So Is Eating Local Honey For Allergies A Myth
Dr. Bassett confirms that, yes, “this is a common myth, and unfortunately, honey does not improve seasonal allergies.”
“There is very little scientific evidence to suggest that eating local honey can treat or cure seasonal allergy symptoms,” Dr. Marks-Cogan says. “While there is anecdotal evidence that it can help, of the available clinical studies, the results are conflicting and the sample sizes are very small so it’s hard to generalize them to the U.S. population.”
The primary study cited as evidence that this home remedy works was conducted in Malaysia in 2010. There were only 40 participantshalf of whom took loratadine and honey, while the other half took loratadine and a honey-flavored corn syrup placebo. After four weeks, both groups experienced the same level of relief from their seasonal allergy symptoms. Then after eight weeks, the group ingesting honey showed more improvement. But at that stage, they were taking very high daily doses of honeynot to mention allergy medication as wellso the results are not exactly conclusive.
Dr. Bassett also points out that other studies have compared people who ate local honey, commercially processed honey, or a honey-flavored placebo, and found no differences in allergy symptoms among them.
Potential Risks Of Local Honey As An Allergy Treatment
Using local honey as an allergy remedy comes with risks. Honey may trigger anaphylaxis in people with severe allergies. Also, consuming local honey is not safe for infants, as raw honey can contain spores of the bacterium that causes botulism.
Even processed store-bought honey can contain harmful spores, so the CDC recommends that children under the age of twelve months should not be given honey at all .
Where To Find And How To Use
Looking at honey consumption, 50 percent of the population directly purchases honey, 35 percent never eats honey, and the remaining 15 percent consumes honey in products made with honey, like honey-roasted peanuts. Raw honey might be available at your nearest grocery store, but it should be available at your local health food store or, even better, your local beekeeper. Its also available online.
Expect raw honey to be opaque rather than that sparkling, clear, golden color thats achieved through heating.
Never cook with raw honey because that will destroy its good properties. Also, do not store it near a heat source. If you enjoy honey in your tea or coffee, wait until the drink is just tepid enough to sip comfortably, and then add honey to taste.
Drizzle it on breakfast cereals, over your sprouted grain toast or on yogurt. Its also a great addition to smoothies and salad dressings, plus it pairs well with fruits like honeydew and apples. Raw honey can be a healthy alternative to highly processed sugar in recipes that doesnt require heat. For every one tablespoon of sugar in a recipe , you can typically use two teaspoons of honey instead.
Need more ideas for how to incorporate raw honey into your daily life? Then check out this article on20 Raw Honey Usesthat will surprise you.
There are many recipes available from the National Honey Board, and I have some of my favorites as well:
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Be Ready To See Your Symptoms Become Worse
It can happen when there is a concentrated amount of the pollen that you are allergic to in your local raw honey. You just cannot tell how much of pollen is there in raw honey, so you will develop an allergic reaction if you are extremely susceptible to even small traces of pollen. Stop using honey if you experience itching, swelling, or hives on your skin, in your throat, or in your mouth.
Guideline On How To Use Honey For Dogs With Allergies
How Much Honey Should You Give to Your Dog?
In general, the total amount of honey that you feed to your canine friend is dependent on the size of your dog. Usually, it is recommended that smaller dogs get one teaspoon weekly, whereas the larger dog breeds should consume a tablespoon every week.
Often, the effects of taking the local honey are cumulative as such plan to serve your dog for between three to four weeks before the beginning of the allergy season in your region.
You can usually use this guideline and go ahead to adjust as per the size of your furry friend. It is vital that you carry this out daily or risk the allergy symptoms from reappearing.
However, it is essential to understand that feeding your dog more than the recommended one tablespoon of the local honey per day can subsequently result in a negative impact on their health.
Why? This is because dogs are carnivorous and boast a digestive system and teeth purposed to consume meat and not sweets. In essence, too much honey may also lead to tooth decay, not to mention the added calories that can result in obesity.
Numerous pet owners often find reprieve from their cyclic allergy symptoms through taking regular local honey doses themselves. In the end, you may begin with, one teaspoon per week and accordingly adjust as per how severe the allergy symptoms are and your overall weight.
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Local Wildflower Honey Protocol For Seasonal Allergies
Patsy Giarda, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Winter is winding down and spring is quickly approaching. Warmer weather and enjoying outdoor activities are two of the best things about spring. However, for those who suffer with seasonal environmental allergies, it can also bring the struggle of itchy or watery eyes, persistent runny nose, post-nasal drip, and/or nagging cough. Natural alternatives to help control these symptoms can be used to alone or in conjunction with prescription or over the counter allergy medications.
