Monday, February 23, 2009

Book Review: Honey in Modern Wound Management

Edited by Rose Cooper, Peter Molan and Richard White
(2009) published by Wounds UK Ltd., Aberdeen.
Colour illustrated throughout, 201 pages, soft back.
£29.99 (plus postage and packing)

Recent years have seen a resurgence in the use of honey in the treatment of wounds. For millennia local honey has been used as a basic wound dressing now there are licensed products that have undergone the scrutiny of regulatory bodies. Topical application of honey is therapeutic not only because of antimicrobial activity but also because of its ability to promote healing. This book offers insights into historical and modern applications of honey as well as providing clinical and laboratory data to help better understanding of its mode of action.

Its fourteen very erudite chapters cover: historical background, antimicrobial activity, modern wound microbiology; clinical guidelines for the potential use of honey in paediatric care, oncology, radiotherapy, damaged tissue and burns, treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, the prevention of medical device related infections, and the immunomdulatory components of honey.

The increasing acceptance of regulated honey products in the medical pharmacopoeia meant that this book is a timely review of recent developments and will enable health care professionals to make informed decisions about the use of honey in daily practice. In addition the copious references and citations make the book a valuable resource not only for practitioners but also for students and all those who wish to be in formed of the science behind one of Nature's oldest medicines.

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