I just heard someone say that time doesn't heal all wounds -- it just makes them worse. I guess it depends on the wound. I imagine losing a child is one wound that never really heals. But I've found that my cancer wounds -- both physical and emotional -- have healed with time. And a trip down memory lane proves it.

Two years ago I wrote about my wounds, fresh and raw and painful, on my Breast Cancer blog.

Confession
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005

In the moment of despair, the cliche time heals all wounds may seem anything but comforting. But that's because it's true. It takes time to heal and we are not in the right frame of mind just as something unfortunate has happened to accept -- or believe -- this advice that might come flowing from a well-wisher's lips. It's popular wisdom. It's commonly offered as comfort. It's easy to spit out. And while our wounds do not exactly fade with the passage of time, we are able to put a more positive spin on them. But it's tough to appreciate this until the unfortunate moment is long gone.

According to a recent study -- summarized in the September 2006 Ladies Home Journal magazine -- memories of distressing events, like the death of a loved one, don't go away but they do gradually get colored by more hopeful emotions. As time passes, we tend to remember strongly emotional experiences as positive even if they were once harrowing. "People are resilient," says one researcher. "We come to terms with our experiences in as positive a way as we can." So we may eventually see the death of a friend as something that made us stronger, something that reminds us to treasure our friendships. Our ability to find such meaning in the saddest of times helps transform it into a valuable experience -- and not just a sad one.

And this is exactly how I feel about having had cancer. No one could have convinced me at the time of my diagnosis that time would heal my wounds. I wasn't even sure how much time I had left on this planet. I was panic-stricken and frightened and tended to defeat conventional wisdom. But now that two years worth of time has passed me by and I am pretty certain I will continue surviving for a long time, I realize time is responsible for my positive outlook. Time did not completely heal my wounds -- I still have days when my wounds are raw -- but it surely bandaged them. And so I do believe time heals all wounds -- in a way -- and I am thankful for each moment of time I have to marvel at this truth.

Although researchers have considered the possibility that the bark of the White Birch tree might contain a compound, known as betulinol, with the ability to fight prostate cancer, until recently there was no way to test it because they did not know how to make the compound water-soluble.

Now that Weill Medical College of Cornell University researchers have solved that problem, laboratory tests on mice are showing it is indeed effective in killing prostate cancer cells.

"Years of research appear to have paid off, and now animal tests on this potential anti-cancer agent can finally proceed. Already, in mouse studies, we've found that our water-soluble compound - called Boc-lysinated-betulonic acid -- has achieved up to 92 percent inhibition of prostate tumor growth compared to controls," states lead researcher Dr. Brij Saxena.

While the study into the cancer-fighting properties of the White Birch tree might be new, the White Birch tree has a history of medicinal uses. According to the Living Memorials Project website White Birch tree information page, Native American Indians used the leaves and bark of the tree as a tea to treat fevers, stomach upset, and rheumatism. The bark was boiled to make poultices for minor wounds, and an oil made from the bark to treat bladder infections, rheumatism, gout and nerve pain. In Europe, the leaves were used to treat skin rashes, hair loss, rheumatic complaints, and to purify the blood. Birch tar oil was used to treat chronic skin diseases.

The Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases of United States Department of Agriculture includes information on betulin and betulinic acid as showing that it inhibits cancer, and the compound is also known to be anticarcinomic; anti-flu; anti-inflammatory; antiviral; and a prostaglandin-synthesis-inhibitor.

Manchester doctors at the Christie Hospital in Didsbury are importing manuka honey from New Zealand to treat mouth and throat cancer patients after surgery in the hope honey can reduce inflammation and prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA. Most people have this common type of bacterium in their nose and on their skin, but if healthy, the bacterium won't cause problems.

For hospitalized patients, there is a risk MRSA will spread through cuts, wounds, surgical incisions or catheters. The main problem with MRSA is that it has become resistant to some, but not all, antibiotics.

For the last several months, Manchester Royal Infirmary doctors have been using special honey-coated dressings to treat wounds. Now -- privately funded by community members and cancer patients themselves -- cancer patients at Christie Hospital in Didsbury will participate in this new study to test the effectiveness of the imported honey in preventing infection.

To read more about manuka honey, the company has a website here. The National Honey Board has published information on the antibacterial properties of honey here. The Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences has published From nature's pantry: The healing properties of honey regarding research done on the antibacterial activity of certain types of honey.