. Tessa Lewis, MD, Chair of the NICE Antimicrobial Prescribing Guideline Group, said, "If someone has runny nose, sore throat, and cough, the symptoms may go away in two to three weeks without that antibiotics are needed. People can check their symptoms on NHS Direct, NHS Direct Wales or ask their pharmacist for advice.
Nevertheless, Dr. Lewiss says that after this delay, if the symptoms of the cough continue to worsen and the person begins to feel short of breath or extremely weak, it is advisable to consult a doctor. Also, if a person develops a pre-existing condition such as a lung disease or cystic fibrosis, it would be wiser to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Thus, according to the draft NICE guidelines, honey, in combination with cough medicines, facilitates the disappearance of cough symptoms.
Because antibiotics, it's not automatic
Antibiotics can be effective in treating infections caused by bacteria. Nevertheless, most acute coughs caused by viruses do not respond to antibiotics.
In addition to their side effects, when antibiotics are used against coughs, they make no difference as to the severity of the symptoms or their duration. They should therefore be used only when the infection is bacterial and it does not disappear on its own. Therefore, antibiotics should only be used when absolutely necessary as bacteria do not develop resistance to these drugs, which means that the more you take, the more dangerous they are to your health.
Dr. Susan Hopkins, Assistant Director of the PHE Program for Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, said, "Taking antibiotics when you do not need them puts you and your family at risk of contracting an infection difficult to treat. It also urges doctors to refrain from prescribing antibiotics when they may not be needed.
So, why honey?
Although its antibacterial and antioxidant properties are very effective, it is actually the sticky nature of honey that makes all the difference. Its viscosity makes it a formidable remedy. It is a softener and an antimicrobial that has been known to relieve irritated mucous membranes and eliminates the reflex of coughing.
In addition, according to another study developed by the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, it was concluded that honey could relieve the symptoms of coughing children, occurring at night and at the same time treat sleep disorders associated with an infection of the respiratory tract in children.
How to use honey to treat cough?
Ingredients
· ½ lemon, organic
· 1 to 2 teaspoons of pure honey, organic
· A cup of mineral water
Preparation
Boil some water, fill a cup and squeeze the juice of half a lemon. Add one to two teaspoons of honey. Drink the mixture while it is still hot.
You can consume this drink in the evening before bedtime.
