Dear friends:

The other day I was communicating with a friend about the concerns of the World Health Organization of another worldwide flu epidemic even greater than the one in 1918 that killed that killed 675,000 Americans and more than 20 million people around the world.  My grandfather in Tennessee was a victim, dying as a young man in his 30s.  Sadly, I never met him.  He died years before I was born.

We were talking about the possible protection of the immune-boosting "transfer factors" formula.  He said that recently he and a friend were exposed to the flu on the same day and came down with it the same day.  His friend had a very severe case, but he had only a very light case, which he attributes to the transfer factor protection.

I was especially interested in what he said of his dad's experience with honey during the 1918 epidemic, and I thought it might be a blessing to you, and certainly good to know.  Here it is:
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During the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, my dad was a little boy, 8 years old, in Stockton, California.  His dad was a beekeeper, and kept
some filled honeycombs in a closet in the house.

During the epidemic, the family members would go into that closet and eat some of the fresh honey every day, whenever they wanted.

The flu decimated the population of Stockton, including the families of their neighbors.  Next door, only one little boy survived, and when he came out of the house, they couldn't recognize him, he was so emaciated.  Other whole families were entirely wiped out.  They piled corpses in the streets, as there weren't enough healthy men to bury them.

Dad's (large) family escaped the flu intact.  It skipped their house completely.  Dad always said he thought it was something in the honey they ate that protected them.

He may have been right.  I recently read that they've discovered that honey has a compound that turns into something like hydrogen peroxide inside you.  For whatever it's worth, this gives some protection from viruses.

Sincerely,

Dave
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Bramlett again:

1.  I am reminded that honey is the only food in the Bible that in His wisdom God commands us to eat?  "Eat honey, my son, for it is good..." (Proverbs 24:13, NIV).  Must be for a good reason.  It's funny because just a few verses later we are told, "It is not good to eat too much honey" (Proverbs 25:27)!  I guess this means just because it is good for us does not give us license to gorge ourselves on it and overindulge!

2.  As to honey and hydrogen peroxide, I found this on the Internet at http://www.mizar5.com/honey.html: "Honey contains an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide which is believed to be the main reason for the antimicrobial activity of honey. Types of honey differ greatly in their antimicrobial potency, varying as much as a hundred fold. The research has shown that honey not only stops the growth of the dental plaque bacteria, it reduces the amount of acid produced, which stops the bacteria from producing dextran. Dextran, a component of dental plaque, is the gummy polysaccharide that the bacteria produce in order to adhere to the surface of the teeth."

Below are two more articles I found.  Remember, if you get honey, get the unfiltered, raw honey, not the processed honey found on most grocery store shelves.  You can raw honey in health food stores.
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The Buzz on Honey's Cancer-Fighting Power
December 8, 2004

ZAGREB, CROATIA -- Scientists have some sweet news about honey--it may help fight cancer.

Researchers from Croatia's University of Zagreb report that bee products applied orally or injected into mice significantly reduced tumor growth and the spread of cancer. The team's research findings are published in the December issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

According to the scientists, the tests show that natural honeybee products, such as propolis, royal jelly, caffeic acid, honey and venom could be used to prevent cancer in the future, states FoodNavigator.com.

Propolis is a resinlike substance used in building honeycombs. Caffeic acid is a chemical contained in propolis that significantly decreases subcutaneous tumor growth. Honey also was found to slow the spread of tumors.

Royal jelly is produced by worker bees as food for bee larvae and was successful in inhibiting the spread of tumors. In addition, FoodNavigator.com reports that the researchers said that injections of bee venom caused tumors to shrink and delayed their growth.
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Natural honey-bee products such as propolis, royal jelly, caffeic acid, honey and venom may have applications in cancer treatment and prevention, say Croatian researchers in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture this month.

Nada Orsolic and colleagues from the University of Zagreb found that bee products significantly decreased tumour growth and / or spreading (metastasis) in mice when they were applied orally or by injection.

The researchers tested both the preventative and curative effects of the bee products on tumour models in mice. In the prevention studies, the products were administered before inoculation with the tumour cells. In the curative studies, the products were administered after tumour inoculation.

"The effects of the tested compounds were demonstrated either by inhibition of tumour growth or metastases (secondary tumour) formation and by increased survival of the animals," said Dr Orsolic.

Propolis or caffeic acid significantly reduced subcutaneous tumour growth and prolonged the survival of mice. Honey also inhibited the spread of the tumour when applied before tumour cell inoculation in the lungs. Simultaneous inoculation with royal jelly and tumour cells significantly inhibited tumour spread. When bee venom was injected intratumourally, tumour shrinkage occurred, and the delay of tumour growth was evident. Survival of bee venom-treated mice was prolonged compared to control mice.

The way in which the bee products work to combat the tumours is not clear, but the authors suggest the chemicals cause apoptosis (cell suicide) or necrosis of the cancerous cells, or that they exert directly toxic or immunomodulatory effects. They may also reduce harmful oxyradicals in cells or body fluids.

The authors conclude that the intake of honey-bee products could be advantageous in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

"These results suggest the benefits of potential clinical trials using propolis or honey, combined with chemotherapeutic agents," said Dr Orsolic.