Raw local honey to help with allergies?

[labgeek]

Since moving to Virginia, my sinuses have been going haywire. I was told last night by someone I'd think would know that to help get your body accustomed to the new pollens in the area to eat unprocessed honey from the area. Anyone heard/tried this? Seems to make a little sense.

 

[Yanagi]

Doesnt hurt to try at least.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Yanagi
Doesnt hurt to try at least.

Unless you're allergic to honey...

 

[misle]

That's an old wive's tale. Men's Health reported a study testing that and the test concluded that it had no effect on allergies.

But, if you like honey, can't hurt! Honey = good!

 

[labgeek]

The only reason I say it seems to make some sense is that for decades the medical community has said that breast feeding a child helps pass the mothers immunities to the child. If that's true, then...

 

[NuclearNed]

Once I heard an old-timer say that eating poison ivy leaves will help you become immune to poison ivy. Let's just say that I didn't rush out and take his advice.

I imagine that the advice you were told about eating honey comes from the same vein (i.e. its worthless).

 

[James3shin]

Claritin

 

[labgeek]

Well, I wouldn't run out an eat poison ivy either. But we are talking about a food product, and I don't have an allergy to it. So I don't think it's quite the same...

I have been doing a little google-ing... For what it's worth, there are some sites that promote it. Not that it's worth much...

At least this guy has a degree in agriculture/horticulture, not that it makes him qualified medically.
http://www.naturalhealthweb.com/articles/ogren2.html

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: labgeek
The only reason I say it seems to make some sense is that for decades the medical community has said that breast feeding a child helps pass the mothers immunities to the child. If that's true, then...

That's true because mothers milk contains human immunoglobulin A.

The idea behind the honey is different. You can take some irritant/antigenic substance and if you place it under someones skin, they develop an immune reaction to it (redness, swelling). But if they eat the same substance, there's no immune reaction (note that when you're immunized, you normally get injected, you don't take a pill).

Now, since allergy is an immune reaction (it happens immunoglobulin E binds to an antigen), it was thought that by eating locally grown honey (which we'll presume is loaded with pollen, and perhaps some inactive mold spores), you'll present the allergen to the immune system through the GI tract rather than the nasal mucosa, and thereby suppress the immune response.

Great theory, problem is that it doesn't seem to work. Honey's good for you anyway though.

 

[labgeek]

Originally posted by: James3shin
Claritin

I'm on claritin, flonase plus a prescription decongestant and expectorant combo. It's helping but right now with the pollen coming off as it is (covers the car windows in a matter of hours) it's not enough. I realize that IF it works, it'll take months... but if I could not go through this again next year, what the heck. I'll take a spoon of honey everyday for the rest of my life over the pills and spray. Plus it would be cheaper.

 

[labgeek]

A little more google-ing...

http://www.advance.uconn.edu/1999/990405/04059903.htm

Thiruchandurai RaJanuary professor and chair of pathology...

And if this year is anything like last year, the participants who are taking honey every day should find significant relief from their symptoms, Rajan says.

That's encouraging... a real study, and not "a friend's brother's mother-in-law did this..." type story.

 

[StageLeft]

Sounds like garbage.

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: labgeek
A little more google-ing...

http://www.advance.uconn.edu/1999/990405/04059903.htm

Thiruchandurai RaJanuary professor and chair of pathology...

And if this year is anything like last year, the participants who are taking honey every day should find significant relief from their symptoms, Rajan says.

That's encouraging... a real study, and not "a friend's brother's mother-in-law did this..." type story.

That page is dated 1999. When they did the controls and published their work in 2002, they found no effect.

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 Feb;88(2):198-203.

Effect of ingestion of honey on symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis.

Rajan TV, Tennen H, Lindquist RL, Cohen L, Clive J.

Department of Pathology, UConn Health Center, Farmington 06030-3105, USA

snip...

CONCLUSIONS: This study does not confirm the widely held belief that honey relieves the symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Text

 

[labgeek]

I've been sitting here trying to find the follow up. Thanks

 

[apoppin]

Can't hurt unless you are allergic to the local honey. I guess the idea is to "desensitize' yourself to the pollen bits in the honey . . . but it had better be really "raw" honey.

i have heard of some people doing this with success . . . it is mostly anecdotal . . . i guess you could also buy local "bee pollen" if you really want to test the theory . . .

 

[Analog]

Try Astelin. It is a God-send for my sinus allergies.