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Abstract

Introduction: Persistent postinfectious cough (PPC) is a cough that persists longer than 3 weeks or perhaps for many months after a common cold or an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). PPC has poor response to routine treatment modalities, so it can be a vexing problem for the patient and the physician alike. Our hypothesis was that honey and/or coffee have some beneficial effects in the treatment of PPC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of coffee and/or honey in the treatment of patients with PPC. Materials and Methods: This was a double blind randomized clinical trial, conducted on adult patients during a 6-year period from 2003 to 2009. Included in this study were 84 adult participants that had experienced PPC longer than 3 weeks. All of them had the history of several referrals to different physicians and despite treatment, their cough had persisted. Patients with other causes of chronic cough, or systemic disease or with abnormal routine laboratory tests were excluded. All the included 84 participants were distributed into three groups. For all the participants, a jam-like paste was prepared. Each 600 grams of the product consisted of "70 grams original instant coffee" in the first regimen, "500 grams of honey" in the second regimen and "70 grams of instant coffee plus 500 grams of honey" in the third regimen. These participants were told to dissolve 25 grams of the prescribed product in about 200 CC of warm water (under 60 o C), and drink this solution every 8 hours for one week. All the participants were evaluated before and at the end of the first week of their treatment, to measure the frequency of their cough. In addition they were under observation for the first month. Results: Comparing the effectiveness of all three treatment regimens, this study found "honey with coffee" as the most effective treatment modality for PPC (P<0.001).
Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
No.2, Vol. 23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011
1
Honey with Coffee: A new finding in the treatment of
Persistent Postinfectious Cough
* Mohammad-Ali Raeessi
1
, Jafar Aslani
2
, Homa Gharaie
3
, Ali-Akbar Karimi Zarchi
4
, Neda Raeessi
5
,
Shervin Assari
6
Abstract
Introduction:
Persistent postinfectious cough (PPC) is a cough that persists longer than 3 weeks or perhaps
for many months after a common cold or an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). PPC has
poor response to routine treatment modalities, so it can be a vexing problem for the patient and
the physician alike. Our hypothesis was that honey and/or coffee have some beneficial effects
in the treatment of PPC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of coffee
and/or honey in the treatment of patients with PPC.
Materials and Methods:
This was a double blind randomized clinical trial, conducted on adult patients during a 6-year
period from 2003 to 2009. Included in this study were 84 adult participants that had
experienced PPC longer than 3 weeks. All of them had the history of several referrals to
different physicians and despite treatment, their cough had persisted. Patients with other
causes of chronic cough, or systemic disease or with abnormal routine laboratory tests were
excluded. All the included 84 participants were distributed into three groups. For all the
participants, a jam-like paste was prepared. Each 600 grams of the product consisted of "70
grams original instant coffee" in the first regimen, "500 grams of honey" in the second
regimen and "70 grams of instant coffee plus 500 grams of honey" in the third regimen. These
participants were told to dissolve 25 grams of the prescribed product in about 200
CC
of warm
water (under 60
o
C
), and drink this solution every 8 hours for one week. All the participants
were evaluated before and at the end of the first week of their treatment, to measure the
frequency of their cough. In addition they were under observation for the first month.
Results:
Comparing the effectiveness of all three treatment regimens, this study found "honey with
coffee" as the most effective treatment modality for PPC (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
Combination of honey and coffee can successfully treat the PPC at a short time. Thus, it is
recommended for the treatment of PPC.
Keywords: Coffee, Honey, Postinfectious cough, Upper respiratory tract infection
Received date: 15 Nov 2010
Accepted date: 1 Feb 2011
1
Department of otorhinolaryngology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. Tehran, Iran
2
Department of pulmonology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. Tehran, Iran
3
Natural Medicines Office in Deputy of Food and Drug, Ministry of Health and
Medical Educations,Tehran, Iran
4
Department of epidemiology and biostatics, Faculty of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5
Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6
Deputy of Research, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. Tehran, Iran
*Corresponding author:
Department of otorhinolaryngology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
E-mail: raeessi_ma@yahoo.com, Tel: +982166436737
Original Article
A new finding in the treatment of Persistent Postinfectious Cough
2, Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology No.2, Vol. 23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011
Introduction
Cough is a reflex action of the respiratory
tract with a protective nature and defense
mechanism by an explosive expiration to
clear secretions and foreign materials from
the airways (1,2). Generally, cough reflex
is triggered by mechanical or chemical
stimulation of sensory nerve receptors
which are mainly present in the pharynx,
larynx, trachea and bronchi (3). Cough can
also be a warning sign of disease, and
needs to be diagnosed accurately (1).
Despite extensive diagnostic evaluation
guidelines and numerous treatments;
chronic and uncontrollable cough, in a
number of cases, still remains as a
nuisance (4,5). It is a common problem
often resulting in referral to secondary care
(5,6).
Common causes of chronic cough are:
Lung and tracheal diseases, pharyngitis,
upper airway cough syndrome (UACS)
due to upper respiratory tract infections
(URTI) and allergic rhinitis (3,7,8). Other
causes are gastro-esophageal reflux
disease, exposure to environmental
pollution or cigarette smoke, respiratory
tract foreign bodies, psychogenic cough
and persistent postinfectious cough (PPC).
