# Honey & Yogurt relieves abdominal cramps



## The Real MC

Last night as bedtime approached I felt another episode of abdominal cramps coming on.  Felt more like indigestion than a blockage (belly is soft).

As I laid in bed the cramps were getting worse.  I really didn't want my holiday vacation ruined by cramps.

I tried some yogurt from the fridge.  Then I glanced at the bottle of honey on the counter and remembered that honey has natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits!

So I stirred a tablespoon of honey in 8oz of greek yogurt and ate it.  Went to bed, about an hour later I fell asleep.  Slept solid and woke up with no pain!

Noon today I felt the cramps again.  More yogurt & honey... no more cramps.

Wanted to pass the home remedy to the forum.


----------



## Farmwife

Ummm............ you might not be far off.
If I remember my dd first doc said to try Greek yogurt to see if it helps her tummy. 
I don't remember why.  She couldn't stand the taste.
I use a honey mixture to help with my acid reflex. Works for me. 

I'm interested to see what others say.


----------



## UnXmas

It would be interesting to see if you're able to keep reproducing this result - I.e. if it happens enough times that you can be sure it's not coincidence. Had you eaten or drank anything else at all? Sometimes ingesting anything can stimulate the digestive system and get things going if things are backed up. It may be it was just the fact that you ate that relieved things rather than the specific foods you had. Fizzy drinks and hot drinks are particularly good for this. Chewing gum is also good - doctors and nurses have often told me to chew gum because it stimulates the digestive system without then burdening it was food. My dentist also told me to chew gum constantly.... everyone seems to want me chewing gum.


----------



## The Real MC

This past sunday I was in ER with bad abdominal cramps.  Cat scan showed inflammation but no blockage.

From past experience, I always had residual cramps the next few days while my intestines healed despite being on bland diet.  And I was strict about staying on that diet.

Monday night I felt another full cramps coming on not just residual.  Regular waves of excruciating pain that threatened to keep me up all night.  That was the first time I tried the honey & yogurt concoction.  I am not kidding, within an hour of eating the honey & yogurt I fell asleep.  Woke Tuesday morning, no pain at all.  Felt fully rested.

Twice more these past few days I felt cramps, and the honey & yogurt stopped them.  I've never had a recovery this painless.  The ER gave me a prescription for pain killers but I never needed it.  The honey & yogurt is now a breakfast staple.

Only today did I go back to regular diet, just to be safe.  I drink zero carbonated drinks, never liked them.  Limited the hot drinks to weak tea per bland diet.  I keep a lot of junk out of my diet - emphasis on making my own meals, minimal eating out, reading the ingredients when I shop groceries.  With my stricture I don't think gum would be a good idea.


----------



## UnXmas

Well you don't _ swallow_ the gum, just chew it. I hope the honey and yoghurt keeps working for you. It sounds like you may have made an interesting discovery.


----------



## rinasme

interesting, Honey (unpasteurized)is used in nursing homes for sores that will not heal. My wife being a nurse has been using honey on patients for years. it has properties older Doctors accept that it just works. Sore usually clears up in days. I am currently in a cramping flare up. honey and yogurt here we go.


----------



## The Real MC

Do let us know if it works for you.


----------



## ncman

I've just stumbled upon this thread, and I'm currently introducing yogurt back into my diet - and I'm flavouring it with honey. 

I had some earlier 'tightness' around the ileum which seems to have eased today, but I had the same tightnness the previous two days which the combo did not touch...

Everything else in my diet has remained constant. 

The only difference I've made today is to reduce the amount of fibre (veg) I've eaten.  

So unfortunately, I think, for me anyway, it's not the 'magic combo'.


----------



## The Real MC

Even if it doesn't ease the tightness, the bacteria in greek yogurt is friendly to the intestines.  My surgeon recommended it three years ago to keep Crohns in remission.


----------



## Nym

UnXmas said:


> Chewing gum is also good - doctors and nurses have often told me to chew gum because it stimulates the digestive system without then burdening it was food. My dentist also told me to chew gum constantly.... everyone seems to want me chewing gum.


People do not typically ingest gum, so they pay very little attention to its ingredients. The assumption is that if the gum is not swallowed, then the ingredients should not be a concern. However, the ingredients in gum travel into the blood stream faster and in higher concentrations than food ingredients, because they absorb directly through the walls of the mouth, and these ingredients do not undergo the normal filtration process of digestion.

