As Both Patient and Scientist, I’m Putting Nature’s Medicine to the Test
I peered into one of the incubators that stored my petri dishes for 24 hours, anxious to see whether I would discover discoloration and unevenness on the surface, which would have indicated that my experiment produced favorable results. I wanted to see a visual representation of whether manuka honey kills the stubborn Pseudomonas bacterium, which dwells in nearly half of the lungs affected by CF.
I’m a microbiology lab scientist, plus an inquisitive writer. I also consider myself an informed, self-advocating realist. Life experiences have taught me that I am solely responsible for my health. I strive to keep my health stable through prescribed medications, healthy diet, and some natural supplements.
During my college years, I focused on the environment, especially the living parts that we can’t see but that are essential to the cycle of life — bacteria. It just so happens that certain ones are, understatedly, little pests for people with CF. The lung bacteria of people with CF birth many symptoms and infections.
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I continually fight Pseudomonas aeruginosa, my nemesis bacterium that spikes fevers within days of overwhelming my immune system and that has caused countless infections, leaving my lungs with pockets of dead tissue. I take antibiotics frequently, but I also believe that naturally derived compounds can have positive effects. So, despite my disdain and nausea, I sometimes supplement garlic, which contains the antibacterial compound ajoene. I’ve also consumed manuka honey; this I’ve done more religiously, as it tastes more like candy than any “medication.” Manuka honey contains the natural antibiotic methylglyoxal, a compound that fights relentless Pseudomonas by causing its cells to burst and die. I took a spoonful a day for a few years until recently. Maybe I stuck to this exorbitantly priced, palatable remedy merely because of its taste and the flawed logic that expensiveness is indicative of effectivity.
I had the idea to test the effectiveness of the honey on my sputum. My mucus grows many species of bacteria, but Pseudomonas is a primary component, so it’s easy to propagate in the lab setting.
Yes, I took a sputum cup of mucus into work. When inoculating the vials with the bacteria, I was slightly anxious that my lab mates might freak out at the sight of the hazardous and vile-looking green blobs. Then again, they work with wastewater from treatment plants, so it really shouldn’t phase them.
I tested a concentration of 15 percent weight per volume of manuka honey, a choice informed by published studies. I tested half of the petri dishes with honey mixed into the nutrients for the bacteria and the other half without the honey. The dishes with the honey should have less bacterial growth if the treatment works. (If you want more detail on the process, drop a comment below this column.)
The yellow dish has the honey added and the white dish doesn’t. (Photo by Ella Balasa)
After the 24-hour incubation period, I was excited to see the results of science that we as patients typically do not participate in. We provide our sputum samples during doctor’s appointments, then labs perform antibiotic resistance tests, and results are returned as values on a piece of paper indicating resistance or susceptibility. We don’t see the process. I was doing this same research on my own, and in a sense, taking the utmost control of my health.
Admittedly, I was despondent when I saw a pale yellow film covering the entire surface of every single petri dish when I opened the incubator. There was no distinguishing between mucus bacteria treated with honey or without. Is manuka honey all a gimmick? Had I been shelling out over $40 a bottle just for a tasty treat?
I did not perform a perfect experiment — there is no such thing. However, I did perform it to the best of my training and ability. I take the results with a grain of salt, as should you.
Although this honey didn’t kill Pseudomonas in my experiment, it has been shown to do so in others. I’ve become more skeptical of alternative remedies in general, but that doesn’t mean I believe they can’t have positive effects. I’ll now stick to regular honey with a reasonable price tag, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ever buy manuka honey again. I realize that no treatment is a miracle medicine against these relentless organisms, but instead, every small thing can add up and contribute to better health. I’ll still take that spoonful of garlic and manuka honey on occasion in hopes that maybe they’re killing just a couple of them suckers. If they don’t, well, they’re still healthy foods to consume.
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Note: Cystic Fibrosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cystic Fibrosis News Today, or its parent company, Bionews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cystic fibrosis.
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Comments
Emma Brewerton
You are inspiring Ella - and as the mother of a CF son I firmly believe the more engaged CF people and their families are in trying to find new solutions, the better their outcomes. Keep up with the thinking and with the research. All the best.
Ella Balasa
Thank you so much Emma! I really appreciate the support. I hope your son is in good health :)
Maressa
Has anyone tried Colloidal Silver or Activated Charcoal to see if that kills any harmful lung infections or P.A. ?
neil
Most store bought honey especially those coming from china and India are fake! So you need real honey first! Then honey itself should do the trick or maybe not, there is no need for Manuka per se! Honey should help breathing, that’s for sure! i know that for a fact! it has helped my close family member. there is a lot of truth in ancient remedies. in fact most big pharma medication takes the active ingredient from these ancient remedies.
