Showing posts with label Bee Stings - 7 Tips For Immediate Care When Stung By A Bee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bee Stings - 7 Tips For Immediate Care When Stung By A Bee. Show all posts

The Benefits of Eating Honey After Meals

In my own opinion, honey is perhaps the oldest known type of food ever. There are records that date back to the Stone Age, where cave men would carry sticks in order to drive away the wild bees from attacking them when they try to harvest honey. Back in the old days, there are records of the ancient Greeks recommending honey as a staple diet for people who want to be healthy at all times. Even the Romans recognized the importance of eating honey and it became a commodity for the noble classes, most especially for the Roman leaders. Thousands of years have passed and yet honey, one of the most valuable agricultural products known in the market, is still being sought at as an important part of an everyday meal.

How is Honey Made Anyway?

Everyone knows that honey is the produce made by honeybees as a food source for their young. In the wild, honeybees collect nectar from different species of plants and flowers which becomes honey when they bring it back inside their hive. All the honey is collected inside a chamber of cells called honeycombs. Surprisingly, only a few people know that honey is actually made through regurgitation. That's right, the honey that you find inside supermarkets and convenience stores are actually the product of a thousand honey bees sucking and regurgitating the nectar collected from neighboring plants and animals.

In the past, people would actually have to find a beehive within the wild in order to get a good taste of honey. Unfortunately, the wild honeybees were vicious and territorial against would-be predators, which includes people. As the years go by, improvements within the agricultural sect allowed people to semi-domesticate the wild honeybees, which resulted to the bee farms that exists right now. Bee farmers just had to make sure that the honeybees have finished feeding their young before harvesting the left-overs from the honey comb. This is very important because if the bee farmer gets too greedy and

Honey as a Healthy Alternative

Honey has high level of fructose, which is a very important type of sugar that we humans need in order for our body to function normally and properly. People use honey as a sweetener and is an excellent alternative to commercial sugar, which is harmful for your teeth and for people who has diabetes. And since it has fructose, it's a good pick me up for anyone who lacks energy.
Did you know that a single tablespoon of honey actually has 64 calories of energy? The carbohydrates that are stored inside the honey can be quickly broken down into another type of sugar, which is glucose. Glucose provides the body with the energy it needs, especially during certain movements that drain energy, like running or jogging. This is the reason why a lot of bodybuilders and athletes make it a habit of including honey during breakfast. There's a research indicating that honey can actually help in controlling body weight. Honey actually absorbs the extra fat that is placed within the body, thus helping in controlling the excess weight of a person.
Honey is also a source of important vitamins and minerals, but it is usually dependent on the types of flowers where the bees gather nectar. These vitamins and minerals help in making your body's immune system stronger and it also keeps your skin healthy and beautiful. It's no wonder that some skin products actually use honey in some of their skin products.
Eating honey is also a good source of vitamins for your body or to enhance your immune system. It's far cheaper compared to buying drugs and medicine that you see inside shopping centers or drug stores. It's more natural and does not have any dangerous chemicals mixed in. Live green and healthy. Make it a habit of eating honey after breakfast!
Jessica Greenberg is an avid blogger from San Diego, California. She's active in educating people the value of eating honey and spends most of her time helping locals become acquainted with better bee farming.
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Bee Stings - 7 Tips For Immediate Care When Stung By A Bee

Ouch! I just got stung by a bee!
You may not have actually seen the bee sting you but boy you can sure feel it and there is no mistaking what it was. Most of the time there are clues around you like bees flying out of a nest or around an open soda can that will give you some idea what just happened.

Bees can go through clothing so don't be fooled about that. I recently had a bee sting my ankle through a sock while I was sweeping grass clippings. Any threat to the nest or around it will active them into action and protection mode.
Here are some tips on what to do if you get stung by a bee:
  1. Run out of the way of other bees: Try not to aggravate a swarm of bees. Running in the opposite direction will decrease the chances of multiple bee stings. Go indoors or jump in water if you have to.
  2. Call for help if you need it and have someone stay with the person: Many adults as well as children panic when stung. Call for assistance to minimize trauma and to expedite care and support.
  3. Take the stinger out immediately: As the stinger is barbed it will continue to pump venom into the skin through the sac attached to the stinger. By taking out the stinger within 15 seconds it will dramatically reduced the reaction. Venom continues to enter the body for 45-60 seconds after being stung. Flick out the stinger with a credit card or blunt knife. Tweezers may force more venom into the skin. Wash area.
  4. Apply ice immediately: There will be a histamine reaction to the sting immediately as the body tries to react to the foreign substance. Inflammation and swelling will be minimized with the immediate application of ice.
  5. Wash the area with soap and water
  6. Call 911 if you start to have difficulty breathing: A small percentage of people will be allergic to bee stings and have an anaphylactic response. If you notice you are having trouble breathing after the bee sting call 911 for an Emergency Response Team. Most anaphylactic reactions occur within the first 15-30 minutes. Carry an Epi-pen with you if you know you are severely allergic. Always call 911 after the administration of an Epi-pen.
  7. Avoid itching area: Apply a cool compress, ice, antihistamine lotions or if needed take a systemic over-the-counter antihistamine. Natural remedies like making a paste of baking soda and water, meat tenderizer with Papain (1part: 4 parts water), Lavandin or Idaho tansy essential oils may be helpful. Use only 100% therapeutic grade essential oils.
If you develop nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea or swelling in other areas of your body, you may be having a systemic reaction and you need to contact your doctor.
Common sense and prevention is the best treatment for avoiding getting stung. The best advice is not to get the bees angry. Come to think of it, that advice is not only good for the Apidae family but for Homo sapiens as well!

And now you are invited to receive 3 free body/mind/spirit tips on boosting your immune system at http://www.creatingbalanceinyourlife.com You can visit her humor blog at: http://www.healingwithhumor.blogspot.com
Donna Marie Laino is a nurse, humorist, motivational speaker and success coach. She also uses humor as a holistic practitioner and Certified Laughter Leader to deal with life stress and health.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_Marie_Laino