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Bee Propolis and Honey as Treatment Options for MRSA

Propolis

As antibiotic use continues to rise, resistant bacteria has risen with it. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas (MRSA) is one of the most concerning of these drug-resistant pathogens. MRSA is endemic in hospitals throughout the world and many patients are at risk. In California alone, a recent study found that one out of every 100 people who stayed in the hospital contracted MRSA at some point. About half of people admitted to the hospital for MRSA contracted it either during their current stay or during a previous visit to the hospital. Luckily, nature provides a wealth of alternatives when our manmade ingenuity fails to do the trick. Bee products that include both honey and propolis have been found to be effective remedies against this tenacious bug.

What is MRSA?

MRSA is a type of staph bacteria. It is a potentially deadly bacteria that is found in hospitals throughout the world. It was first discovered in 1961, as doctors discovered that this type of staph could stand up to not just methicillin but also penicillin, oxacillin and amoxicillin. Much of it is now completely resistant to most antibiotics, leaving medical practitioners with fewer and fewer treatment options. Most people have read at least one article in their local paper about a nearby MRSA outbreak. Continue reading Bee Propolis and Honey as Treatment Options for MRSA

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Spinach Salad with Honey Dressing and Honeyed Pecans

Spinach Salad

Honey Dressing

Ingredients

Drizzle Honey Dressing over our Spinach Salad. Use leftover Honey Dressing to marinate meat or perk up plain rice.

Honeyed Pecans

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 325°. Microwave honey in a bowl at HIGH 20 seconds. Stir in pecan halves. Coat a parchment paper-lined jelly-roll pan with cooking spray; spread pecans in a single layer on pan. Combine sugar, salt, and a pinch of ground red pepper; sprinkle over pecans. Bake 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring after 8 minutes. Cool completely; break into pieces.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients

Toss together first 4 ingredients and 1/3 cup dressing. Sprinkle with bacon, cheese, and pecans. Serve with remaining dressing.

Recipe by Southern Living

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Murder Hornets preying on honeybees

Murder Hornets

This wasp earned its nickname from preying on honeybees. It can swoop down and grab them out of the air. The hornet then carries this treat home to nourish young hornets. A raiding party of several dozen Asian giant hornets can kill a whole hive. The attackers can kill thousands of bees in just a few hours. In such mass attacks, hornets bite the heads off adult bees. Attackers leave the adult bodies in heaps. They carry off young bees as protein for young hornets.

V. mandarinia ranks as the world’s largest hornet. Queens can grow some 5 centimeters (2 inches) long, about the length of an average-sized woman’s thumb. Wingspans can exceed 7 centimeters (2.8 inches), not quite the full width of a woman’s palm. Workers are smaller.

Such true hornets are big, predatory, colony-forming wasps. They belong to the genus Vespa. None are native to North or South America. Most are native to Asia. They need meat to feed their young. That’s in contrast to honeybees, which collect plant pollen as protein. Another difference: A honeybee dies after its single-use stinger rips out of its body. Hornets can sting over and over. Continue reading Murder Hornets preying on honeybees

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Is Honey Paleo?

Is Honey_Paleo

by Angela Van Alten, Nutritionist and Beekeeper’s Daughter

People who are looking for ways to get closer to a natural diet often wind up turning to paleo. The paleo diet has lots of dos and don’ts, and it can be hard to predict what foods are allowed and which ones are verboten. Paleo, in general, takes a harsh stance against sweeteners. But, what about honey, which is a completely natural sweetener, and ones our paleolithic ancestors probably used? Understanding more about honey, as well as the philosophy behind paleo eating, can help you make the right choice for you and your optimal level of health.What Is Paleo? Continue reading Is Honey Paleo?

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Bees aren’t getting enough sleep, thanks to some common pesticides

(CNN)We are all better after a decent night’s sleep — and insects are no different.

But two new studies have found a commonly used pesticide is disrupting the sleep of bees and flies — with big consequences for the important insects.
In one study, researchers looked at the effect of pesticides on bumblebee behavior by giving the creatures nectar sugar laced with neonicotinoids — one of the most commonly used pesticides — and then tracking their movements in a foraging arena.
The impact of the pesticide — similar to the amount a bee would encounter in the wild — was stark.

