What people consider healthy living sometimes floors me.
The other day I received an interesting email from a friend. “Cinnamon and honey remedies” said the subject line, and the bulk of the message was a forwarded article singing the praises of cinnamon and honey. (You may have seen it before; it’s been circulating the Internet for some time now.) My friend asked, “Any comments on this?”
Yes, actually, I have a few. Below is the forwarded message, with my comments embedded in non-italic bold. Got your seat belts on? Okay, let’s go!
It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases.
Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world.. Scientists of
today also accept honey as a ‘Ram Ban’ (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases.Whoa! Mixing honey and cinnamon “cures most diseases”? We should be eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then!
Seriously, cinnamon is high in antioxidants, and therefore does provide health benefits. And raw honey is well-known among natural health and nutrition gurus to have anti-bacterial properties. But the claim that the combo cures most diseases? I’ve never heard this in any natural health book, forum, or article.
Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.
Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the
right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.Honey raises blood sugar almost as much as white sugar. Type 2 Diabetics can cure themselves by switching to a low-glycemic eating lifestyle, as explained in the Your Plate, Your Fate e-book series.
Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17
January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured
by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:First note of interest: This magazine is a tabloid. And we all know how credible the information found in tabloids is, don’t we?
HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack.
Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.Maybe. I know that cayenne pepper capsules will stop a heart attack in its tracks, so it could be that cinnamon has similar properties that keep the blood lines clear.
ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a
recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University , it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.I have found testimonies online that the honey/cinnamon recipe does work to relieve arthritic pain. However, I also found a warning that long-term use of cinnamon could also harm the liver.
BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.Conceivable. But the best cure is prevention, which happens by eating the right diet.
CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured.. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.A WebMD article cites a University of Illinois study with honey and cholesterol. One of the study’s authors is quoted as saying, “adding small amounts of honey could enhance the effects of an already heart-healthy diet and help keep cholesterol levels in check.” (emphasis mine)
In other words, if you’re already eating right, then MAYBE honey would help with cholesterol levels.
COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.This is the only remedy I can accept without any skepticism. Raw honey has long been promoted as a natural cold remedy, and combining it with the powerful antioxidants in cinnamon is sure to boost its bacterial-fighting power.
UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.The first part sounds plausible enough; I’m not so sure about the second.
GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if
Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases.“Large amounts”? For whom, the bees? The truth is that the vitamins and minerals found in honey are–for us humans–in trace amounts. As to honey and cinnamon’s ability to strengthen the immune system, yes, true, but they probably won’t help too much if fast and junk food are a regular part of your diet.
INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ‘
Ingredient’ which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from
flu.Already covered under the common cold.
LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old,
starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.Eating any food with a high antioxidant value will improve health and longevity. But again, if you’re idea of a balanced meal is pizza and Pepsi, don’t look to any supplements to save your life.
PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.As a teenager I never had one single pimple for longer than two weeks. Hmmm…
SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.As honey is antibacterial and cinnamon would certainly be torture to a parasite, I can believe this one.
WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.Oh my gosh, and here I am, telling people they need to eat right and exercise in order to lose weight.
Forgive my sarcasm. Actually, the enzymes in honey do help the digestive system to breakdown fats better. But will somebody please show me the research that proves the last statement about fat not accumulating regardless of diet?
CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.I highly doubt that taking honey and cinnamon was the only thing these people were doing to fight their cancer.
FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.What would happen if nursing homes quit feeding them that terrible institutional food?
BAD BREATH:
People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.Duh. Cinnamon gum, anyone?
HEARING LOSS:
Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!And that’s why our hearing is still perfectly normal! Puhl-EESE!
Snopes.com says that they’re still researching this to decide whether it’s truth or urban legend. I understand their dilemma. Much of it seems legit, while other parts seem to have been subjected to wild exaggeration.
My main problem with this article–and with a lot of natural remedies and supplements in general–is that the underlying theme seems to be, “Don’t worry about your lifestyle. Live however you want, and if you get sick, just take this miracle cure and go on.” And as I mentioned a couple of times above, taking any sort of natural supplement will do nothing if you’re slowly killing yourself with the wrong diet. And if you’re eating the right kind of diet, you may never have any of the above-mentioned illnesses or diseases, even if you never eat honey or cinnamon again.
If you’re not sure what “the right kind of diet” is, I highly recommend my e-book, Weird Eating. You will learn how to lose weight, increase your energy level and stay disease-free simply by making the right food and cooking choices.
In the meantime, enjoy a minimal amount of raw honey in smoothies and on sprouted grain bread, and don’t forget to add cinnamon to your dishes on occasion. Even if they don’t cure what ails you, they are at least a non-toxic way to make whatever you’re eating taste better.