Use of honey may help in wound healing

I have been using honey as an ointment to prevent and treat skin infections for years. Not only does it work for cuts and scrapes, it also works on herpes cold sores, cutting down on the length and severity of the outbreak. It's truly a miracle cure. As far as I can tell, any kind of honey is effective. It's great stuff, and it tastes good, too.

Your use of honey sounds like an old-fashioned remedy for hard-to-heal wounds. Before antibiotics, doctors and nurses applied sugar to wounds. Dr. Richard Knutson, an orthopedic surgeon in Greenville, Miss., has had good experience using sugar on wounds. We have also heard from Dr. Ron Caless, a plastic surgeon in Columbia, S.C., that medical-grade honey speeds wound healing, provided the wound is clean and not infected. Keep in mind that a serious wound requires medical attention.

I am one of those people who take a ton of drugs, including Lanoxin and Coumadin. I appreciate your warnings about interactions with other medications, but what about interactions with food?

Both Coumadin and Lanoxin might interact with certain foods, as well as with other drugs. To keep Coumadin within its narrow effective range, it is important to keep vitamin K intake as consistent as possible. Lots of vegetables are rich in vitamin K, but it helps to have a list to help you determine the amounts. Too little vitamin K could lead to dangerous bleeding, while too much could contribute to a blood clot, a potentially life-threatening situation.

Lanoxin is less susceptible to interactions with food, but it might not be absorbed as well if taken at a meal that is high in fiber such as bran cereal or bran muffins. This could reduce its effectiveness on those days.

I have heard that Gymnema sylvestre, an Indian herb, can help lower blood sugar. Is that true? I don't have diabetes, but my sugar runs a little high.

Most of the research showing that Gymnema lowers blood sugar was conducted in animals. Clinical trials from India show that this herb can further lower blood sugar in diabetics on oral medication.

The long-term safety of Gymnema has not been well studied. If your blood sugar is consistently high, your doctor might recommend exercise and diet to get it under control.

Some time ago, someone wrote you about a problem with intestinal gas, and you recommended a seat cushion to help with the odor. I've lost the article, but need the information. Where could I get such a cushion?

We know of two seat cushions that use activated charcoal to trap odors. One is made by UltraTech Products of Houston, Texas, at 800-316-8668. The other is sold by Dairiair of Greenville, N.C., at 877-427-2466.

Activated charcoal is used in gas masks to trap volatile compounds. Presumably it is why these cushions reduce unwanted aromas.