But UACS has been the most common
cause of chronic cough in publications of
the United States (1,6,9).
PPC is a cough that persists longer than
three weeks after a common cold or other
viral respiratory tract infections (7,10). It
is reported as 1125% of the chronic
cough (1). This cough that is expected to
last only one or two weeks persists for
longer than three weeks or perhaps for
many months (11).
Patients frequently complain of a
persistent tickling or irritating sensation in
the throat, which often leads to paroxysms
of coughing (1). Because of its morbidity
and difficulties, such patients are
frequently referred to cough clinics and
investigated for other causes of cough (1).
It can be a troublesome problem for the
patient and the physician alike (4,5).
Specific infectious etiology of PPC is
rarely confirmed (12). Respiratory viruses,
particularly respiratory syncytial virus
(RSV), adenoviruses parainfluenza,
influenza and etc, have all been implicated
(7,10). The pathogenesis of the PPC is
probably long-lasting and widespread
pharyngeal mucosal inflammation and
desquamation of the epithelial cells with
nerve endings damage, that leads to
hyperactivity of the cough reflex (1,9,12).
This can make it more sensitive to local
irritants and can lead to a vicious cycle and
more damage to mucosa (1,13).
PPC is stimulated by cigarette smoke,
chemical fumes, aerosol sprays, dust,
perfumes, drinking, eating crumbly dry
food, taking a deep breath, laughing,
talking over the phone for more than a few
minutes, changes in ambient temperature
and breathing cold air (1).
Successful treatment of the PPC depends
on making an accurate diagnosis and
giving the specific therapy. Currently
available treatments for PPC are:
bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory
medications, particularly inhaled or
systemic corticosteroids (7,10). narcotics,
centrally acting antitussive agents such as
codeine and dextromethorphan (10-12),
nedocromil sodium and cromoglycate
(7,10,12), inhaled ipratropium bromide
and antihistamines (7,10).
Despite all these treatments, this chronic
cough is usually intractable and has no
remarkable response to routine drugs. So,
it is worth to find a better treatment for
PPC. Based on our previous knowledge
and personal experience, our hypothesis
was that honey and/or coffee may have
some beneficial effects in the treatment of
PPC.
In the Review of Literature, to find some
information, we searched about Honey and
Coffee. To the best of our knowledge, we
did not find any report that has noted such
a therapeutic combination for PPC, but it
was found that:
A- "Honey has been regarded as a health
giving substance since ancient times and
Raeessi MA, et al
Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology No.2, Vol.23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011, 3
its medical use is recorded from around
3000 B.C. onward. Honey has been used,
also in modern times for maintenance of
health and in several diseases (14). World
Health Organization (WHO) has cited
honey as a potential treatment for cough,
URTI and cold symptoms (15). Also it
suggests that honey demulcents may
soothe the throat (15). It can be effective
and recommended to provide some relief
from cold symptoms and cough (15-17). It
is a natural substance, cheap, popular and
safe (15). In addition, honey has
antioxidant efficacies and increases
cytokine release, which may cause its
antimicrobial effects (15). Honey is an
ancient remedy which has been re-
discovered for the treatment of wounds
with induction of tissue repair and
stimulation of wound healing (15,18).
These effects may have been associated
with its hyper osmolarity and with its anti-
inflammatory and antioxidant properties
(15, 16)."
B- "Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, cola
drinks and cocoa (19). Methylxanthines
(such as theophylline and caffeine) are
bronchodilator drugs which are believed to
stimulate breathing efforts and have been
used to prevent apnea (19, 20). Also
caffeine is hypoalgesic, and it has anti-
inflammatory effects (19, 20). It is the
world's most commonly consumed
psychoactive substance that stimulates the
CNS. Caffeine improves vigilance and
psychomotor performance, and increases
levels of self-reported alertness and
decreases levels of self-reported fatigue
and sleepiness."
Considering all above, the aim of this
study was to scientifically evaluate the
therapeutic effects of coffee, honey and
their combination, in treatment of patients
with PPC.
Materials and Methods
This was a double blind randomized
clinical trial of participants presenting with
PPC. It was performed during a 6-year
period at the Baqiyatallah University
Hospital, Tehran, Iran from 2003 to 2009.
Our study was conducted on included 84
adult patients which only 74 of them kept
track until the end of this study (42 men
and 32 women).
Ethical Considerations: "The participants
were all volunteers and they were fully
informed about the aim of the study, the
prescribed regimens which consist of
natural safe edible substances, moreover
the follow up sessions and their own duty
as participants. Also they were told about
the benefits of this research, the potential
complications such as dyspepsia and
insomnia, and how to face them. They
were reassured that the data and their files
are kept confidential. Then, an informed
consent was taken from them before they
were enrolled in the study. The project
design of this prospective study was
approved by the Ethics Committee of the
Baqiyatallah University of Medical
Sciences."
In our cough clinic, all the patients were
assessed and registered after their check
list was completed. It was about personal
data including age, sex, weight, education,
occupation, duration of their illness and
presence or absence of systemic disease.
