Replied By Michael (New Zealand) on 02/21/2022

A neighbour of mine, upon reading your recent posting that I shared with her, said that she totally supports the "Manuka Honey Theory". It is not really a "theory" any more is it? She likes to have a little raw Manuka every day. I listen to her because she is older and wiser and more sensible than me! There are soo many positive reports re Manuka Honey out there that they are becoming really hard to ignore. If it can tackle MRA in hospitals I rest my case. Also, prior to anti-biotics, it helped to win the war in the trenches in WW1. What's not to like?

If she has any indication a cold may be starting, she sucks Cinnamon tabs. Has done so for many years and can't remember when she last had a cold or flu. We have always tried to have a sprig of garlic and onion hanging by our front door to ward off colds and flu (and demons, vampires and debt collectors) from entering our house. I realize that that may sound a bit wacky to many but it is an old Guernsey folk remedy that I have stuck with for decades and we also have never had a cold or "The Dreaded Flu" for more years than I can remember. Our relatives in the big smoke seem to have them all the time!! Small children, as the vectors, are the problem, I strongly suspect!! In N.Z. during the last winter, almost no one got into hospital with Flu (presumably as a consequence of all those Covid precautions most of us took). However, the downside is that we have maybe lost some of our acquired immunity through not having been recently exposed. In addition, with several new mutations out there on the horizon just waiting to pounce once winter arrives (in a couple of months) there will be scant time ("Window of Opportunity") for the drug companies to develop vaccines for these new ones. Shame- they may go broke!? Fat chance eh? Grim stuff - best to take sensible precautions and not worry too much I suppose.

Cheers from Down Under