Page 192 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2024

HEALTHY LIVING
HOW IT IS
As if we needed another reason to savor sweets, September is not just another month; it’s National Honey Month. This is a time when we can all come together
to celebrate the wonders of honey. You may not often think of honey outside of Winnie the Pooh or bees and their hive, but some little-known facts about honey may have you appreciating it even more.
National Honey Month is held annually in September to promote beekeeping and using honey as a natural sweetener. As September marks the end of the beekeeping season, bees are busy preparing for winter. Honey bees, a critical component of the agricultural market, transfer pollen from plant to plant, enabling them to bear fruit.
About a third of the average U.S. diet comes from insect-pollinated plants; honey bees play a unique and critical role in our food supply, with their involvement in about 80 percent of that process. Essential crops that depend on honeybees include avocados, almonds, blueberries, and apples.
Dr. LaKeisha Patton, PharmD, and pharmacist clinical services manager says, “Honey is not just sweet for our taste buds. It has many health benefits, such as serving as a cough remedy, and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to aid in wound healing.”
Besides these expected benefits, others aren’t as well known. According to the Mayo Clinic, research has shown that honey may help relieve diarrhea and dehydration. It also has neurological benefits. Research has shown a link to antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and anticonvulsant properties. There may even be groundbreaking treatments in the
prevention of memory disorders.
Overall, honey is safe to use as a sweetener and a natural remedy for ailments.
However, some people may be allergic to this ingredient, so side effects like dizziness, wheezing, vomiting, weakness, excessive perspiration, and nausea can occur. Also, honey shouldn’t be given to babies under one year of age. It
can rarely cause infant botulism, resulting in spores growing and multiplying in the intestines and producing a dangerous toxin.
Lastly, raw honey has a lower glycemic index and will provide higher energy levels for extended periods than processed white sugar. So it is better for you overall. So
celebrate this month and enjoy all the sweetness it has to offer.
story by
Dr. Nickie Harris-Ray
192 | September 2024
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
Sweet