Local Honey and Allergies

[I Have A Dream]

Local Honey and Allergies
By Tom Ogren

As one who makes his living by writing about allergies and asthma I am often asked about the potential health benefits of using local honey.

Honey contains bits and pieces of pollen and honey, and as an immune system booster, it is quite powerful. I have often in talks and articles, and in my books, advocated using local honey. Frequently I’ll get emails from readers who want to know exactly what I mean by local honey, and how “local” should it be. This is what I usually advise:

Allergies arise from continuous over-exposure to the same allergens. If, for example, you live in an area where there is a great deal of red clover growing, and if in addition you often feed red clover hay to your own horses or cattle, then it likely you are exposed over and over to pollen from this same red clover. Now, red clover pollen is not especially allergenic but still, with time, a serious allergy to it can easily arise.

<snip>

When I’m asked how local should the honey be for allergy prevention I always advise to get honey that was raised closest to where you live, the closer the better since it will have more of exactly what you’ll need.

It may seem odd that straight exposure to pollen often triggers allergies but that exposure to pollen in the honey usually has the opposite effect. But this is typically what we see. In honey the allergens are delivered in small, manageable doses and the effect over time is very much like that from undergoing a whole series of allergy immunology injections. The major difference though is that the honey is a lot easier to take and it is certainly a lot less expensive. I am always surprised that this powerful health benefit of local honey is not more widely understood, as it is simple, easy, and often surprisingly effective.

(see link below for full article)
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/to_honey.html

A couple of other articles that address this issue:

http://www.fitsugar.com/258237

http://focusorganic.com/local-honey-allergy-remedy/

[I Have A Dream]

1. I have allergies but haven't tried this myself.

Maybe it will work for someone; I'm hoping that it does for my husband and me.

[LaurenG]

2. Most of the old people in my family were honey eaters.

They believed in the benefits of it and as far as I know none of them died until they were in their 80's.

I'm talking about people born in 1880's and early 1900's,really older relatives.

With that said I think you should know that there is something killing the honey bees. They are dying out in record numbers. :cry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder

[I Have A Dream]

3. Yes, it's really sad about the honey bees.

Yet, the mosquito thrives. :(

[GardeningGal]

4. I don't have allergies (that I know of) but use this for sweetner.

It's supposed to be less impact on the pancreas. Not as pourable as pasteurized, but other than that I've not noticed a difference.

http://www.reallyrawhoney.com/

[I Have A Dream]

5. Hi, GardeningGal.

The link didn't work. :shrug:

[GardeningGal]

7. Hi IHAD - it worked for me just now when I tried to see what was

happening. What happens when you try the link?

[I Have A Dream]

8. It works now! I guess that it was just a blip.

Thanks, GardeningGal!

[rumpel]

6. I heard about local honey being beneficial

but I did not know it's effects on allergies. We will definitely try it.
I love honey but do not have a sweet tooth, so I rarely eat it.
Honey apparently also is not a medium where bacteria can grow, it is quite an amazing natural gift.

Thank you for the information. :)

[NMDemDist2]

9. my stepmom swears by honey for allergies

every morning, a teaspoon in her coffee