Got Fall Allergies?  Could Local Honey Be Your Ticket Out?September 13, 2011

Filed under: - greenacres @ 11:42 AM

It has long been accepted wisdom that eating local honey in a healthy daily dose can act as a sort of vaccination for allergy sufferers.  The theory goes that the bees producing the honey buzz about to many local blooms and collect pollen on their legs, which makes its way into their honey.  Then consuming that honey, with small doses of that pollen will then force our body into a gradual immunity to these pollens.  This prevents the body from over-reacting to the offending pollen with itchy, watery eyes, sore throats, sniffles—in short, seasonal allergies.

But does this theory hold water?  A preliminary Google search brings up many contradictory views and findings.  In the natural food community, we tend to be more than willing to believe that something as simple, pure, and delicious as honey could be a “cure” to our allergy woes—it’s a natural junky’s dream, really.  Clinical studies have come to various conclusions.  Some find little to no measurable change between a control group and local honey in seasonal allergies.  Some find that some symptoms among certain subjects are lessened, while other subjects experience no difference in any of their symptoms.

Of course, on top of scientific inquiries, we have loads of anecdotal evidence from ex-allergy sufferers whose daily honey regimen has been credited with their eventual recovery into the symptom-free world.  After all, allergy shots operate on exactly the same principle.  If any of you experienced allergy shots when you were children (I know I did!), although they can be painful and traumatic…they work!  Allergies that were once nearly deadly for children can become minor annoyances by adulthood with simple weekly or monthly treatments.  When given a dose of the offending substance, gradually and over long periods, the body becomes immune to a reaction against that material.

At the end of the day, we at least know that honey certainly can’t hurt us!  Honey can immediately sooth a sore throat (whether it’s caused by seasonal allergies or not). It’s a natural, temporary energy booster. According to the National Honey Board, it “contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.”  Wichita store manager Matt Murray adds that “While local honey is considered to possess properties that might help our airborne allergies by building up our immunity to those pollens, we just can’t know for sure.  But at least we can say that we’re supporting our local farmers and producers to create a truly delicious and healthful natural product.”

GreenAcres in Kansas City carries honey from Peculiar, Missouri from a producer named Cooper’s Honey.  Some of the honey that goes into the bottle is from their own honey bees and some of the honey is from local beekeeping partners within the Kansas City area and surrounding Midwestern region.  The beekeepers that they partner with for their honey are all local beekeepers and family farmers from the Midwest.  It’s only heated to a maximum of 120 degrees, so it’s 100% pure and raw.  If you’re willing to test yourself in a one-person clinical study, this is the way to go!  The question I’d like to pose is this:  Have you ever, or has anyone you know and trust, ever tried a local honey regimen to reduce the symptoms of seasonal allergies?  Did it work?  What were your methods, and your impressions of how it worked?  We’d all love to know how it went!