Honey May Help Patients Undergoing Head And Neck Radiation April 15, 2003 By Nancy Volkers InteliHealth News Service Honey may help to ease the symptoms of radiation therapy in people with cancer of the head and neck, according to Malaysian researchers. The study, completed by researchers at the University of Malaysia, involved 40 people with head and neck cancer. All of them needed radiation therapy that would affect their mouths. Radiation treatment of the head and neck can cause swelling in the mouth, mouth sores and inflammation, and damage to salivary glands. In the study, honey was smeared inside the mouth. Half of the people had 20 milliliters of honey 15 minutes before radiation therapy, 15 minutes after the therapy, and again six hours after the therapy. The other half only received radiation therapy. People who had the honey applied had significantly less inflammation in their mouths than the control group. This apparently affected eating habits as well; 55 percent of patients treated with honey showed no change or a gain in their body weight, while the majority of people in the control group lost weight. The article appears in a recent issue of the journal Supportive Care in Cancer.