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Dilute honey 'may fight urine infections'
September 2016 BBC Health
Honey and water might be a useful weapon against urine infections in hospital patients, say UK
researchers.
Patients often have a catheter fitted, either to drain urine stuck in the bladder or to monitor urine
output.
But these flexible tubes can harbour nasty bugs and cause infection.
Scientists at University of Southampton have shown in the lab that diluted honey stops some
common bacteria from forming sticky, hard-to-remove layers on surfaces such as plastic.
In theory, a honey solution might be useful for flushing urinary catheters to keep them clean while
they remain in the bladder.
Many more trials would be needed to check it would be safe to use in humans, however.
Nature's medicine
Honey has been used for centuries as a natural antiseptic. People have used it to treat burns and
wounds and many companies now sell a range of "medical grade" honey products that comply with
regulatory standards.
The laboratory work, published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology, looked at two common bacteria
that can cause urine and bladder infections - E. coli and Proteus mirabilis.
Even at low dilution - about 3.3% - the honey solution appeared to stop the bacteria from clustering
together and creating layers of known biofilm.
Dr Bashir Lwaleed's team used Manuka honey (made by bees that feed on the nectar of the manuka
tree) in their study because this dark-coloured honey from Australia and New Zealand is known to
have bacterial-fighting properties.
They say other types of honey might work too, but they have not tested this.
Dr Lwaleed said: "Nobody knows exactly how or why honey works as an antibacterial. And we don't
know how well honey would be tolerated in the bladder. We are the first to propose this."
Prof Dame Nicky Cullum is an expert in wound care and has looked at the evidence around honey as
a treatment.
She said: "This work from Southampton is at a very early stage so we shouldn't get too excited. But it
is an interesting avenue that is worth pursuing.
"Obviously, we'd need more studies to check that it wouldn't irritate the bladder or cause any other
problems.
"People like things that are natural but they are not always more effective."
Vocabulary: Indicate what part of speech each word is then give a synonym and French translation
for each.
1. weapon
2. fitted
3. drain
4. harbour
5. sticky
6. flushing
7. range
8. clustering
9. layer
10. avenue
True or False: Indicate whether the statement is True or False, then, if the statement is False,
correct it to make it true.
1. Patients use catheters to inject fluid into the body.
2. Doctors have always used a honey and water solution to clean a catheter while it is inside a
patient’s bladder.
3. Consumers can purchase products made from honey with medical properties to treat common
ailments.
4. People like treatments that are natural, and they’re almost always more effective.
Short Answer: Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. What is a major disadvantage to catheters?
2. What causes infections in urine and the bladder?
3. What are the healing properties of honey? And how is this possible?
4. Name some natural remedies, from this article or from your own knowledge and what they are
used for. Do you use any?