All the participants underwent a
comprehensive history, physical
examination of respiratory system and
complete examination of ear, nose and
throat. They were thoroughly examined for
every abnormality and also underlying
causes of cough. Also routine laboratory
tests and chest X-Ray were taken. Other
evaluations were carried out as necessary.
For example Spirometry, Computed
Tomography (CT scan) of paranasal
sinuses, and High-Resolution Computed
Tomography (HRCT) of thorax.
In patients with chronic cough, there is a
positive relationship between cough
frequency and cough reflex sensitivity
(21). Additionally, in PPC, the frequency
of cough is equal to severity of cough.
Considering these two facts, from now on,
"frequency of cough" represents "severity
of cough" in this article. Thus, all the
A new finding in the treatment of Persistent Postinfectious Cough
4, Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology No.2, Vol. 23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011
participants were evaluated for frequency
of their cough before and after the
treatment. Their cough frequency,
according to them, was degreed as: Zero
(0), low (1
+
), moderate (2
+
), and severe (3
+
),
(22).
Patients with PPC for more than three
weeks of duration were included in this
study. But, the ones with systemic disease
and/or abnormal routine laboratory tests
were excluded. As a matter of fact, a high
majority of the patients have more than a
single cause at the same time for chronic
cough (7, 23- 26). Therefore, in this study
we excluded every patient with other
causes of cough, or we first treated that
other condition. Participants' ages ranged
from 21 to 65 years and the peak age was
the third decade (29.7% of patients). Their
weight ranged from 50 to 90 kgs.
Moreover, most of them were highly
educated (Table 1).
For this study, we prepared three types of
medical jam-like pastes, (A, B, and C
products):
1- Each 600 grams of the "A" product
(first regimen), consisted 70 grams of
original instant coffee (caffeinated coffee),
given to every member of the first group
(n=16).
2- Each 600 grams of the "B" product
(second regimen), consisted 500 grams of
honey, given to every member of the
second group (n=14).
3- Each 600 grams of the "C" product
(third regimen), consisted 70 grams of
original instant coffee, and 500 grams of
honey, given to every member of the third
group (n=54).
It's necessary to mention that all the three
products were similar in packaging, color,
shape, viscosity and the taste (by adding
enough edible brown color, coffee essence,
and liquid glucose). Materials of each
product were gently mixed and
homogenized. The natural honey which
was used in this study was obtained from
the mountain region in the west of Iran.
The mentioned samples were produced by
our pharmacist with the proportion of 1, 1, 4.
They were encoded confidentially and
distributed randomly between patients.
This difference of proportion was intended
to show the importance of the third
regimen. It should be considered that the
first and second groups can play the role of
control groups for the third one. These
participants were told to dissolve 25 grams
of the prescribed jam-like paste in about
200
CC
of warm water (under 60
oC
), then
drink this solution. They were asked to
repeat it every 8 hours for one week.
Table 1: Characteristics of participants in the
three treatment groups: Count and "Percentage
within Treatment group"
Factors
Treatment
group 1
Treatment
group 2
Treatment
group 3
Coffee
(n=14)
Honey
(n=12)
honey with
coffee"
(n=48)
Age:
21-30 y
4(28.5)
5(41.3)
13(27)
31-40 y
3(21.4)
4(33.3)
11(22.8)
41-50 y
2(14.2)
2(16.6)
13(27)
51-60 y
4(28.5)
1(8.3)
10(20.8)
61-56 y
1(7.14)
0
1(2)
Sex:
Male:
9 (64.2)
6 (50)
27 (56.1)
Female
5 (35.7)
6 (50)
21 (43.6)
Level of
schooling:
Primary&
Diploma
5 (35.7)
5 (41.6)
13 (27)
Technical
& higher
education
9 (64.2)
7 (58.3)
35 (72.8)
Occupation:
House
worker:
4 (28.5)
3 (25)
12 (25)
Student &
employer:
7 (50)
7 (58.3)
26 (54)
Physician:
2 (14.2)
2 (16.6)
10 (20.8)
They were evaluated before and at the
end of the first week of their treatment,
and the check list for the measurement of
Raeessi MA, et al
Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology No.2, Vol.23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011, 5
the frequency of their cough was
completed. The participants were under
observation for the first month even if
the cough was cured. Study investigators
who checked patients' signs and
symptoms were unaware about the
prescribed regimen. The process of this
research is illustrated in the attached
flow diagram.
All the analyses were carried out using
SPSS version 15.0 software. Continuous
variables were presented as mean and
standard deviation. Categorical variables
were presented as absolute and relative
frequencies. One-way ANOVA, Chi-
square test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test
were used for comparison groups. All
reported P-values were based on two-sided
hypotheses.
Results
In this clinical trial the mean and (standard
deviation) of age, weight and duration of
their illness were according to appearance:
39.9 (12.6) (years), 74.9 (10.9) (kgs), and
3.1 (3.4) (months). The distribution of
mentioned base line data are shown in the
table number 1. Also, the frequency of
cough before and after the treatment was
degreed as: 2.97 (0.16) and 0.82 (0.81). In
all three groups, the difference between
variables including age, sex, duration of
disease and frequency of cough before
the treatment, according to statistics were
not significant (P>0.05), (Table 2).
