Manuka Honey - Benefits??
- Thread starter Buchanan0204
- Start date
![[FnG]magnolia](/styles/overclockers/avatars/9.png){kind=avatar}
Caporegime
- Joined
- 29 Aug 2007
- Posts
- 28,860
- Location
- Auckland
It's sold here mainly to tourists who believe it will cure their mis- or self-diagnosed ailment. It'd be funny if it weren't so sad.
It's just honey that tastes nice if you like that kind of thing.
It's just honey that tastes nice if you like that kind of thing.
Came across Rose's staff research page after reading one of the latest papers to come out about Manuka and you're listed there too ;p
Permabanned
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2011
- Posts
- 181
Without getting medical here, I can't see how honey could ever be considered as a potential remedy for IBS, IBS is commonly caused imo by yeast/fungal overgrowth within the digestive tract due to a suppressed immune system, yeast and fungi feed off dietry sugars so honey is probably the last food you should be eating.
That's not true.
IBS is a term used to describe symptoms of abdominal pain and altered bowel movement that cannot be attributed to another condition (a diagnosis of exclusion). 'Syndrome' is a word which basically means 'a collection of symtoms'. There isn't an agreed cause for IBS, and the likelihood is that there are a number of different diseases that remain unidentified that currently fall under the umbrella term of IBS.
There are a number of other conditions which display similar symptoms which are frequently diagnosed as IBS. An example of this is, as you say, intestinal overgrowth of bacteria, yeast or fungi, but it is also mistaken for coeliac disease, lactose intolerance, gastroenteritis, inflammatory bowel disease and many other conditions.
So basically, because symptoms of IBS can be caused by so many different things, it's quite possible that one of the causes could be improved by whatever effect honey had, but similarly, it may well have no effect or make the symptoms worse.
Meh, acai is ok stuff, actually. Great supplement to top up your fibre intake if you're a little below your RDA. I don't believe any of the other nonsense people claim about it though.
Soldato
- Joined
- 28 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 16,024
- Location
- 9th Inner Circle
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Don't know where you got these "facts" about IBS from...
Permabanned
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2011
- Posts
- 181
When our immune system is compromised(which in the modern world is very common) our natural gut and intestinal flora becomes greatly imbalanced, IBS is caused by nothing more than a supressed immune system.
Our bodies have the ability to produce probiotic bacteria, these bacteria keep potentially harmful fungi and yeasts in check, when the immune system becomes compromised the potentially harmful yeasts and fungi are allowed to thrive.
The mainstream medical stance is that IBS is something we have to live with, well let me tell you that's not the case, if a sufferer reverts to a traditional, non-processed food diet which shuns all sugars and carbs and concentrates on immune system bolstering foods from good clean sources of animal proteins and fats, then eventually the immune system will recover and the imbalances that have occured within the body will be re-balanced, IBS can be cured this way.
I was a sufferer myself, I was in a constant loop of diarrhea and constipation that was wrecking my life, doctors lumped me into the IBS group and did virtually nothing other than to recommend a high fibre diet.
It wasn't until I started my own research that I found the answer, the high complex carb diet I had been following for years had slowly but surely depressed my immune system and allowed the yeast/fungi imbalances within my digestive tract to occur. With guidance, I changed my diet from predominantly carbs and proteins to predominantly fats and proteins with low sugar varieties of vegetables, I also took some very basic supplements each day such as vit c, calcium, magnesium.
Overtime my symptoms gradually diminished as my immune system recovered, eventually I was completely symptom free, I have stuck to this type of diet and I've had no recurrence of the symptoms.
In short, our modern convenience food diets, which are high in processed grains, sugars and un-natural denatured fats, are slowly but surely wrecking our immune systems and creating these intestinal diseases amongst many others.
Your statement : 'So basically, because symptoms of IBS can be caused by so many different things' is infact way off the mark, IBS is caused by one thing and one thing only, a suppressed immune system, when this is addressed the body naturally heals.
Last edited:
I don't know where to start mate.
I've also suffered from IBS for about 10 years as well, and I've just finished a few months writing a dissertation on the causes of IBS for my medical degree. I've literally read every single piece of research done on IBS (to at least some degree) so I can tell you with some confidence that you are pretty far off the mark.
I'm happy that you managed to find relief from your symptoms via a change of diet, but it's very naive to think that you've found the cure for all IBS.
What I loved is the bit where your GP suggests you try a high fibre diet you did a rolleyes emoticon. Then you talk about how you changed your diet to one with more vegetables and such, which is undoubtedly going to be higher in fibre than your old diet of processed food, and your symptoms improved!
