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Sneezing Your Way Through Spring? Try This Sweet Cure

April 29, 2010   18 Comments

Allergy season is in full swing, and most of us are feeling it. At a recent trip to Barnes & Nobles, I thought a clerk was crying before I realized he was just an allergy sufferer!

Honey

Modern medicine has come up with a series of drugs for allergy sufferers - Claritin, Flonase, Zyrtec, etc. I have tried most of these and didn't get any relief.

Not only did I still have a whopping sinus headache, but I had spent a bunch of cash on these drugs. I do a nasal rinse that gives me a little relief - but I still wake up with my head throbbing.

So I was watching Good Morning America, and I saw a bit about local honey. And I thought - WHY HAVEN'T I THOUGHT OF THAT?

It is so simple it is ridiculous. Local honey is made with local pollen, so you eat a little honey every day and you will lessen your symptoms.

After you start eating honey, your immune system starts to tolerate the pollen (the proteins in the pollen) and stops attacking them. Your immune system is attacking the pollen in your nasal passages and that is why you have an allergic response.

So, eat a little pollen and you can end that immune response which is causing you so much pain. It is like a natural vaccine against your allergies.

They honey has to be local because it is the local plant's pollen that you want to get into your bloodstream. I am worried that some parts of the country that might not have locally produced honey (are there honey producers in Central Park? I saw them in the Bee Movie!).

This honey in the photograph is made about 20 miles from me. I bought it at a local store and it is truly divine.

Here is a honey locator that I found:
Honey Locator

You could also learn from Bee Source and build your own bee hive and collect your own honey! (yeah, I know that seems a bit extreme)

Honey is 22 calories for a teaspoon and it is super nutritious. A 2004 study conducted by the University of California concluded that honey contains as many antioxidants as spinach, apples, oranges or strawberries.

Remember Maple Syrup? It had a bunch of zinc and manganese in it. Honey and maple syrup are both excellent sweeteners that contain nutrients.

Spread it on 100% whole grain toast, put it in your yogurt, add it to your baked goods - you just can't go wrong with this stuff.

I even came up with my own marketing slogan, "A little honey a day, keeps your sneezes away!"

How do you use honey?

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18 Comments:

My husband is an allergist and this doesn't work...the pollen that is in honey is from flowers and you are not allergic to this type of pollen..people are allergic to tree, grass, and weed pollens.

Hi Andrea, I am aware that here have been no peer-reviewed scientific studies that have conclusively proven whether honey actually reduces allergies. Almost all evidence regarding the immunizing effects of eating honey is anecdotal. But these reports have proven persuasive enough for some people to try to fight their seasonal allergies by eating honey every day. It is possible that the proteins in pollens across plant species would be close enough to help out with seasonal allergies. Hey, its worth a try! Lisa

Great posting. That GMA ep featured one of my favorite docs: Dr. Larry Rosen from Oradell, NJ. I have not tried the local honey trick yet, but it's next on my list. I have found a lot of success with the neti pot or sinus rinses for sinus pressure. Thanks to the above, I'm not suffering from a stuffy nose this season, but still experiencing some asthma. I'm moving my diet more and more anti-inflammatory. I think this would help everyone with allergies and asthma.

I see an acupuncturist and he tells me that everyone should have a tablespoon of honey everyday. Honey offers incredible antiseptic, antioxidant and cleansing properties for our body and health.

Someone told me about this just last weekend. Said it worked for her-I'm going to try it for my daughter and myself! Thanks for another great article Lisa!

bee pollen itself is loaded with nutrients - have some everyday!

We bought some local honey this past weekend and it is so yummy. I am using it as my sweetner for tea and coffee now.

Find relief with a neti pot! I've converted so many people. Look it up and find out for yourself. The neti pot keeps sinus headaches at bay!

My Dr. recommended this for me growing up- we tried it and it my mom felt it made a difference. One advantage to this over meds is that honey really does not have any chance of side effects!

I agree with dualori- I have found the most relief just by using a neti pot.

I have been trying this for over a year now, last allergy season my symptoms seemed better. I know that I'm allergic to alfalfa and our local honey says specifically alfalfa on the label. So that is the one I've used. I figure it can't hurt right? I do believe it's helping.

How "local" does the honey have to be for this to work? Is any honey from the state I reside in close enogh or does it have to be within a certain radius?

John - I think if the same sorts of plants are near you - you would be fine. In CA, for example, you would want Northern CA honey vs. Southern because it is such a big state - but GA, AL, MI would all have pretty much the same flora so all three states would work. I hope this makes sense. Lisa

Well, regardless of those who say this doesn't work, it DOES work for me and has for years. In fact, when I stop using the honey regularly, my allergies come back. (sort of like the dermatologists who say it doesn't matter what you eat, it doesn't affect your skin) ANYway... it works to different degrees with different people and I happen to among those it works very well for. My worst allergy is ragweed, which blooms with actual flowers, the pollen of which makes me sneeze, unless I've had my honey regularly for a few weeks.

For Lisa: Sad to say, but peer-reviewed studies can't be counted for reliability or unbiased information. They are often funded by organizations within the food industry that have an agenda to push, and the studies can be "designed" to create a certain outcome that they want. One thing they don't want is allergy sufferers using honey instead of their over-priced medications! The food industry also controls the medical journals that choose which studies to publish and which not to.

I've written an article about nutritional studios on my website:

http://www.antioxidants-for-health-and-longevity.com/antiox…

The only honey I use is the all-powerful Manuka. It's easily obtainable from my local supermarket, however it is very expensive. Eg..a 340g jar is approx £12.

not really backed by scientific evidence. but a nice thought. I tried it. didn't work.

Really? 22 calories for a tsp of honey?! I would have sworn I read that honey was 60-70 calories. Hmmm maybe that was the over-processed junk in the cereal aisle that has an ingredients list longer than my hair.

Been giving a daily dab of raw honey to my toy schnauzer for months; she had seasonal allergy symptoms bad last year. This year she's doing MUCH better!

Sidenote: don't forget the antibacterial/ antibiotic/ antifungal properties!

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