11 minute read
Honey, you just don’t know ........................Catherine Stack
BEING WELL
Honey, you just don’t know
BY CATHERINE STACK
We watched Winnie the Pooh guzzle honey for years, but was he aware of the boost his sweet treat was giving his health? Honey is widely known as a more natural alternative to sugar, but it also possesses incredible healing properties. This superfood has been used medicinally since ancient times, and doctors are still studying its benefits today.
Many types of honey are high in hydrogen peroxide, often used at home to disinfect scrapes and cuts. Honey’s high sugar content allows it to absorb intrawound moisture, impeding survival of invading pathogens and bacteria. In fact, propolis, a compound in some honeys’ nectar, is a bacteria-killer; Dr. Peter Molan of New Zealand has discovered that honey kills seven types of infection-causing bacteria. It may even be successful in fighting the antibiotic-resistant MRSA.
Honey is readily available and simple to use, making it an ideal first-aid dressing material. This is especially true for geographic locations where the time between injury and treatment may be longer, therefore increasing likelihood of infection. Clinical observers have noted that honey clears infections rapidly, reduces inflammation, swelling, pain, and odor, induces necrotic tissue sloughing, and helps reform healthy tissue with minimal scarring. Some lay and home birth midwives use honey to help heal childbirth tears. Honey’s healing power extends beyond wounds and burns. There’s also evidence (some scientific, much anecdotal) suggesting certain honeys’ antibacterial properties, particularly New Zealand’s Manuka honey, may be effective against Helicobacter pylori, the main culprit behind many stomach ulcers. While this is yet to be proven, one experiment found that 100 percent of ulcer sufferers given four tablespoons of honey a day experienced symptom relief. Traditionally, children suffering from diarrhea are given a sugar solution for rehydration and replacement of essential minerals. Researchers in South Africa have discovered that honey can be more beneficial in these instances because it kills harmful bacteria in the intestine that may be causing the diarrhea. In contrast, honey can also be used as a cure for constipation. High amounts of fructose cause honey to arrive in the large intestine undigested, beginning a fermentation process that allows fluid to be drawn into the bowels and act as a laxative.
Because of its antimicrobial properties, honey also has potential to combat oral pathogens and holds promise for the treatment of periodontal disease, mouth ulcers, and other oral cavity problems. Honey can soothe sore throats and calm coughs (especially if diluted with a small amount of whiskey).
When shopping for honey, buy it raw; the high heat processing procedure eliminates a great deal of honey’s healing power. The best option is Manuka honey, produced in New Zealand where the bees feed on a particular type of flowering shrub, because it has the highest antibacterial compound composition. Read labels and look for the words “active Manuka honey.” It can usually be found in health food stores and will be the most effective honey in your fight against bacteria and stomach ulcers.
So like that willy, nilly, silly old bear, enjoy honey as a snack, but don’t sleep on all it has to offer. FY
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Catherine Stack is owner, facilitator, and Doctor of Naturopathy at Journey II Health. She specializes in colon health and bio-identical hormone replacement and is a practicing staff midwife at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. Her books, Free Yourself from a CONSTIPATED Life and PUSH, Labor & Delivery from the Inside Out are available on amazon.com. Visit cathistack.com for more info.
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WECK RADIO IS BIG
Where can you find good times and great oldies on your radio? Right here on WECK, Buffalo’s oldies station, at 1230AM, 102.9FM, 100.1FM, and 100.5FM. Those are some pretty big dial positions, because WECK is so big that you can now listen on voice-activated devices, stream live at weckbuffalo.com, or download the free Weck Radio app on your smartphone or tablet.
WECK is the radio of your childhood, but it’s also the radio of now, providing current weather from WGRZ Storm Team 2, upto-date traffic reports, local news, and more.
Check out the schedule on our website and make and weekend appointments for our exclusive Elvis and Beatles shows.
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This “Women in Country” musical revue examines the stories and struggles of female country artists from Kitty Wells to Brandi Carlile. With a full band onstage, this part concert/part musical history lesson will have you singing along to the hits.
Through October 3 at the Kavinoky Theatre
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The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, paired with your swinging BPO, presents a high-energy concert of big-band jazz.
10:30 a.m. at Kleinhan’s Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 18
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Through September 12 Hervé Tullet: Shape and Color
This is the largest exhibition ever assembled of this artist, performer, and beloved children’s book author’s work. Simple lines and shapes in primary colors form the basis of the minimal, yet joyous and inviting visual language found throughout his installations and more than eighty publications.
Albright-Knox Northland
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Medicare Savings Programs
Erie County Department of Senior Services’ Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) provides free, accurate & objective information to senior & disabled people with Medicare, their representatives, or persons soon-to-be eligible for Medicare who have questions & concerns about other health insurance.
Call 858-7883 for help!
