Use of honey for allergies

[magnet-man]

http://www.aaaai.org/aadmc/ate/category.asp?cat=988

I never really believed honey had an affect on allergies other than the placebo effect. If someone ask me about it, I merely state that a lot of people use local honey for that purpose.


I never reference allergies when I sell honey. What does everyone else do?

[size="1"][ October 29, 2006, 09:36 AM: Message edited by: magnet-man ][/size]

[Hillside]

I pretty much follow your method.

I have a number of people who buy my honey specifically because it's local and they feel they get allergy relief. I don't have enough hard evidence so that I feel comfortable making any claims, but if they feel it helps, who am I to say otherwise?

I don't make any claims that it helps with allergies, but I'm glad my customers have faith in it. At least in this situation, faith is a good thing.

[BjornBee]

Can you desensitize against a known allergy or reaction? Sure. It can be shown in many forms.

I was very allergic to cats at one time. I could walk into someone's home and within minutes tell if they had a cat without seeing it. Not good when you are in sales. Red eyes, sneezing, etc. About 5 years back, we found a small kitten on our back porch. We fed it and everything was good till it became 6 months old and the local big "tom" found him. Got chewed up bad. We took inside, and for 2 weeks my eyes were itching, rose running, and I was miserable. After two weeks, everything cleared up. We now have 4 indoor cats.

Honey and pollen comes down to two main things. Does the honey contain the pollen causing the allergies, and is there significant pollen in the honey for it too become effective?

The website above focuses on "honey" as a source of allergy relief. This is flawed from the start. Its pollen that provides the relief. And do they distinguish local "raw" honey from filtered, heated, or refined "local" honey? No.

Brenda Adderly, M.H.A., has written papers such as "The Latest Buzz on Products of the Hive". She qoutes several studies in the literature and I am not sure which study she qoutes, but she states in studies, 17% of those with allergies see significant improvenment with pollen treatments. Not honey, but pollen.

So does pollen make a difference? Yes. Does your honey have an amount to make a difference? Hard to say.

I have wondered why pollen collection, and the placement of pollen in some form of honey is not marketed more. I also get a laugh when people complain of "cloudy" honey. Give it to me, I'll swap! I know what it is. And I have many people want as much pollen as possible in the honey.

Under ideal situations of the correct pollen, in a quantity significant to help with allergies, than 17% is not alot. But the study says, 17% showed "significant" relief. Not sure how many it helps on a lesser level. But for those people who get weekly shots, and pay the expense.....wouldn't it be nice if they could get the same benefit from a daily teaspoon of your honey? Boy, talk about value!

I think pollen, honey laced with pollen, and other possible marketing items are being missed by the bee industry. I know the lady in maryland that sells honey with cappings placed on top is making a killing selling something called "Really Raw honey", or something like that.

I have people swear that local raw honey helps with thier allergies. I don't debate that at all. Whether a placebo or not, are they not getting relief?

I sell lots of chunck honey. I also know some of my customers will always pick the comb that has some cells filled with pollen.

I have thought about some creamed "super" honey product with pollen added. I think there are more ways to sell honey. Taking advantage of honey, and the proven benefits of pollen, is one area I think of.

[Jim Fischer]

There are enough people firmly stating that
local honey, if not filtered to within an
inch of its life, helps allergy sufferers.

When people ask me, I respond with my "standard
answer", which is:

"Many people tell me that it does relieve their
allergy symptoms, and are repeat customers for my
honey, asking me for "spring" and "fall" honey
from the prior year just before the start of
those allergy-inducing seasons. I'm not a medical
doctor, so who am I to argue with satisfied customers?"

The same sort of statement can be used to
address health questions about propolis,
pollen, whatever.

If you look at "desensitization" work done
by doctors, the general approach is much the
same as the person who buys local honey to
address an allergy problem. The only difference
is that the use of honey has to be admitted to
be a more scatter-shot approach.

Hey, it can't hurt, now can it?

[Dick Allen]

Brenda AdderlyÂ’s article cited by Bjornbee can be read here:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl..._59534980/pg_1

For the record it appeared in ‘Better Nutrition’ magazine. It seemed to me to be another of those glowing articles about all the wonderful products bees produce.

“Research shows that about 17 percent of hay fever sufferers said their symptoms were significantly improved with bee pollen.” (my emphasis)

In the same paragraph a chiropractor is quoted as a medical expert.

No references to pollen were listed in the 3 citations at the articleÂ’s end.

Ms. Adderly also has wonderful things to say about honey, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom.

I think the often referenced ‘Value Added Products from Beekeeping’ offers a more balanced presentation on honey and bee products.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w0076e/w0076e10.htm

IÂ’m not saying that claims of better health from using honey, pollen, propolis, etc. are completely wrong, but there certainly appears to me to be a great deal of opinion, speculation, and hearsay, all presented as proven facts when it comes to bee products.

[Dick Allen]

I never reference allergies when I sell honey. What does everyone else do?

Some of my customers do buy honey (and pollen) for their allergies claiming it helps. I tell them that while there have been very few scientific tests done, there is anecdotal evidence from some users claiming it helps. I also tell them that it might or might not be simply the placebo effect. Usually, those who are buying honey for allergies already have their minds made up. One person told me that placebo or not it helped her. So, I sell honey to her for her allergies every year.

[size="1"][ October 29, 2006, 12:20 PM: Message edited by: Dick Allen ][/size]

[BjornBee]

Thanks for the link Dick. Now people can download it and keep it in thier book of bee stuff for future reference. I made many copies of it and hand it out on a regular basis.