Chi-square test showed the distribution of
variables including sex, education and
occupation were the same in these three
groups (P>0.05). The cough frequency
was similar in all three groups before the
treatment (P>0.05).
According to Wilcoxon Signed Rank test,
the frequency of cough before and after
each treatment proved to be significant
(P<0.05). Therefore, all the three regimens
were effective in treating the condition.
Analysis of variances showed that the
difference between the means of
"frequency of cough before and after the
treatment" with three regimens were
significant (P<0.001).
In addition, Post Hoc Tests (Tukey)
showed that the change of "cough
frequency before and after the treatment"
in the first and second groups were not
significant whilst the mean of "change of
cough before and after the treatment" in
the third group was lower and the mean
differences was statistically significant
(P<0.001).
Table 2: Mean (STD) differences between
treatments and some explanatory variables
Variables
Treatment
group 1
Treatment
group 3
P-
value
coffee
(n=14)
honey
with coffee
(n=48)
Age:
years
(std)
41.9 (14.8)
40.1 (12.6)
>0.05
(NS)*
Weight:
Kgs (std)
74.6 (11.3)
74.1 (11.4)
>0.05
(NS) *
Duration
of illness:
months
(std)
3.3 (1.4)
3.3 (4.1)
>0.05
(NS) *
Frequency
of cough:
a- before
the
treatment:
degree
(std)
3.0 (0.0)
3.0 (0.2)
>0.05
(NS)*
b- after
the
treatment:
degree
(std)
1.8 (0.4)
0.4(0.6)
<0.001
(S)**
________________________________________________________
* NS= Not Significant
** S = Significant
Discussion
PPC is usually intractable and has no
effective response to routine treatments.
Considering the great number of people
around the world suffering from PPC,
every reasonable and safe remedy is worth
to be thoroughly investigated. Our
hypothesis was that the honey and/or
coffee have therapeutic effect on PPC.
A new finding in the treatment of Persistent Postinfectious Cough
6, Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology No.2, Vol. 23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011
Generally, it seems that the effect of honey
in treatment of PPC is about that sweet
substances naturally cause reflex salivation
and may also cause the secretion of airway
mucus which can improve mucociliary
clearance in the airway, and lead to a
demulcent effect in the pharynx, thereby
they reduce cough (24). Moreover, honey
by its properties such as hyper osmolarity,
as an anti-inflammatory substance, can
expedite repairing and healing of the
pharyngeal mucosal irritation (14).
This study demonstrated that the
"combination of honey with coffee" (the
"C" product) was the most effective
treatment modality for PPC. It concedes
that the efficacy can be due to the
synergistic effect of these two substances.
Despite the fact that the exact mechanism
of action of the combination of honey and
coffee is almost unveiled and is not yet
fully explained; this combination can bring
about notable improvements in mucosal
tissue healing by repairing the "nerve
ending damage" due to "mucosal
irritability" and "mucosal desquamation".
These can provide possible explanation for
the role of "combined coffee and honey",
in the successful treatment of PPC.
However applying our innovate therapy,
we could treat PPC and also eliminate
"unpleasant consequences" of the illness
for the patients and the physicians (1, 27).
The advantages of this new treatment
modality are: (a) It is more effective
especially in a short time. (b) It has natural
edible substances which makes it safe and
agreeable. (c) It is cost effective and easily
available.
Conclusion
PPC can be successfully treated by
"combination of honey and coffee" at a
short time. We therefore recommend the
use of this effective treatment modality for
PPC patients. It is suggested that further
studies should be carried out in different
clinical settings.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank and appreciate all
the people who helped us in this research
project, especially Dr. Mohsin Reza
Heidari for his assistance in editing the
manuscript.
Raeessi MA, et al
Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology No.2, Vol.23, Serial No.63, Spring-2011, 7
Flow Diagram
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... After screening 548 titles and abstracts, and 64 full-texts, nine unique RCTs that evaluated honeybee products for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 (1 RCT) 29 or acute viral RTIs (8 RCTs) [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] were included ( Figure 1). Except for one RCT that published the results clinical trial registry only, 37 they all were published in peer reviewed journals. ...
... Propolis was evaluated in 124 adults participants admitted to hospital with a SARS-CoV-2 infection. 29 Honey was evaluated in eight RCTs of 1,330 participants for symptoms consistent with a non-specific, community acquired viral RTI, 30-37 from which 84 adults had symptoms of persistent postinfectious cough, 35 465 adults had an acute sore throat 36 or cough, 37 and 781 children had acute nocturnal cough. [30][31][32][33][34] [INSERT TABLE1. ...
... (Supplement 5: Table 5.2). The type of honey was not specified in three RCTs [34][35][36] and subgroup analyses comparing efficacy of different honey types was not 13 conducted due to insufficient numbers. Adverse events were analyzed per-participant, except for honey when compared to placebo for the duration of cough in children, in which the most frequent adverse event (vomiting) was synthesized. ...