Barbara Salobir
Dear Ella Blasa,
I am also scientist and medical doctor, pulmonologist, who also treat patients with CF. I am also often skeptic about "alternative medicine" however a lot of yet unproven alternative methods" might be effective. It is good to do experiments especially if they are not dangerous and all involved in them agreed with participation after full information of possible benefits and harm of experiment. And I am happy that you do an experiment with this honey. However you always have to be cautious with interpretation of the results. You get the result that this honey does not have any direct effect on Pseudomonas. However you still don't know whether this honey might have indirect effect on improvement of your immune system or other processes in the body which might be involved in better self defense of your lungs again these bacteria. So, whish you good luck in further experiments. Perhaps you should do an experiment of eating honey regularly for a period of time and then see whether you have fewer exacerbations compared to the period when you did not eat it. And in the interpretation you again should take in mind also all other situations in both periods (with / without honey) which can influence on the susceptibility for exacerbations. Whish you all the best.
Barbara Salobir
Ella Balasa
Hi Barbara,
Thanks so much for your feedback! I appreciate that as a CF pulmonologist you are interested and informed about alternative medicines that many of those with CF do take, however most are likely are reluctant to share with thier physicians. I absolutely agree with you that it still may work in beneficial ways in the body just because it didn't work in the way I was testing it. I may try again using a different method, disk diffusion instead. I had been taking it consistently, and hadn't noticed a difference, but then again I wasn't monitoring my symptoms closely.
Shawnda Russell
How interesting! I'm in awe of everyone with CF - I'm thrilled that you shared this. Do you have a social media page I might follow - you might have more valuable insight that I may not be aware of. My daughter has CF, she's 28.
Ella Balasa
Thank you so much!! Sure, you can find me on facebook, Ella Balasa, or instagram @thisgirlella. I've posted some other articles on my column here on CFNewsToday, as well as on the CF Foundation blog: https://www.cff.org/CF-Community-Blog/Authors/Gabriella-Balasa/
Irene
Thanks for posting your experiment Elsa. Fortunately for me I don't have CF but I've had lifelong bronchiectasis and now colonised pseudomonas. I'm always looking for alternative/complementary supplements. I believe manuka honey is beneficial in certain circumstances but not sure about the lungs. How would it get there by taking it orally? If I have a sore throat I'll slowly trickle a spoonful down my throat and find it very soothing. I've read it's also beneficial for healing wounds. Not too sure about the lungs though.
Ella Balasa
Since I am ingesting the honey, it does have to be metabolized before the beenficial compounds get into the blood stream and get to the lungs that way. I'm sure that placing it directly on a wound could be more effective and I am not sure how the honey going through the digestive track changes it's effectiveness. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Mica
Hello friend! I am a clinical herbalist with CF who also has done an extensive amount of research and self-experimentation. I specialize in using herbs and natural remedies to help CFers and other people with severe respiratory disease improve their health and tackle infections. I am really excited to hear that you have access to a lab to get some hard data on topics that wouldn't otherwise get funding for research. I have a very long list of experiments that I would do if I had the equipment (or funding) to do them. I would like to discuss collaboration with you, or at least get your advice on how to go about doing lab research that circumvents the cost barriers put up by pharmaceutical trails. Please email me if you'd like to collaborate!
Maressa
I would love the CF community to do more scientific research on herbs and Chinese medicine. It seems research is lacking in this area.
jason ridings
The real test here would be finding a way to aerolize the ajoene compound to the proper particle size, or finding some way to use the entire honey in some inhaled form (though I'm sure the sugar content would harm the bronchial tubes and feed the bugs faster).
But trying some of these alternatives in the ROA that gets direct contact with PA and other bug is a good place to start. Even in lab created "lung environments".
Manuka honey is super potent, esp the high grade stuff. There are many studies on it's modulating impact to immune system and even cellular repair.
Keep asking questions and trying.
Garry
Hi Ella
As a Dad with two children with CF i just wanted to say ty for your efforts toward your research on this debilitating disease.
If ever your research happens across ANY positive results that may give a better life for our children, please mail me so as i may pass this info on to not only my children, but to other families that face the same challenges.
Sharon
Hi Ella, I'm also a microbiologist by trade but without cr. I wonder if the heat during the processing might have affected the active component of the honey. Try subculting your strain with a sweep of the honey directly on the plate. I'd be interested to see the results 😁
Ella Balasa
Hi Sharon! Thanks for the feedback. The heat from contact with the agar could have been an issue, but I filter sterilized the honey separate and didn't autoclave it with the agar. Maybe using a disk diffusion method might work better as well. I thought about that afterward.
abdullah
just wondering if some one have tried bacteriophages.....
