Cautions! on Using Local Honey for Allergy Therapy
Cautions! on Using Local Honey for Allergy Therapy
Some time ago I wrote several widely read articles on using
locally produced honey for immunotherapy, as an inexpensive (and
often effective) way to stop or lessen the symptoms of pollen
allergy. However, at this time I feel the need to add a strong
caution to my earlier advice on local honey allergy therapy.
I have, since the writing of that article, encountered a number
of people who have had allergic reactions, occasionally severe,
while they were trying to treat themselves with local honey.
That said, I still believe in local honey therapy, still feel
it is, for many people, a very good idea, well worth
trying...and it is often quite effective, but please do read the
following cautions. Below is one of numerous emails I've
received from readers about this, and then my advice to them:
"Dear Tom, my wife has allergies so she took two teaspoons of
local honey as close as we could get. In about an hour her eyes
started pouring, then sweating, and a little rash appeared. It
lasted just a few minutes, but it seemed a signal was there that
something was wrong at the honey end, any ideas? Thanks for any
help. There has to be a natural way. Larry"
And my reply: "Dear Larry, Yes, her body did indeed give her a
signal and you are wise to respect that warning. It seems
perfectly obvious to me that your wife almost certainly had an
allergic reaction to the local honey...or rather to some pollens
or other allergens in the local honey.
It is precisely because the local honey has allergens in it,
usually the exact same allergens that allergic people in that
locality have already been exposed to...it is because of this
fact that the local honey can work as an agent to lessen
sensitivities to allergies.... but, also, because of these very
same allergens in the honey, using local honey is not without
some danger for some of those with existing allergies. You don't
mention if your wife has asthma or not, but for individuals with
allergic asthma, I would be even more cautious about using local
honey as therapy.
I recommend this:
have your wife try the same local honey again, but make sure
you are at home with her when she does it, and she should only
take a tiny amount.... a quarter of a teaspoon would be plenty.
If this works out and does not trigger any kind of allergic
episode, if there is no itching, rash, no shortness of breath,
no sudden sweating, no obvious allergic symptoms, then she could
repeat the same dose the next day.... but in her case, since she
has already reacted to the honey, she should always have someone
she fully trusts, close by, someone who can stay for at least
for several hours after she's ingested the honey.
If after several weeks of this daily therapy, if she has been
tolerating it just fine, then she could try to very slightly
increase the dose, to perhaps a third of a teaspoon of honey per
day.... and could keep at that level for several months or
longer. Hopefully, eventually she could work her way, very, very
slowly over a considerable extended period of time, up to a dose
of one teaspoon of local honey per day. In her case I wouldn't
ever exceed this amount.
If the above works for your wife, almost certainly she will have
greatly decreased her own susceptibility to pollen allergies.
If, however, at any point the local honey again triggers
allergic symptoms for her, she should immediately stop taking it
altogether.
* I myself have not yet seen anaphylaxis associated with use of
local honey, but it does seem possible: Anyone who takes local
honey and then experiences symptoms of anaphylactic shock, which
could include any of the following: a sudden, severe attack of,
wheezing, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting,
cramping, rapid pulse, sweating, extensive rash or swelling of
the skin, lips, nose or eyes, swelling of the throat, nausea,
diarrhea, severe drop in blood pressure, fainting... anyone
experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical
attention.
Best of luck and keep me posted. Tom Ogren
Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-free Gardening