Gum is typically the most toxic product in supermarkets that is intended for internal use, and it is likely to kill any pet that eats it. Commercial gum products contain roughly the same list of toxic ingredients, with differing labeling, which is virtually always designed to mislead.

Common Ingredients of Gum:

• Sorbitol
• Gum base
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Xylitol
• Artificial and natural flavoring
• Acacia
• Acesulfame potassium
• Aspartame
• BHT
• Calcium casein peptone-calcium Phosphate
• Candelilla wax
• Sodium stearate
• Titanium dioxide   

Titanium dioxide is so cancerous that external skin contact is enough to cause cancer. Be reminded that all of these ingredients absorb directly into the blood stream through the walls of the mouth. Some of these ingredients are explained in-depth, because it is prudent to correct the myth that chewing gum is harmless and even good for you (e.g. "it strengthens the teeth").

Gum base:
After much more research, we found one Chinese company who told us about their ingredients. Wuxi Yueda Gum Base Manufacture Co, Ltd said:

    "It is made of several food grade raw materials, which are rubber (food grade), glycerol ester of rosin, paraffin waxes, polyvinyl acetates, talc powder and calcium carbonate."

Glycerol ester of rosin is often made from the stumps of pine trees. It is used industrially to create fast-drying varnishes. The Internet is riddled with stories of people who had severe allergic reactions to it, usually causing a swollen throat that led to difficulty breathing. Glycerol ester of rosin is now being added to soft drinks, though federal limits ensure that its quantity remains under 100 P.P.M. This safety limitation does not apply to chewing gum.

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/383-why-a-stick-of-gum-is-more-harmful-to-your-health-than-anything-that-you-eat.html

Oh yum!


----------



## UnXmas

That's really not on topic. Btw the forum has a rule that forbids posters to advise others to stop treatment prescribed by medical professionals. My doctors and dentist have told me to chew sugar-free gum regularly, my dentist in particular as I have a very dry mouth and gum stimulates saliva which is crucial in preventing dental problems. Doctors have told me to chew gum if I get a stoma blockage. 

Chewing gum is a widely recognised treatment for ileus: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23551339
 I had post-surgical ileus and was told to chew gum. Ileus is paralysis of the digestive tract. You can't eat when your intestine is paralysed, it's incredibly painful and usually you'll vomit whatever you eat. I had an NG tube to drain bile from my stomach because, since it can't move from your stomach any other way, it will otherwise just gather in your stomach, making your stomach swell bigger and bigger. But chewing gum stimulates the intestine and so helps get it working without burdening it with food. As I have chronic digestive motility problems as well, my surgeon told me to try carrying on chewing gum regularly. I thought it might help relieve symptoms in other situations and so mentioned it in this thread as I thought it possible that a similar mechanism might have helped relieve The Real MC's symptoms, and chewing gum is not going to do anyone any harm if they try it to relieve similar symptoms.

Please don't contradict advice given by doctors; your post is breaking forum rules. You don't know what medical conditions people on this forum have. You don't have the knowledge of doctors (or dentists). All medications, surgeries, foods, drinks, have side effects or risks or aren't beneficial for certain people. Going around responding to posts by quoting all your disagreements with a treatment someone's medical practitioners have advised them to take is very unhelpful.


----------



## rinasme

Hey MC day 2 nothing but honey and  yogurt  I feel  great.. the cramping  is gone the nausea  disappeared  so far so good. Cheers. :


----------



## Jennifer

Glad it worked for you rinasme.  Thank you for sharing this The Real MC.


----------



## 2thFairy

UnXmas said:


> Chewing gum is also good - doctors and nurses have often told me to chew gum because it stimulates the digestive system without then burdening it was food. My dentist also told me to chew gum constantly.... everyone seems to want me chewing gum.


I chew gum whenever I get crampy and it does help get things passing.  My colorectal surgeon suggested I try it after my colectomy.


----------



## The Real MC

Had a bout of indigestion and cramps through the night.  Honey & yogurt didn't work for that one.


----------



## crow-hens

been having yogurt and honey (note: not the crap filled honey stocked up on commercial shelves, i have been having yemeni sidr honey - one of the purest finest honeys in the world - can be expensive- has alot of anti inflammatory agents) with sliced up bananas, finally found a new breakfast, taste is delicious and it works wonders for my insides.


----------



## The Real MC

I've been using organic honey or from those farmstands whenever I can.


----------

