Hunterdon Wound Healing Center Uses Medical Honey To Help Patients

Pictured: Michelle Allegro, RN, CNM, Clinical Manager of the Hunterdon Wound Healing Center, prepares to use medical honey to treat a patient’s wound. 

Published February 3, 2010

Honey has more benefits than just sweetening your tea or hot cereal.  Honey was used as a first aid treatment over 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt.  Today, Derma Sciences, a Princeton based biotech company has built its business around Leptospermum honey, a particular type of honey that is native to New Zealand and Australia.  The  Hunterdon Wound Healing Center  has been using this medical grade honey as an effective agent in topical wound care, especially for non-healing diabetic wounds and in cases where antibiotic resistance, such as MRSA is an issue. 

According to Kellie Mozingo, Director of the Hunterdon Wound Healing Center, “Wound care supplies can be expensive.  We use a product called Medi Honey, which has many of the properties that other expensive dressings have.”  Priti Gujar, M.D., Medical Director of the Hunterdon Wound Healing center added, “The medical grade honey helps to decrease bacteria and maintain moisture in the wound to allow it to heal.  It also helps to remove tissue that is unhealthy, which can prolong the healing process and stimulates new tissue growth.  Medical honey has low Ph levels, which helps early healing of the wounds.  The bacteria in the wounds use glucose from the honey in contrary to ammonia that helps eliminate the odor of wounds and because it is all natural there are few contraindications in the use of medical honey.” 

John Ryman of Washington, is diabetic and comes to the Hunterdon Wound Healing Center each day for treatment of a wound on his foot.  “Mr. Ryman just started using the medical honey along with treatment in our hyperbaric chamber for two hours each day.  We have already seen positive results,” stated Michelle Allegro, RN, CNM, Clinical Manager of the Hunterdon Wound Healing Center.  Allegro added, “A normal wound will take about eight to sixteen weeks to heal.  Our goal is to heal a wound within sixteen weeks.  With a combination of therapies, for example using the hyperbaric chambers, which uses oxygen therapy along with medical honey, we have seen faster results.” 

The medical grade honey comes in two forms, an ointment and sheets.  These products are only available at wound healing facilities or through a prescription from a physician. 

The Hunterdon Wound Healing Center is a department of Hunterdon Medical Center.  It is located in the Wescott Medical Arts Building at 9100 Wescott Drive in Flemington.   For more information call 908-237-6950.