[BjornBee]

"Ms. Adderly also has wonderful things to say about honey, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom. "

Too bad she's not a beekeeper! I only wish some of us were so positive.

[Mike Gillmore]

My 11 year old daughter had been battling allergic reactions to pollen and other airborn irritants and our Ear Nose and Throat Physican was ready to begin monthly injections for immunization. The doctor was not really pleased when I asked her first to try a few months of daily honey therapy before we started any shots.

Sure enough, after a couple of months her symptoms cleared up and have not returned. Not everyone has this kind of positive response but I've seen it first hand.

I mention this benefit to most of my customers, not promising anything, but letting them know that it does work for some.

I'm small time and all of my honey is unheated, unfiltered and local. That is what gives me the edge over the "Big Guys" in this small specialized market... and I'll be sure to promote it when marketing my product.

[Hillside]

People often have allergies to grass pollens or other pollen from other types of plants that bees don't normally collect. Can there be any benefit in these situations?

[sc-bee]

How much is " within an inch of its life". What is the best process to use? Is 200 micron filters too small?

My mother has a friend whose two year old suffers from allergies. Her allergy doctor suggested trying 1/2 teaspoon of honey twice a day. Problem she was buying it from the local grocer off the shelf (not local). I sent her a sample jar .
Another beek friend is selling a lot of his honey upon referral from allergy doctors.

[Mike Gillmore]

I run mine through a double layer of cheesecloth and just get the big stuff...wax, bee parts, propolis, etc. If you filter too much you will be pulling out pollen, which you are trying to keep in the honey for allergy applications.

[Dick Allen]

Thanks for the link Dick

Which one? The one written with three references listed in the "references" section and quoting a chiropractor as a source of information or the FAO publication that has several pages of references in the bibliography at the back? Or both?

[BjornBee]

When someone says "Thank you", does it matter to microanalyze the question as such? Some would just be happy to hear the thank you. Apparently not you. So I'll save you the agony of the indecision and questions on your part, and lets just say I never said it.

[BjornBee]

She referenced a chiropractor? Come on Dick! You previously claimed the article called her a "medical expert". Reread the article again Dick. I am missing the part you claim that a reference to a medical expert is given. A person made a personal observation and was qouted as such. Not anything more. Perhaps your eagerness to attack the article and anything positive another has to say, is clouding your posts.

I can keep listing material if you would want. A good read on the benefits of pollen would be "The healing Power of Pollen - and other products from the Beehive" Written by Maurice Hanssen. ISBN 0 7225 0526 4 I am not sure his medical status as M.D., etc, but he is/was a member of the Royal Society of Health, England.

As an addition read for those wanting to learn more perhaps about honey benefits and not just allergy stuff, I also think a pamphlet from the national honey Board entitled "Honey-Health and Therapeutic Qualities". It covers a vast array of benefits from honey and just scanning the references in the back is an educational experience.

[size="1"][ October 29, 2006, 07:44 PM: Message edited by: BjornBee ][/size]

[betrbekepn]

>If you filter too much you will be pulling out pollen, which you are trying to keep in the honey for allergy applications.

I filter my honey with 5 gallon bucket E-Z micron filters that come in 600 micron, 400 micron, and 200 micron. https://www.dadant.com/catalog/produ...roducts_id=422 I stopped using the 200 micron filter because the 600 and 400 catch everything and I have yet to catch anything in the 200. Is pollen small enough to go through 200 micron? I didn't know I might be filtering out pollen, dang! Does pollen flavor honey?

[size="1"][ October 29, 2006, 10:07 PM: Message edited by: betrbekepn ][/size]

[AstroBee]

I'm not an expert, but last year I was curious about the size of pollen grains, and I recall that most of the pollen was in the sub 100 micron category (sorry, but I can't find the reference). There are some greater than 100, but these larger pollens generally don't have a big impact on people since they don't remain airborne as easily. Bottom line, I believe that a 200 micron filter is still passing most of the pollen right through.

[Dick Allen]

OK Bjornbee, I see..... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Edit:
Oh heck, I just can't help it.

"It might take weeks for the bee pollen to work," notes Laura Taylor, D.C., with Oppenheim Chiropractic Clinic in Toluca Lake, California."

sure reads like a chriopractor to me.

[size="1"][ October 30, 2006, 12:59 AM: Message edited by: Dick Allen ][/size]

[BjornBee]

Dick, you missed the point. She IS qouted and noted as a chiropractor. You however stated, "In the same paragraph a chiropractor is quoted as a medical expert."

I'm not here to state whether chiropractors are medical experts. I am merely noting that the paper referenced did not claim she was a medical expert, they merely noted who she was. It was your zest to attack the paper that you added the comment and the suggestion yourself.

[BjornBee]

Acknowledging the fact that there is not many reports on pollen when it applies to relieving allergies, I will see what other published material I can come up with to pass on. No big companies is going to spend millions in research, on a treatment that can not be cornered. They would not only go against the already many types of allergy medicines on the market, but they would be competing with every beekeeper out there. No big payday for that type research, unless it disproved the effects of pollen. And thats something that nobody has ever
shown in research.

I find calling anyone claiming success with pollen "anecdotal", saying that it merely could be a "placebo effect", stating there is "few scientific tests done",...about as negative you can get. How about just saying some have seen good results?

BTW Dick, you made the comment "I tell them that while there have been very few scientific tests done, there is anecdotal evidence from some users claiming it helps."

Are you acknowledging that there are a few, even if its "very few", scientific tests completed on the matter? Care to come forward and actually contribute to the thread, by listing them. I think any scientific tests, even the few you mention, could help many beekeepers.