Q. My wife was told by a plastic surgeon to try sugar in a wound that would not heal. Within a week the sore had begun to heal.
Her primary care doctor thinks that she is crazy, but it really worked. She did not need surgery to close the sore.
A. Richard Knutson, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, has treated approximately 7,000 wounds over 35 years with sugar. They ranged from pressure ulcers and burns to shotgun wounds.
Dr. Knutson recommends combining three parts powdered sugar and one part cooking oil until the mixture is uniformly smooth. A thick layer (1/4 to 1/2 inch) is then applied to a wound that is clean and not bleeding. The dressing is changed daily. More details and an interview with Dr. Knutson can be found at PeoplesPharmacy.com. He first published his research on this approach to healing in November, 1981, in the Southern Medical Journal. He has continued to refine the treatment since then, and it is simple enough to use at home.
