Old-time ointment sweet relief for bedsores
Q. You recently wrote about using sugar for slow-healing wounds and bedsores. As a nurse, I learned years ago that the best way to use this home remedy is to make a thick paste of antibiotic ointment and sugar and pack the wound with it.
Old wives’ tale or not, it works. The antibiotic ointment helps to prevent infections.
A. We heard from other nurses and even a vet who have not forgotten this old-fashioned treatment. One wrote: “As a nursing student in 1961, I worked at a small hospital that routinely used a mixture of milk of magnesia and sugar to cure bedsores. It seemed to be successful in many cases.”
Another objected to our terminology: “Using sugar for bedsores is not a wives’ tale. I have been a registered nurse for 45 years. When I was a student, it was very common practice to use sugar packs.”
The veterinarian said: “Many wounds have been shown to heal three times faster with the use of sugar granules on a saline wet-to-dry bandage. The sugar helps to pull the bacteria from the wound, and the saline feeds the tissue to promote rapid healing of the skin beneath.”
Q. There seems to be conflicting information on the relationship between consuming shellfish and cholesterol. What does the latest research show? If shellfish is a high-cholesterol food, how much is too much?
A. For years dietitians counseled people to avoid foods high in cholesterol. The theory was that eating cholesterol would raise cholesterol in the blood. As a result, many avoided eggs and shellfish, even though there was little, if any, data to suggest that such foods posed a problem.
There was a flaw with this advice, however. The old tests that were used to determine that shellfish was high in cholesterol were inaccurate. Clams, lobster, mussels and crab contain relatively little cholesterol. Even shrimp is not considered worrisome anymore.
Eating cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, does not necessarily raise cholesterol (Journal of Nutrition, October 2006). In one study, people ate lots of red meat and eggs with almost no starch. Their bad LDL cholesterol did not go up and their triglycerides actually came down (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, November 2003).
Q. Do you have any suggestions for relieving constipation? I have tried many different things, but nothing really seems to work for long.
A. For controlling constipation, the basics are fluid and fiber. If you can’t get enough fiber from your diet, you might consider a product such as Metamucil, Citrucel or Unifiber with lots of water.
Some people find that simmering 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds in 3 quarts of water for 15 minutes makes about 2 quarts of solution. Two ounces a day in juice is reported to move everything along. Sugar-free gum containing mannitol or sorbitol also can be useful.
We are sending you our Guide to Constipation, with a list of high-fiber foods and recipes for Power Pudding and Pumpkin-Bran Muffins to banish constipation. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (58 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. GG-30, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com. Go to “Buy In Depth Guides.”