Abstracts Category : Other

Honey Therapy for Wound Healing

by Carol Lam

Approximately $50 billion are spent annually on treatment of wounds in the United States. Honey has been used by many civilizations to heal wounds and its effectiveness has been studied since 1947. Honey is an antimicrobial agent, immunologic modulator and improves the physiologic appearance of wounds. It has been used in burns, surgical wounds, acute and chronic wounds as a treatment option. Honey is also cost effective since the number of healing days is decreased compared to traditional methods. Honey has the advantage over most dressing products due to its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties and range of actions to promote wound healing and outcomes. By reducing the amount of healing days, inpatient and outpatient treatment visits, patients will experience a reduction in financial cost and an increase in quality of life. This review did not show a statistically significant difference between conventional treatments compared to honey, however no negative outcomes were resulted. Therefore further research is suggested to reach more clinicians with positive outcomes of honey therapy.Advisors/Committee Members: Hansbrough, Wendy (advisor), Boren, Denise (committeemember).