Manuka honey

Hi MiSs independent

With Manuka obviously the higher grade the better but the price increases by quite a lot once you get to the good stuff.

Sometimes Holland & Barrett have it included in their 'Penny' offer so you buy 2 but get one for 1p

One of the more common ways tried with breast cancer chemo is to take and suck frozen grapes while at your chemo session it acts like a cold cap for your mouth

There is a regular monthly chemo discussion in the main breast group - You can find January's chemo chat clicking here.

You could ask this question in the breast group as I'm sure some of the ladies there have used Manuka during chemo, don't know if any are using it at the moment though.

Hope this is of some help, G n' J

Hi Miss Independent,

I am into my third cycle of chemo (not for breast ca so it will be different from yours). I have had moderate ulcers each cycle. I tried manuka honey 10+...a teaspoonful three times a day ...swished around, not swallowed straight away. I wasn't sure whether I was expecting it to prevent the ulcers, make them hurt less or make them heal more quickly. It certainly didn't prevent them. I'm not sure if it helped at all. It tasted nice. There are some studies looking at  honey (both Manuka and clover) but they have variable results and none say which strength of UMF which is the unit of activity. The high strength ones are eye wateringly expensive. There is a big study happening at the moment but results won't be available until 2021.

I tried all sorts of things to help heal them/make them hurt less. I found the children's version of Bonjela helped most although it stung. The adult Bonjela was really sore to use. Difflam mouthwash helped the ulcers around my cheeks but not the ones of my tongue. Strepsils made my mouth worse.

I avoided crispy sharp food and acid food like tomatoes and avoided drinking things very hot.

The other important thing is to stop secondary infection especially with thrush. There are some worries that honey might make this more of a problem. I brush my teeth and then I use Corsadyl mouthwash 3 or 4 times a day. At first it made my teeth look black which is a known problem but it doesn't anymore.

I found the ulcers started on day 4 or 5 after chemo and settled by about day 14. 

Not everyone gets them. I wish you strength and good luck.