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Background This rapid review systematically evaluated the effects of honeybee products compared to controls for the prevention, duration, severity, and recovery of acute viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs), including SARS-CoV-2, in adults and children. Methods Cochrane rapid review methods were applied. Four English databases plus preprint servers and trial registries were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The evidence was appraised and synthesized using RoB 2.0 and GRADE. Results 27 results were derived from 9 RCTs that included 674 adults and 781 children. In hospitalized adults with SARS-CoV-2, propolis plus usual-care compared to usual-care alone reduced the risk of shock, respiratory failure and kidney injury and duration of hospital admission. Honey was less effective than Guaifenesin for reducing cough severity at 60-minutes in adults with non-specific acute viral RTIs. Compared to coffee, honey plus coffee, and honey alone reduced the severity of post-infectious cough in adults. Honey reduced the duration of cough in children compared to placebo and salbutamol; and the global impact of nocturnal cough after one night compared to usual-care alone and pharmaceutical cough medicines. Conclusion: More studies are needed to robustly assess honeybee's role in SARS-CoV-2 and non-specific viral respiratory infections. Protocol registration PROSPERO: CRD42020193847.
... To the best of our knowledge, there have been no previous reports about the combination of honey and coffee as a treatment for oral mucositis. While assessing the effect of "honey plus coffee" on the persistence post-infectious cough in our three previous studies [49][50][51], we noticed the rapid healing impact of this treatment modality on the lesions in hypopharynx mucosal membrane. Thus we decided to design a new trial to evaluate the effect of this regimen on oral mucositis after cancer chemotherapy. ...
... In addition they have proved to be effective in a short period of time. While assessing the effect of "honey plus coffee" on the persistent post-infectious cough in our previous studies [49][50][51], we noticed the rapid healing impact of this treatment modality on the lesions in hypopharynx mucosal membrane. Thus we decided to design a new trial to evaluate the effect of this regimen on oral mucositis after cancer chemotherapy. ...
... It has been reported that honey or coffee separately have treatment impact on some of the respiratory diseases and honey can stimulate mucosal tissue healing in oral mucositis, but to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports in the literature on the combination of these two for oral mucositis. Only our three previous trials showed that "honey plus coffee" regimen is the most effective treatment modality for the Persistent Post-infectious Cough, and also those studies proved that the combination has a greater effect compared with each product separately [49][50][51]. ...
Article
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Oral mucositis is one of the common complications of cancer chemotherapy and about 40% of the patients who take chemotherapy protocols, experience this irritating problem. The purpose of this study was to draw comparison between the therapeutic effects of our treatment modalities (topical steroid, honey, honey plus coffee) in patients suffering from oral mucositis. This was a double blinded randomised clinical trial of a total of 75 eligible adult participants which they randomly fell into three treatment groups. For all the participants a syrup-like solution was prepared. Each 600 grams of the product consisted of “20 eight-mg Betamethasone solution ampoules” in the Steroid (S) group, “300 grams of honey plus 20 grams of instant coffee” in the Honey plus Coffee (HC) group, and “300 grams of honey” for the Honey (H) group. The participants were told to sip 10 ml of the prescribed product, and then swallow it every three hours for one week. Severity of lesions was clinically evaluated before the treatment and also one week after the initiation of the intervention. This study adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and guidelines of Good Clinical Practice. This study showed that all three treatment regimens reduce the severity of lesions. The best reduction in severity was achieved in HC group. H group and S group took the second and third places. In other words, honey plus coffee regimen was the most effective modality for the treatment of oral mucositis. Oral mucositis can be successfully treated by a combination of honey and coffee as an alternative medicine in a short time. Further investigations are warranted in this field. Trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT: 201104074737N3, (9 May 2011).
... We included 14 studies in the qualitative analysis, all of which were randomised controlled trials. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Study characteristics are summarised in table 1. Nine studies were paediatric only. There was considerable diversity of 'usual care' interventions (table 1 and online supplementary table 3), and while nine studies used pure honey, two used Grintuss syrup 19 21 (a cough suppressant syrup containing honey and plant complexes) and one used Honitus syrup (an Ayeverdic honey based syrup containing herb extracts). ...
Article
Background Antibiotic over prescription for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in primary care exacerbates antimicrobial resistance. There is a need for effective alternatives to antibiotic prescribing. Honey is a lay remedy for URTIs, and has an emerging evidence base for its use. Honey has antimicrobial properties, and guidelines recommended honey for acute cough in children. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in URTIs. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, AMED, Cab abstracts, Cochrane Library, LILACS, and CINAHL with a combination of keywords and MeSH terms. Results We identified 1345 unique records, and 14 studies were included. Overall risk of bias was moderate. Compared with usual care, honey improved combined symptom score (three studies, mean difference −3.96, 95% CI −5.42 to −2.51, I ² =0%), cough frequency (eight studies, standardised mean difference (SMD) −0.36, 95% CI −0.50 to −0.21, I ² =0%) and cough severity (five studies, SMD −0.44, 95% CI −0.64 to −0.25, I ² =20%). We combined two studies comparing honey with placebo for relieving combined symptoms (SMD −0.63, 95% CI −1.44 to 0.18, I ² =91%). Conclusions Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics. Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but further high quality, placebo controlled trials are needed. PROSPERO registration No Study ID, CRD42017067582 on PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ).
