[ocba] "Honey A Better Option For Childhood Cough Than Over The Counter Medications"
Watson Bowes
wbowes at gmail.com
Tue Dec 4 23:33:54 EST 2007
There is actually quite an extensive medical literature on honey associated
with infant botulism. The attached review article is an example.
Watson Bowes, M.D.
On Dec 4, 2007 5:54 PM, Tom Wright <twright at vicksburg.com> wrote:
> Buck Horton wrote:
>
> Just wanted to remind folks that children under 1 year of age shouldn't
> eat honey, because it can carry spores that cause infant botulism.
> - Buck
>
> Jeff Bollinger wrote:
>
>
> Interesting article that shows some USDA National Honey Board funded
> studies have proven that honey is often better than cough syrup:
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203164750.htm
>
>
>
> The study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications
>
>
>
> This would be a good article to print out and keep with you when selling
> your honey! :)
>
> Jeff
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>
>
> This seems to have been around for ages but I have never been able to
> document botulism from honey, in babies or otherwise.
>
> I think it is an urban legend and anecdotal. Botilinum spores are
> everywhere...in the air, soil, and food that you eat. You ingest or inhale
> some daily without harm. You don't need or have antibodies as the acid in
> the stomach destroys them.
>
> The problem occurs primarily with home-canned low- acid food, such as
> meat, beans, greens, etc. High-acid such as tomatoes and pickles are OK. In
> the old days a lot of canning was done in hot water baths or the oven. This
> won't do it because it takes pressure cooking to get the temperature high
> enough to kill the spores. With a low or neutral pH under anaerobic
> conditions the spores germinate and produce botulinum toxin. The toxin is
> destroyed by heat which is why it is prudent to cook canned meat or veggies
> rather than eating directly from the can (even commercially canned things).
> That is why your grandmother told you not to open cans with bulging tops
> and/or bottoms.
>
> Tes, honey and just about everything else contains the spores.
>
> IMHO, I suspect that once upon a time someone decided that to be safe, FDA
> required the warning on honey labels and it has been there ever since..
>
> Harry, any thoughts on this?
>
> Tom
>
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--
Watson A. Bowes Jr., M.D.
Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
211 Huntington Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-929-3323
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