An Ancient Healing Remedy, Honey Product Restores Skin of 67-Year-Old Attorney Who Nearly Lost His Leg Because of a Huge Ulcerated Wound
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Anti-bacterial MedihoneyTM comes from beehives that collect nectar from manuka and jelly bushes in Australia and New Zealand If Franklin Lloyd ever had any doubts about the healing powers of honey, which the Egyptians began using more than 4,000 years ago to treat wounds, he is now a walking testament to the benefits of this ancient remedy. Doctors at North Shore University Hospital say Mr. Lloyd, 67, a retired attorney from Little Neck, Queens, could have lost his leg if not for a honey-based product called MedihoneyTM , a highly absorbent, seaweed-based material saturated with manuka honey. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2007, this unique wound dressing contains Active Manuka Honey, also called Leptospermum honey, which comes from beehives that collect nectar from manuka and jelly bushes in Australia and New Zealand.
Mr. Lloyd recounted his miraculous recovery today at a news conference with the wound healing team at North Shore University Hospital, including Marcia Epstein, MD, an infectious disease specialist, Mary Brennan, RN, a clinical nurse specialist, and Samantha Falkis, the physical therapist who helped him regain the use of his leg.
He was originally diagnosed with bacterial cellulitis in the calf of his right leg in 2007. A visit to Dr. Epstein revealed that Mr. Lloyd’s infection was caused by Cryptococcus yeast. He began a course of treatment with Veraconozol, an anti-fungal drug that was not strong enough to destroy the infection by itself. The wound grew until it encompassed most of the area from his right knee to his ankle. After new medication was used to treat the yeast infection, Mr. Lloyd was left with a large ulcerated wound encompassing most of the calf of his right leg. As the wound healed, the threat of bacterial super-infections continued, along with the problem of eschar (dead skin that forms over a wound and impedes healing). For this, a dressing was needed that had anti-bacterial properties. It was then that Ms. Brennan suggested using MedihoneyTM.
Within a month of beginning the honey regimen, Mr. Lloyd said there was significant improvement in the skin of his affected leg. Two reasons for Medihoney’s success is that this all-natural approach to healing can work in situations where antibiotics (to which many bacteria are becoming resistant) fail to heal infections. Also, the honey’s germ-fighting effects may last up to a week, while reducing inflammation and other side effects of infected wounds. Both Mr. Lloyd and his medical team agree that the leg might have been lost if not for the very sweet benefits of MedihoneyTM, which is produced by Princeton, NJ-based Derma Sciences Inc. Contact: Michelle Pinto |