Studies show that consuming local, unprocessed, seasonal wildflower honey can serve as a helpful adjunct to controlling allergy symptoms. Allergy shots are a well-known method of treating allergies by administering slow, small repeated exposure to the allergen. Oral consumption of local, seasonal honey utilizes the same theory of small exposure to the allergens found in the local pollen. When bees pollinate flowers, they carry some of the pollen back to the hive where the honey is produced. Honey collected from the local hives contains the pollen of the surrounding areas that circulate in the air and can cause allergies.
You can learn more by watching this Good Morning America segment in which Dr Rosen, a colleague of Dr Berger, discussed local, seasonal honey as a natural allergy remedy.
Local Wildflower Honey Protocol For Seasonal Allergies
One Familys Real Life Testimony
Heather and her family moved to a new home and were surprisingly met with terrible seasonal allergies. Heather suffered from watery eyes, sneezing, stuffy nose, and a raw throat from all the drainage.
During Heathers worst months she tried to keep her symptoms under control with:
- allergy eye drops multiple times a day
- prescription nasal spray once a day
- benadryl every 4-6 hours
- claritin or zyrtec daily
Even with all of these medications, Heather still wasnt feeling great.
Heather heard that taking raw local honey could help with allergies and decided to give it a try. She started taking 1 teaspoon of raw local honey 2-3 times a day. Heather made sure to eat a spoonful of honey at breakfast and supper every day.
Within just a few days of taking the honey, Heather started noticing a difference. Her eyes and throat werent as itchy as before. Gradually she started to cut back on her medications. First she stopped the nasal spray. Then she stopped the eye drops. Next Heather stopped using benadryl. Within a month of starting to take raw local honey, Heather was off all of her allergy medication except for the occasional claritin or zyrtec.
Heathers entire family regularly takes raw local honey. Her daughter has mild asthma and was also taking claritin daily. After starting the honey, she was able to stop taking claritin and didnt need to use her inhaler as often.
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How Did Aprilaire And The American Lung Association Come To Work Together In The First Place What Does That Relationship Look Like Presently
Aprilaire and the American Lung Association forged a new relationship in 2018. We quickly realized how much we had in common. Our partnership was developed as we saw an opportunity to educate and help more consumers improve the air in their homes to create a healthier environment.
Since 2020, Aprilaire has been a Proud Partner of the Lung Association with its 4 residential air filters. Additionally, Aprilaire joined the Lung Association as our FY20 National Fight For Air Climb Partner For Healthy Air. The company has also supported the Lung Associations Stand Up For Clean Air campaign. As part of this initiative, we are driving conversations around air quality, climate, and health. The Lung Association invited people to share their #MyCleanAirStoryknowing that when people realize climate and air quality are impacting the health of their neighbors, friends, and loved onesthey are more willing to act. Aprilaire provided prizes for the #MyCleanAirStory contest, including one grand prize of a whole-home Indoor Air Quality upgrade and nine Aprilaire Room Air Purifiers. This year, the company stepped up once again to sponsor the Wisconsin Fight For Air Climb in Milwaukee. Also in 2021, the Lung Association welcomed Dale Philippi, President and CEO of Research Products Corporation, Aprilaires parent company, to the Lung Associations Wisconsin Leadership Board of Directors.
Why Honey Might Not Be So Effective
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, there are a few problems with the honey home remedy:
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Bees dont follow a consistent honey recipe, so its hard to know how much pollen and what kind youre getting from raw honey. In contrast, we know exactly what is in allergy shots.
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The pollen in honey is gathered where bees buzz on flowers. Flower pollen isnt typically what causes annoying seasonal sniffles and irritated eyes. The pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds is what causes the irritating symptoms of seasonal allergies.
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Are There Any Other Health Benefits To Eating Honey
Honey might not cure your spring allergies, but it has been used for millennia for its potential health benefits.
High-quality honey is rich in antioxidants which may have a potential contribution to human health. Researchers found that antioxidants, especially flavonoids, may play a role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
Youve probably experienced firsthand how honey can help soothe coughs and sore throats caused by the common cold. Its recommended as a natural remedy for both adults and children older than 1 year by the World Health Organization , the American Academy of Pediatrics , and the American College of Chest Physicians.
Whats more, with its antibacterial properties, medical-grade honey products may help with wound healing, but there still isnt enough convincing research.
What Treatments Are Available For Seasonal Allergies
Honey may not give you relief from your pollen allergy, but thankfully, there are allergy treatments that can. The most common treatments for seasonal allergies are:
- Over-the-counter or prescription allergy medicines such as nasal corticosteroid sprays or non-drowsy antihistamines
- Immunotherapy allergy shots or tablets for long-term treatment to reduce how severe your allergic reactions are
Many medicines to help you manage your seasonal allergies are available without a prescription. You can also take steps to reduce your exposure to pollen when counts are high.