Continue reading Bees aren’t getting enough sleep, thanks to some common pesticides

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Health Benefits of Propolis

Scraping Propolis
From WebMD – Propolis, sometimes called bee glue, is an important material for honeybee hives.It’s a complex mixture of plant sap, beeswax, and honeybees’ natural enzymes — and it plays an important role in helping keep beehives in one piece. It also seems to help keep beehives pest-free by preventing fungus and microbes from growing.There’s more to propolis than its use as a bee-based building material, though. Studies are beginning to show that propolis may have some significant health benefits, both as an oral supplement and as a topical treatment. As a result, you can find propolis in various forms at many health food stores.
Continue reading Health Benefits of Propolis
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Propolis – The Natural Antibiotic Video

Propolis Video

There’s little doubt that most people have heard about the health benefits of honey – immune and DNA protection are just two of them – but fewer people are probably familiar with propolis.

Thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations used propolis for its medicinal properties. Greeks used it to treat abscesses. Assyrians put it on wounds and tumors to fight infection and help the healing process.

Continue reading Propolis – The Natural Antibiotic Video

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Royal Jelly increases skin hydration index by 60%

Royal Jelly Capsules

While boosting production of new skin in recent studies

by Angela Van Alten, Nutritionist and Beekeeper’s Daughter

10-HDA, a natural fatty acid only found in royal jelly is revealing itself to be of tremendous value when it comes to treating dry skin.

Scientists did several tests on royal jelly. First, they evaluated the activity of 10-HDA on the regulation of skin differentiation markers. They then measured how royal jelly affected the inflammatory response and restored skin barrier function. And lastly, they evaluated royal jelly’s effect on xerosis, which is an abnormal dryness of the skin.

What they found was that 10-HDA not only increased skin protein production (new skin growth) but that it was also highly anti-inflammatory.  Inflammed skin shows up as red and sore, acne prone, excessively dry and even as a psoriasis or eczema.

They also found that in healthy volunteers with dry skin, the hydration index increased by +28.8% and +60.4% after 7 and 21 days of treatment with a cream containing 10-HDA.

Royal Jelly Improves Skin Hydration

In another study, scientists examined whether consuming royal jelly daily could influence the hydration levels of the epidermis.   The epidermis is the outer most layer of the skin and what we see when we look in the mirror.   If you desire to have beautiful skin, your epidermis is vitally important to take care of.

It is also important to know that epidermal hydration is maintained by the epidermal lipid barrier.  These lipids provide a barrier against the movement of water and electrolytes as well as a barrier against microorganism invasion.  They also stop bacteria and viruses from entering your body through the skin.

During the study, mice were fed a control diet or diets with 1% RJ for 16 weeks.  In the control group who were not fed any royal jelly, epidermal levels of hydration were lower than in the group that received royal jelly.   The reason for this suggested the researchers was because of enhanced Ceramide metabolism caused by the royal jelly.

Ceramide is the major component of the epidermis and make up about 20 percent of the skin’s intercellular matrix, the glue that holds skin cells together and helps skin maintain its appearance while protecting it.   By enhancing the body’s ability to metabolize ceramides, royal jelly led to enhanced moisture content and healthier, better looking skin

How to Treat Dry Skin With Royal Jelly At Home

It is very clear that royal jelly increases the moisture content of your skin.   So how do you use it to maximize the health of your skin?  To incorporate royal jelly into your skin health program, try incorporating one of the many royal jelly products available.  You can find it in soaps, capsules, creams and liquids.   Not only will your skin take on a healthy, blemish free glow, but as your collagen levels begin to increase you’ll experience tighter, firmer skin and the renewed sense of confidence that accompanies better skin health.

  • Royal Jelly Capsules: Take two or three 1000 mg capsules per day as an ‘internal cosmetic.’  Remember that your skin is an organ and should be cared for internally as well as topically. Start with one capsule per day for one week and then increase only after tolerating well. CLICK FOR PRODUCTS