... • Honey and coffee paste added with lukewarm water is effective against irritating cough. [26]. ...
Preprint
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COVID-19 also known as Novel Corona Virus Pneumonia, is a viral disease caused by novel corona virus. The infection is highly contagious in nature and spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. According to Unani System of Medicine, epidemiology and clinical features of COVID-19 like fever, cough, tiredness, sore throat, running nose, nasal congestion, difficulty in breathing, etc. are similar to Nazla-e-wabai (Epidemic Influenza) up to a great extent.On the basis of fundamental approach for living a healthy lifestyle and preventive measures during epidemic spread mentioned in classical Unani texts, some standard operating procedures (SOPs) are suggested for prophylactic and curative purpose in the management of COVID-19 pandemic.
... Honey and honey with coffee are more effective than placebo for treatment of upper respiratory infection-associated cough persisting ⩾3 weeks. 58,59 However, to our knowledge, there are no published trials of honey for chronic cough lasting ⩾8 weeks at this time. ...
Article
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Objectives To provide an up-to-date review of honey’s effectiveness and potential applications in otorhinolaryngology. Methods A literature search of the online databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted. Results Sixty-three studies were identified within head and neck surgery (n = 23, 36%); pediatric otolaryngology (n = 18, 29%); rhinology, sinus, and skull base surgery (n = 11, 17%); otology (n = 6, 10%), facial plastic and reconstructive surgery (n = 3, 5%); and laryngology (n = 2, 3%). Studies included 6 meta-analyses, 44 randomized control trials, 5 case reports, and 8 animal models or in vitro studies. Of 55 clinical studies, 50 reported Level 1 evidence (prospective randomized control trials), and 5 reported Level 4 evidence (case series). The evidence level by subspecialty was: head and neck surgery (Level 1 n = 23), pediatrics (Level 1 n = 18), rhinology (Level 1 n = 7, level 4 n = 1), otology (Level 1 n = 1, Level 4 n = 3), facial plastics and reconstructive surgery (Level 4 n = 1), and laryngology (Level 1 n = 2). Conclusions Honey can be used for a variety of otolaryngology conditions. The highest quality meta-analyses support oral honey for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients, cough associated with upper respiratory infection in children, and pain control after tonsillectomy. Further research will likely justify broader applications.
... In a double-blinded randomized clinical trials, authors regarded the "coffee plus honey regimen" as the most effective model for the treatment of oral mucositis, in comparison to steroidal drugs and honey alone [15]. Coffee-honey combination was presented to be very effective against persistent post-infectious cough in another clinical trial [33]. ...
Article
This study was designed to assess the effect of honey addition to the antioxidant capacity and in vitro bioaccessibility of phenolic content of both brewed and soluble coffee. Floral and pine honey were used in the assay. The antioxidant capacities of the samples were evaluated with three different methods: DPPH radical scavenging activity, cupric reducing capacity and total antioxidant capacity tests. In order to measure the antioxidant metabolites of the samples, total phenolic and flavonoid contents were appraised. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion simulation procedure was conducted to mimic the physiochemical and biochemical factors of the gastrointestinal tract. During the digestion process, components in the food matrix are exposed to significant structural changes and certain amount of them are effectively absorbed and reach the circulation. To that end, the importance of studies concerning the simulated gastrointestinal digestion increases. The results of this study revealed that honey addition to coffee samples induced increases in antioxidant capacities, total phenolic and flavonoid contents.
... Raeessi et al. reported a randomized controlled trial using caffeine and honey for the treatment of persistent post-infectious cough. 14 This trial included all patients previously reported by the same group, 15,16 and compared the use of coffee associated with honey, coffee, honey, systemic steroid and placebo (guaifenesin) for the treatment of persistent post-infectious cough. A total of 205 patients were randomized between 2003 and 2011. ...