If seasonal allergies are making you miserable and over-the-counter medicines and other at-home treatments are not helping, a visit to an allergist may be very helpful. They will determine if other treatments, like immunotherapy, can help you.
Immunotherapy is effective at improving seasonal allergy symptoms. It can actually help you achieve desensitization. Allergy shots contain controlled amounts of your specific allergen. Your doctor injects you with increasing amounts as your body adjusts and then watches you for allergy symptoms.
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From A Sleep Remedy To A Healing Salve Read How This Natural Powerful Antioxidant Is A Must
We all know honey is a delicious sweetener for your tea, but did you also know it has wonderful health benefits, as well? Local, raw honey is known to be a powerful antioxidant and contains bee pollen and propolis, substances produced by bees that have been used medicinally by humans since ancient times. Check out this impressive list of all the things honey can do!
What To Pair With Your Manuka Honey To Get The Maximum Benefits
To really make the most of your medicinal manuka honey use, Lockwood has some tips for the best ways to consume itand what to pair it with. The first and most obvious way: Use it to sweeten your tea. “You want fluids that will move the mucus along,” she says, adding that ginger tea with manuka honey would be one of her top recs for someone with vicious allergies.
“Getting foods with vitamin C is important, too, so another pairing you can do is manuka honey and grapefruit,” Lockwood says. Her fave way to enjoy this antioxidant-rich snack is to pop the grapefruit in the broiler with a bit of natural sweetener sprinkled on top for two minutes and then topping it off with honey before digging in.
“Pineapple is another great food to pair manuka honey with if you’re fighting allergies,” Lockwood says. She explains that the active ingredient in the tropical fruit, bromelain, is an enzyme that helps fight inflammation. “If you’re making a homemade dressing, you can mix the manuka honey with pineapple juice and enjoy it that way,” she says. Bonus: None of these remedies will leave you with the drowsiness and brain fog that notoriously comes with your allergy or cold meds.
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What Is Raw Honey
Raw Honey vs. Not Raw
Raw honey is a crude form of honey immediately taken out of the cells of the honey combs within a bee hive. This form of honey is far from pure. It commonly contains bee pollen and propolis, which are both two very positive health additions. However, raw honey can also possibly contain dead bees, legs, wings, hunks of beeswax and other impurities. Dont worry though if any of these unwanted items get into the honey theyre strained out before bottling.
Raw honey cannot be heated above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the normal temperature of the bee hive. While its OK to strain raw honey, its never filtered or pasteurized. It also cannot have any other additives.
On the other hand, commercial honey is often heavily processed and may even have been chemically refined. Excessive heat destroys the natural enzymes, vitamins and minerals in honey, making honey processing a very bad thing. Filtering and processing eliminate many of the beneficial phytonutrients, including pollen and enzyme-rich propolis. The only way to achieve sparkling clear honey is by heat, so avoid the golden, syrup-like honey in favor of opaque, organic raw honey.
Organic Honey vs. Not Organic
Manuka vs. Other Varieties
Other honey varieties include acacia honey , buckwheat honey and neem honey.
Polyfloral Honey vs. Monofloral Honey
The Benefits Of Local Raw Honey
by Julia Mangan, Author of A Little Bit of All of It | Apr. 4, 2011
I love local, raw honey. I use it to sweeten my hot tea daily. I love it in Greek yogurt and green smoothies. I mean, whats not to love? Not only does it taste delicious, but it is good for you, too!
But you may be wondering, why local and why raw?
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What Kind Of Honey Works
Raw local honey is the type of honey that can help treat your dog’s allergies. Because it is from local hives, it will have small amounts oflocal pollens, which is what can help relieve some of your pet’s allergies. Don’t be alarmed if the raw honey has a cloudy appearance the cloudiness is caused by the pollens that are still present in the honey.
Processed honey from another part of the country will not be effective as an allergy treatment. Processed honey has been heat treatedto clear its appearance, and the heat treatment destroys the effectiveness of the pollen in the honey.
You can find raw local honey at farmers’ markets, health food stores and in the health food sections of some larger grocery stores. You may also be able to find local honey sources by conducting an online search using “raw honey ” as your keywords.
How Australian Honey For Hay Fever Relieves Symptoms
Spring is almost here in Australia! While many of us get excited for the warmer weather this season brings, for others who suffer from allergies like hay fever, its not a season to look forward to as much.
Seasonal allergies like hay fever kick off when plants start in spring to produce pollen, which is the powder-like substance that helps plants make seeds and reproduce.
As sufferers know, hay fever is caused when your nose and/or eyes encounter environmental allergens, such as pollens, dust mite, moulds, and animal hair.
At Australian Beekeepers Honey, we are often asked by customers if our 100% raw Australian honey can help with their hay fever. Although its not a cure, we do believe that our honey can assist with relieving the symptoms associated with hay fever. Heres how!
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