Many older adults and people with disabilities have low incomes, but many do not have incomes and assets low enough to qualify for Medicaid. Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) provide relief for lower income seniors and individuals with disabilities by off setting the costs associated with Medicare.
Medicare Savings Programs (MSP), also known as Medicare Buy-In programs or Medicare Premium Payment Programs, help people with Medicare (who do not qualify for Medicaid) pay for some of the costs of Medicare B.
To qualify for MSP, you must be eligible for or have Medicare Part A, receive Social Security benefi ts, and meet income guidelines.
There are three Medicare Savings Programs:
QMB:Qualifi ed Medicare Benefi ciary pays for Medicare’s Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance.
SLMB and QI-I: Specifi ed Low-income Medicare Benefi ciary and Qualifying Individual - I pays for Medicare’s Part B Premium.
Income Guidelines for Medicare Savings Program
Program
QMB SLMB QI-1 Federal Monthly Income Net Income
Individual $1094 $1308 $1469 Couple $1472 $1762 $1980 Asset Limits
Individual Couple No Asset Test No Asset Test No Asset Test
QDWI:Qualifi ed Disabled and Working Individual pays for Medicare Part A premium only for disabled worker under the age of 65 who lost Part A benefi ts because of return to work.
QDWI SINGLE COUPLE Income Below $4279 $5892 Resources Below $4,000 $6,000
You may be eligible for the Medicare Saving Program (MSP) that will pay the Medicare Part B premium. This program also automatically makes you eligible for “Extra Help”, the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) that will help with Part D premiums, lower co-pays and elimination of the gap in coverage. Please call 858-7883 for help.
Many people who qualify for an MSP may otherwise not qualify for “Full” Extra Help (LIS). This is because individuals who apply directly for Extra Help (LIS) must meet both an income eligibility limit and an asset eligibility limit. “Extra Help” Low Income Subsidy (LIS) helps to reduce or eliminate the benefi ciary’s Part D premium and signifi cantly lower their cost sharing requirements: Full Extra Help (LIS) recipients will pay no monthly premium for a basic Part D plan whose monthly premium is at or below New York State’s subsidy amount ($42.27 in 2021). Co-payments for prescription medications will be reduced to $3.70 -$9.20 (in 2021) for Full Extra Help; Partial Extra Help maybe available based on the benefi ciary’s limited income and resources.
MSPs can enroll an individual into Medicare Part B: If a person has Part A of Medicare but does not have Part B, she/he may utilize an MSP to enroll into Part B outside of an enrollment period.
MSPs automatically eliminate Late Enrollment Penalties for Part B and cover the Part B premium: When an individual delays timely enrollment in Part B and does not qualify for the Part B Special Enrollment Period, that individual may be assessed a Late Enrollment Penalty (LEP). A person with an LEP would typically have to pay the LEP for as long as they have Part B. Enrollment in an MSP automatically eliminates the LEP, even if the benefi ciary loses the MSP, later.
Below is a worksheet to determine net income to qualify for MSP. Net Income will then determine possible MSP level of coverage: i.e. QMB; SLMB; QI-1. (see income guidelines sheet). Medicare Savings Program: Eligibility Worksheet
Enter: Gross Income
Pension(s) SSA (Including Medicare Part B Premium) Other Income* *(except for bank interest) Total:
Subtract: Medical Premium(s)
Supplemental Premium or Medicare Advantage Premium Medicare Part D Premium (amount over basic plan cost) EPIC Premium Long Term Care Insurance Dental Premium Vision Premium
Minus Total: Net Income Total:
If your NET Income is below:
Single: $1,469/mo. or less | Married Couple: $1,980/mo. or less
THEN APPLY FOR BENEFIT! - Call 716-858-7883
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover many preventive services. You pay nothing for most covered preventive services if you get the services from a doctor or other qualified health care provider who accepts Medicare. However, for some preventive services, you may have to pay a deductible, coinsurance, or both. These costs may also apply if you get a preventive service in the same visit as a non-preventive service.
Medicare has preventive services that are paid in full (no co-payment) for the following: Annual Wellness Exam; “Welcome to Medicare” Preventive Visit; Alcohol Misuse Screening and Counseling; Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening; Bone Mass Measurement; Cardiovascular Disease Behavioral Therapy; Cardiovascular Disease Screening; Cervical Cancer Screening (Pap Smear and Pelvic Exam); Colorectal Cancer Screening; Covid-19 Vaccination, Depression Screening; Diabetes Screening; Diabetes Prevention Program; Flu Shot; Hepatitis B Shot & Screening; Hepatitis C Screening; HIV Screening; Lung Cancer Screening; Mammogram Screening; Medical Nutrition Therapy; Obesity Screening and Counseling; Pneumococcal Shot; Prostate Cancer Screening; Smoking and Tobacco Cessation; Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Screening/ Counseling. Medicare pays 80% for Diabetes Self-Management Training; Glaucoma Screening (20% co-payment).