Article
Background Honey and beehive products were rediscovered as an alternative treatment in wounds. The medicinal properties also raised interest of their use in Otorhinolaryngology.Objective of reviewTo give an overview of the effectiveness of beehive products in otorhinolaryngology.Type of reviewNarrative.Search strategy and evaluationA literature search of the databases PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane was performed from the last 2 decades till December 2014. The search terms ‘honey’, ‘propolis’ or ‘royal jelly (RJ)’ were used. Articles, which evaluated the effectiveness of beehive products in Otorhinolaryngology were included. The quality assessment of included studies was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool.Discussion and ConclusionA total of 36 studies were identified and evaluated. Eighteen studies investigated their effect in oral infections, 7 in infection of the respiratory tract, 6 in rhino-sinusal diseases, 4 investigated the use in tonsillectomy and head and neck surgery and one study explored the preventive effect in otitis media. Honey can be considered as effective (additional) treatment in mucositis, childhood cough, persistent post-infectious cough and after tonsillectomy. Propolis may have a role in the treatment of (aphtous) stomatitis, mouth ulcer and prevention of acute otitis media. RJ showed to reduce mucositis. In the presented studies beehive products proved to be safe, with only minor adverse reactions. Studies showed to be diverse and had some methodological limitations.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Postinfectious cough (PIC) is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide every year. There is Western medicine for this condition but the treatment effect is often incomplete. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been increasingly prescribed for patients with PIC. Preliminary trials on Qing-Feng-Gan-Ke-Granules (QFGKG) conveyed promising results in treating PIC. This protocol describes an ongoing phase III randomized controlled clinical trial, designed according to a novel methodology of "one study, one primary outcome", with the objective of evaluating the efficacy and safety of QFGKG in patients suffering from PIC. This is a multicenter, phase III, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled clinical trial, comprising two simultaneously conducted study parts, part A and part B, intending to investigate two primary outcomes, i.e. time to cough resolution and cough symptom score, respectively. A total of 480 patients, aged 18 to 65 years, who complain of an ongoing persistent cough that has been lasting ≥3 weeks, will be recruited from six participating sites and then randomized to receive QFGKG 12.0 g twice daily or placebo 12.0 g twice daily. Each part will enroll 240 patients, with 180 patients being allocated to the QFGKG group and 60 to the placebo group. Although traditional Chinese medicine is a structured intervention that has shown some promise in treating persistent cough, existing unconvincing evidence has noted limitations. This is a rare well-designed and rigorously-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial to evaluate the effects and safety of a Chinese herbal medicine in patients with postinfectious cough, providing tangible benefits for clinical research. Results of this trial are inclined to be conjectured as more truthful by implementing separate study parts that specifically estimate exclusive primary outcome. It will not only provide robust clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of QFGKG for postinfectious cough, but will also provide a critical piece of information on the availability and superiority of a novel methodology for future clinical trials. The current trial is ongoing with recruitment of the predetermined number of patients being in progress. The two parts of this trial were separately registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-TRC-13003278 (part A); and ChiCTR-TRC-13003337 (part B).
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: Coughing is one of the chronic respiratory symptoms of patients exposed to sulfur mustard (SM) used against Iranian combatants and civilians by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, between 1983 and 1989. This study carried out on SM exposed patients who referred to our clinic because of exacerbation of chronic cough. : Fifty male SM injured patient in the age range of 21-79 years, all of them having chronic bronchitis and were suffering from chronic cough (>3 weeks) were evaluated. After history taking and performing physical examination our diagnostic evaluation included chest X-ray, pulmonary function test (PFT), para nasal computerized tomography, esophageal endoscopy and fiber optic bronchoscopy. : Apart from having chronic bronchitis as a constant disease in all patients, the other main causative factors behind chronic cough were bronchospasm, post-nasal drip syndrome (PNDS), and gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), which accounted for 66%, 46% and 44% of chronic cough of the patients, respectively. A single cause for chronic cough was found in 4 patients (8%), 2 causes in 17 patients (34%), 3 causes in 23 patients (46%) and 4 causes in 6 patients (12%). : Since a high majority of the patients had more than a single cause for chronic cough, multiplicity of causes of chronic cough in a patient is indicative for evaluation of possible exposure to chemical fumes, especially SM. Because of high prevalence of chronic bronchitis (100%) and bronchospasm (66%) among our study group we conclude that they should be considered at first, before assessment of other causes.
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Due to the variation of botanical origin honey differs in appearance, sensory perception and composition. The main nutritional and health relevant components are carbohydrates, mainly fructose and glucose but also about 25 different oligosaccharides. Although honey is a high carbohydrate food, its glycemic index varies within a wide range from 32 to 85, depending on the botanical source. It contains small amounts of proteins, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, aroma compounds and polyphenols. The review covers the composition, the nutritional contribution of its components, its physiological and nutritional effects. It shows that honey has a variety of positive nutritional and health effects, if consumed at higher doses of 50 to 80 g per intake.
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Post-infectious cough is a common diagnosis in people with chronic cough. However, the specific infectious aetiology and cough mechanisms are seldom identified. We report a case of chronic cough after Mycoplasma pneumoniae lower respiratory tract infection with extrathoracic airway hyperresponsiveness as the cough mechanism. Extrathoracic airway hyperresponsiveness may be a common mechanism in post-infectious cough which may be useful both diagnostically and therapeutically since chronic cough with extrathoracic airway hyperresponsiveness responds to speech pathology treatment.