Trish Hawkins
No not yet they are just being trialled in Australia now. So hopefully good results will be coming.
Cindy
Hi,
To fight pseudomonas skin infections, I created a paste out of baking soda, oil of oregano, and coconut oil. It seems as if they cannot develop resistance to these.
Alex
Hey Ella -
You may find use with different enzyme supplements like Serrapeptase, nattokinase (if ok with soy), bromelain, or papain. Not only do they help to break up mucus, but they also are potent biofilm disruptors of many bacteria. Serrapeptase is personally a favorite of mine!
Jay
How do you take these? I have a flare up of pseudamonas aeruginosa in my lungs just a week after IV treatment. Oral doesn't even work anymore.
I'm terrified of becoming immune to the remaining handful of antibiotics that work on me.
Gus Vasalakis
Hello Ella,
I currently am having a re-occurrence with Pseudomonas Putida. It attacks the soft tissue skin under my nose/above my upper lip. This has been going on for several years now and I am looking for a natural remedy to get rid of it for good. Every time I have an outbreak I get on antibiotics and ointments from doctors that only provide temporary relief. Do you think this honey will provide permanent relief? If so what level of MGO (UMF) is recommended? Please help!
Antonio Urbina
My wife has Pseudomonas aeruginosa and do you think that the Manuka Honey can help her?
Samantha Lane
That's disappointing that it didn't work. Lately there was a in vitro study of quite low MGO manuka honey that killed Micobacterium Abcessus at about 50% concentration. You would think that your experiment would have worked! Sadness.
Chris Dyer
Hi Ella
Is this interesting column still active?
If yes, I'd like to join in. I seem to have reached the end of the antibiotic treatment road for pseudomonas aeruginosa in my lungs, so I'm really intereted in learning about genuine/proven non-antibiotic approaches to dealing with them. I have COPD & Bronchiectasis
Warm regards
Chris
Mary Helen Frith
My Partner has pseudomonis in his lungs, has been treated with several different anti biotics to no avail. the doctors have more or less told him that there is nothing nothing more they can do for him. We have moved onto palliative care, We want to fight this.
He has tried Manuka honey and its disappointing that it doesn't work. Desperate to try anything.
K
My husband was diagnosed with COPD years ago. We saw three different pulmonologists all confirming the diagnosis. We decided years ago to try Clear Lungs a homeopathic supplement as a way to try and stop all the secretions, that were horrendous for him. He was feeling good. Lo and behold we moved to another state and needed to find a new pulmonologist. My husband explained his condition and she sent for his records. She ordered some tests. WOW her diagnosis was no more COPD whatever you’re doing keep it up.🤷🏼♀️. Doesn’t hurt to try!
Marie-Claude
To "K" : Can you please tell us which homeopathic remedy your husband took? Thanks in advance!
Heather Burns
Could you let me know as well K
Richa Agarwal Pandya
Hee , I m Richa a CF warrior age 36 , I also regularly take homeopathic medicines and have strong belief on its potential, could you please guide with the homeopathic medicine name.
Thanks in advance
Cortney Weaver
I am so sorry for what you guys are going through fighting this crazy germ. You obviously didn't do anything to deserve this horrible, crazy germ. I, unfortunately, caused this infection in my body by allowing myself to be an iv drug addict. I have nothing but respect for what you are going through. Please don't take my desire to join the conversation as disrespect in any way. I have been on doxycycline, cipro, kephalix (spelling?), back on doxycycline. I purchased Manuka honey and put it ON the wounds. I should also ingest it I suppose. Could you please tell me why my wounds turn green when I put hydrogen peroxide on them OR when I take doxycycline I?!! I also have noticed that even wounds that are healed still produce the little hairs and slime exudite when I take doxy?!? It's strange. And not do those little hairs hurt!!! The scabs hurt like HELL to pull off. Silvadene seems to help some... I'm trying to get clean I really am. Please don't think badly if me.
Cortney Weaver
Oh and Manuka honey IS expensive. I paid twenty dollars for a tube of "medical honey" that my doctor prescribed and my insurance didn't cover. Does regular honey do the same?!? And what about apple cider vinegar topically?!? I am concerned as my blood has e turquoise color sometimes. When this started I had turquoise bowel movements for THREE DAYS. And this bacteria eats wood and plastic!!! It ate through one of charger cords. To be honest I have reason to believe it was in my apartment when I moved in three years ago!!! Y
Marie-Claude
Hi!
I see you are using a metal spoon... I heard that metal inhibits Manuka honey properties! You are supposed to use wooden, ceramic or even plastic ones.