I've also suffered from IBS for about 10 years as well, and I've just finished a few months writing a dissertation on the causes of IBS for my medical degree. I've literally read every single piece of research done on IBS (to at least some degree) so I can tell you with some confidence that you are pretty far off the mark.
I'm happy that you managed to find relief from your symptoms via a change of diet, but it's very naive to think that you've found the cure for all IBS.
What I loved is the bit where your GP suggests you try a high fibre diet you did a rolleyes emoticon. Then you talk about how you changed your diet to one with more vegetables and such, which is undoubtedly going to be higher in fibre than your old diet of processed food, and your symptoms improved!
Yes, but his doctor didn't give him a load of meaningless nonsense about carbs suppressing the immune system. I'll gloss over the fact that the placebo effect is stronger when you diagnose your own illness.
M
Permabanned
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2011
- Posts
- 181
The emoticon was a means of expressing how doctors use the 'high fibre diet' recommendation as the supposed stock solution to IBS, high fibre diets do absolutely nothing to relieve symptoms of IBS and in reality will exacerbate the disease and symptoms. The diet I outlined and the one that worked for me was very low fibre( much lower than I had been used to eating), the majority of calories coming from unprocessed animal fats and proteins, coconut oil was also of great help.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2011
- Posts
- 181
Carbs when eaten as the main food source are very immuno-suppressing, when eaten in balance with fats and proteins then they can be of use. IBS sufferers do very well on very low carb/fiber diets, fibre is indigestible and has a scouring effect on the intestines which irritates and further damages already inflamed tissue.
Ack, mate, I understand the compulsion to reply to people that disagree with you, but the stuff you're coming out with is complete nonsense now. Pretty much the entirety of that last post is, according to all current scientific knowledge, wrong.
Carbohydrates are meant to form the lion's share of your diet, read any diet website for proof. The immunosuppression speil is nonsense. High fibre advice is given as it is clinically proven (on hundreds of studies) to improve symptoms of both diarrhoea and constipation, which are the primary signs of IBS.
When you started talking about "the scouring effect" on "inflamed tissue" you're describing IBD, which is a completely different condition.
I'm happy that you're symptoms have gotten better, but you need to be wary of giving advice on the internet about a subject you have a poor understanding of.
Carbohydrates are meant to form the lion's share of your diet, read any diet website for proof. The immunosuppression speil is nonsense. High fibre advice is given as it is clinically proven (on hundreds of studies) to improve symptoms of both diarrhoea and constipation, which are the primary signs of IBS.
When you started talking about "the scouring effect" on "inflamed tissue" you're describing IBD, which is a completely different condition.
I'm happy that you're symptoms have gotten better, but you need to be wary of giving advice on the internet about a subject you have a poor understanding of.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2011
- Posts
- 181
It's not a compulsion due to you disagreeing, the compulsion lies in the need to correct people when they are wrong/misinformed.
It's now common knowledge among many nutritionists/dieticians that high carb diets which produce strong insulin response are damaging to the body, obviously processed/refined carbs and sugars are the worst offenders, but even the unprocessed so called healthy, natural whole foods which are high in sugars such as fruits, starchy veg such as potato and whole grains should be eaten sparingly and not provide the majority of our diet.
Our bodies were designed to be fed fats and proteins primarily from animal origin, these foods are easliy digested and assimilated whereas plant food is virtually impossible for us to properly breakdown and digest, our digestive systems were never designed to breakdown cellulose, all plant nutrients lie within the cellulose encased plant cell, without extended cooking or fermentation we derive only limited nutritional sustenance from fruits and vegetables.
You say I have a poor understanding, yet I have through research and dilligence to diet/lifestyle now become symptom free, as have many others.
I'm not giving advice, just sharing my experiences. I realize most of what I say goes against convention and I wouldn't expect many people to agree on my stance, especially a medical student such as yourself. Truth is though there is much the scientific and medical communities fail to see, they look for a targeted, drug or surgical procedure to cure all ills, sometimes they succeed but with regards to IBS and related diseases their record is dismal to say the least, that is because it can only be improved/cured by treating the body as a whole, a targeted approach will never work as the syndromes are brought on my systematic depression of the immune system, this allows imbalances of gut flora and mutation of otherwise beneficial yeasts/fungi's into pathogenic organisms. ( candida albicans for instance).
Permabanned
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2011
- Posts
- 181
I can assure you none of it's nonsense.
If you don't agree then ok, I couldn't careless tbh, but your recommendation of high carb and high fiber diets for people with IBS related illness is a dangerous one and a total oxymoron, these foods will only exacerbate the symptoms and illness and are a contributory factor towards development of the disorder in the first place, by recommending a high carb diet you are telling people that a high sugar diet is healthy, really mate, you couldn't be further off the mark. I pity any IBS sufferer who has to take advice from you in the future.