WHY I KEEP HONEY IN THE MEDICINE CABINET

During the ten years I spent working as a certified substance abuse counselor I learned a nugget of wisdom that I will never forget. Alcoholics and drug addicts are advised by medical doctors to take honey for withdrawal whips and jangles as well as the inevitable insomnia that accompanies detox. I was impressed. I reasoned that if honey were powerful enough to cope with detox/withdrawal symptoms, it might be effective for my own stress-induced nervous periods and chronic problems with insomnia. Honey will always be found in my medicine cabinet since I first tried it with huge success ten years ago.

Honey has so many amazing medicinal properties. It is well-known as an antibiotic, but how many realize that in addition to treating nervous conditions and insomnia, it, paradoxically, also helps those who suffer from chronic fatigue and exhaustion? I take it for its tonic effects as well. Drink a cup of juice mixed with three tablespoons of raw honey and a squirt of lemon juice that is said to strengthen honey's effects. Then I sip it slowly to allow my body to absorb the nutrients and replenish my body. I end up feeling much more alive and full of energy. Yet when I take it in the evening for insomnia, I settle down and sleep like a baby. This perfect food truly is God's gift to us.

Another whips and jangles condition it helps is hangovers. When you are feeling the effects of drinking too much the night before or even the same night, honey will help you overcome the feelings of drinking too much and cut through the drunkenness faster.

After a night of celebrations, take a full glass of water and add five tablespoons of honey. Heat this in the microwave and drink. In the morning, repeat this, and then every two hours after that. Your body will need the extra water, and the honey will replenish the nutrients you need to get your head clear.

I don't often take honey for hangovers, but I certainly rely on it for stress and anxiety. It is a stabilizer that calms highs and raises lows. Use approximately 1:4 honey to water. Have some green tea in the morning with two tablespoons of added honey. Ginseng tea is also good for settling the nerves and can be drunk three times a day throughout the day.

Pills are addicting, stop working when the body develops tolerance to them, and cause rebound effects: they may suddenly start waking you up or causing you agitation instead of the reverse. They also leave you waking groggy and fuzzy-headed. Thank God for the people who can't constitutionally handle drugs any longer, alcoholics and addicts, who taught me how to rely on the natural remedy of honey for so many emotional and physical needs.

If you join me in the group of 48 percent of Americans who report occasional insomnia or 22 percent who experience it almost every night, let honey come to the rescue. Take two teaspoonsfuls of honey with lukewarm milk or water. Honey has natural hypnotic actions that bring sound sleep. Children older than two may be given honey to help them sleep.