I would like to report on the results of the use of Manuka honey by my brother to prevent mucositis (mouth sores) caused by radiation.

My brother has just completed 33 radiation treatments and has finished 6 rounds of chemo. At the end of treatment, he has no mouth sores and only two small blisters under his tongue. At the first round of chemo his oncologist insisted that my brother have a peg installed. The doctor said that my brother had a 98% chance of having mouth and throat sores so bad by the end of the third week that he would need to eat through a peg. The doctor wanted the peg in before this occurred so my brother would not miss nutrition.

Well my brother used Manuka honey from the day of the first treatment. He had the consent of his radiologist and his oncologist to use the honey. Not only has the Manuka honey prevented mouth and throat sores but it has cleared up a case of mild gingivitis that he had developed after surgery. If one searches �Manuka Honey gingivitis� on the site PubMed one will find the research on gingivitis and Manuka Honey. PubMed is a site supported by the National Institute of Health.

Prior to recommending the use of Manuka Honey to my brother, I had contacted the one of the trial doctors doing research on Manuka honey as prevention of mucositis of the mouth caused by chemotherapy and radiation. Her instructions were to swish one teaspoon of raw Manuka Honey around in one�s mouth for about 30 seconds, four times a day. Use it right before radiation, right after radiation and twice more during the day. My brother followed her instructions varying only to increase the times he used the honey from 4 to 6 times a day as radiation progressed. As I have already mentioned, he ended his course of radiation with only a couple of blisters under his tongue at the last week during the �boost�. He was able to eat by mouth during the whole time.

One can find more information on this clinical trial by Googling �Manuka Honey oral cancer�. Look for the site that says �A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial of Manuka Honey for Oral Mucositis Due to Radiation Therapy for Cancer�. The information on this trial is on the ClinicalTrials.gov web site, a service of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

There is no guarantee that Manuka Honey will work for everyone or that it will prevent all mouth sores. Of course one should get the permission of one�s doctors before using it. The results of the clinical trial are due out in August of 2011.