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The Glasgow Edinburgh Throat scale (GETS) was developed to assess severity and therapy outcomes in globus sensation. The Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) was similarly derived to assess the possible spectrum of cervical symptoms due to laryngopharyngeal reflux. Both were physician derived tools with little published data on their factor structure, and nothing published to date on their ability to generate whether or not they capture similar pharyngeal phenomena. Aim. To assess the consistency and factor structure of the two questionnaires. Methods. Subjects completing: both questionnaires 134 catarrh clinic patients; RSI only: 32 chronic chest clinic attenders; GETS only 168 volunteer ophthalmology outpatients. All items of both questionnaires were stored in SPSS. The analysis included Cronbach's α, correlation coefficients, Scree slope plots with derivation of Eigenvalues, principal components analysis using Varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalisation. Results. The GETS was completed by 302 subjects (Cronbach's α = 0.81, confirming good internal consistency of the scale overall. Three factors were identified which accounted for over 70 % of the total variance. Factor 1 was much the strongest (49% of the total variance) and included ‘catarrh’ or post-nasal drip, globus, can't empty throat, continually want to swallow, irritation. Factor 2 had obstructive items- dysphagia, food sticking / throat closing. Factor three was a 2 item pain and swelling component. The RSI was completed by 168 individuals, also with acceptable overall consistency (α = 0.72). The optimum factorisation showed 2 main factors: (i) The first (α = 0.71) included coughing, choking, difficulty swallowing and heartburn/dyspepsia. (ii) The second appeared mostly to reflect post-nasal drip and included catarrh, throat clearing, globus, and voice disorder (α = 0.62). Finally we performed a combined analysis of all 19 items – 10 GETS and nine RSI – derived from 134 subjects. This showed that heartburn mapped poorly to the overall combined factor structure which, as might be now predicted, showed factors similar to the two component tools – i.e. (i) obstruction / cough; (ii) post-nasal drip / clearing the throat. Conclusion. The RSI and GETS emerge as reliable tools of symptom intensity: but what do these symptoms actually indicate? Both tools generate principal domains of ‘cough and block’ and ‘globus/drip/throat clearing’. In other words RSI and GETS both appear to identify similar symptom patterns, nor can the place of symptomatic gastro-oesophageal reflux be clarified from the history. Indeed it appears that there can be little specific aetiological inference from the isolated assessment of post-nasal or pharyngeal symptoms. References 1 Deary I.J., Wilson J.A. et al. (1995) J Psychosom Res. 39, 203–213 2 Belafsky P.C., Postma G.N. & Koufman J.A. (2002) Validity and reliability of the reflux symptom index (RSI). J Voice16, 274–277
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The postnasal drip (PND) syndrome is often linked as a cause of chronic cough although this is disputed. We examined the effect of specific topical treatment of rhinosinusitis on cough in patients presenting with a chronic cough associated with a postnasal drip or 'nasal catarrh'. Patients presenting with a chronic cough and who complained of PND were enrolled and symptoms of PND and cough were assessed by questionnaire and by a capsaicin cough response. Rhinosinusitis was assessed by questionnaires, direct examination of the nose and by high-resolution computed tomography. In an open study, they were treated with fluticasone nasules, ipratropium bromide and azelastine nasal sprays for 28 days, after which they were re-assessed. Eighteen out of 21 patients completed the study. All patients reported having the presence of mucus in the throat. Mean cough score improved post-treatment (p<0.05), but there was no significant change in capsaicin cough sensitivity or nasal catarrh questionnaire score. There was improvement in anterior nasal discharge symptom scores (p=0.005) and in endoscopic nasal scores post-treatment (p<0.01), with a tendency to improved PND scores. In a pilot open 'real-life' study treatment targeted towards rhinosinusitis accompanying PND syndrome and chronic cough led to an improvement in cough. A randomised controlled study is now needed to confirm or refute these findings.
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Chronic cough is a common presentation. Postnasal drip (PND) and gastro-oesophageal reflux are mostly implicated in the aetiology. Directly examining the larynx can often help to demonstrate laryngitis or inter-arytenoid oedema that is mostly attributed to reflux. Although "the syndrome of postnasal drip" is considered as a major cause for chronic cough, evidence of its existence is mostly difficult to elicit on examination. Furthermore, the majority of patients with "postnasal drip" seen in ENT outpatients do not complain of cough. Evidence does suggest there is a link between postnasal drip and cough. The fact that some patients present with cough in association with this syndrome and others do not is still not well understood.
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Cough persisting after a respiratory infection is common in children and is often managed as asthma. However, little is known about the pathophysiologic mechanisms of such cough and how it compares with asthma. We used the technique of induced sputum to examine the inflammatory index values associated with persistent cough or allergic asthma in children. We hypothesized that the sputum from children with persistent postinfectious cough would differ from that of children with allergic asthma in that the former would lack eosinophils compared with the latter. Study design: Sputum production was induced with hypertonic saline solution in 34 children: 12 with cough persisting for 1 month or more after an apparent respiratory tract infection, not treated with corticosteroid; 11 with untreated atopic asthma, not using inhaled corticosteroid; and 11 with treated atopic asthma using inhaled corticosteroid. The percentage of eosinophils in the sputum of children with cough was significantly lower than in the sputum of children with untreated allergic asthma (median 0.5% vs 14.5%, P <.0001). Similarly, the percentage of eosinophils in the sputum of children with asthma treated with inhaled steroids was significantly lower compared with untreated asthmatic children (1.5% vs 14.5%, P <.0001). The peripheral blood eosinophils, serum eosinophil cationic protein, and nasal percent eosinophils of the patients with cough were also significantly lower than those from patients with untreated asthma. Methacholine challenge in 6 of the 11 cough patients tested showed mild-to-moderate hyperresponsiveness, whereas the other 5 had a negative methacholine challenge. Children with persistent postinfectious cough do not have airway eosinophilia typical of untreated asthma. Despite the absence of eosinophilic inflammation, some of the patients with chronic cough had reactive airways. These results suggest that postinfectious cough in children has different pathophysiologic features than allergic asthma and probably represents a different disease.