The healing power of sugar

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Victor Smith
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Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:17 am
Location: Derry, NH, USA
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The healing power of sugar

Post by Victor Smith »

Bill, you may find this interesting.

When I had my surgery at the end of June, I developed a pressure wound on my buttox below my coxyx after 2 days in bed. When the nurses found it (it was 3" by 1") they cleaned and bandaged it, then showed my wife to do the same. Visiting nurses and 4 different doctor groups later, after 6 weeks the wound had hardly healed and everyone was just looking instructing us to continue the same.

Well I was going to be beginning chemo and radiation therapy and my wife was concerned. I approached my physician (also a surgeon) for treatment as he was closest to my house, and convinced him nobody was doing anything but looking, and he was closer for me to get to (experiencing pain sitting having to lie down a great deal).

Dr. Harper explained that if I went to 5 doctors there would be 5 different treatments but he wanted to suggest one he had use a long time with success. As he arranged for my surgery and everything I assured him I had his complete trust and that I was informing all of the doctor's I was using him for wound care (and all of them were content with my decision).

Now I expected some exotic drug, or special ointment or some such. Instead he pealed back the bandage for 10 seconds, took a look and closed it back up.

His treatment was for my wife to change it one or two times a day and to put as much sugar on it as possible (table sugar). That was it.

I returned 2 weeks later and he took the 10 second look and told me to continue the treatment. Two weeks later the 5 second look, and he told me it was 1/2 healed. (Of course my wife was keeping me apprised of my progress too).

Then he explained the treatment for wounds goes back thousands of years and that Aristotle had written about it. About 25 years a go the science was worked out. The sugar mixes with the juices of the wound and forms an acidic base, which does not allow things to grow in it (similar to things don't grow in honey which is an alternative form of this treatment). The sugar also irritates the wound forcing new cell growth. He explained if you had an old nurse (but there are no old nurses, just young nurses who have been around a bit) they used to mix the sugar with mallox (The mallox didn't do anything but server to bind the sugar to the bandage a bit).

A few weeks later the wound was greatly closed and Doc told me to have my wife separate the unhealed sections and just put the sugar in there, and not on the healed section of the wound.

Two weeks later it was closing so fast I didn't have to return any more.

When my radiation therapy ended the Doctor had to look himself, not really believing my report. The look on his face was priceless, :Why it's almost healed' from when he saw it 6 weeks before.

At the Dana Farber Clinic the nurses quizzed me (and my wife) about the treatment, type of sugar, etc. It seems as new treatment comes up (such as some expensive seaweed stuff I heard about) medicine may not remember the older stuff works too (and is much cheaper).

The many years Dr. Harper trained with me he made it clear someone had to be an idiot to ever take medical advice from me. I understood his point.

I only wish I knew this from the beginning.

believe it or not, I had the sweetest butt in town the last few months... and not because of my type 2 diabetes.
Victor Smith
bushi no te isshinryu
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Bill Glasheen
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Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY

Re: The healing power of sugar

Post by Bill Glasheen »

Interesting stuff, Victor!

When I review the literature, I can find some evidence for this. The most recent is in Journal of Wound Care, July, 2007. They however found that honey works better than sugar for inhibiting bacterial growth and promoting wound healing. And when you think about it... you have to wonder why folks can just leave honey in a bottle at room temperature and not have to worry about bacteria growing in it. Apparently bees have a good thing going.

- Bill
Victor Smith
Posts: 203
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:17 am
Location: Derry, NH, USA
Contact:

Re: The healing power of sugar

Post by Victor Smith »

Bill,

When I described Dr. Harper's treatment to the PA in my surgeon's office on a checkup, they explained their hospital had just received a 'batch' of purified honey from a company and the hospital was 'debating' it's possible use.

So in any case my treatment has prodded a number of differernt health care providers of it's viability.

I only wish when it occured I knew about it to grab some sugar and sprinkle it on myself from the beginning <GRIN>.

For the course of our treatment I suspect the sugar is easier for home treatment, easier to clear and rinse, but that's only my suspiscion.

It did work.
Victor Smith
bushi no te isshinryu
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