honey and hay fever.

[eragon]

have posted on chat, but really just so everyone knows who visits this section.

honey doesnt cure hay fever.

got that?

if anyone ever suggests that again, am going to SCREAM!

[OHforDUCKScake]

Why doesnt it?

[ClaireOB]

Interesting blog summarising research in the area. Verdict: unlikely to cure your hayfever.

[harverina]

Does it not just sooth your throat if you have a cough/cold?

[inneedofrain]

Um no it doesn't but it has helped mine but I need to take it every year and it has to be local

I have a friend that seared by ecanasure (s p) another takes a Chinese herbal tea and a third uses homeopathy I think just because some one gets helped through a natural supplement does not mean all will

Yes I am we'll aware of a placebo effect is possible but it's my body and honey seems to help me

Is that ok???

[harverina]

I think eragon a point is more that people offer what they think is good advice when really there is no evidence to suggest it is true - very common for parents who have children with allergies, eczema etc.

[harverina]

Eragon's point I mean...

[inneedofrain]

Harverina yes I do see what You mean


I think hay fevere is so person dependent that there is no cure for everyone some thing work for some they don't work for others

[eragon]

honey, homeopathy, muscle testing are all non treatments imo.

but with honey having some other very interesting true potiental in other medical areas. also we cant survive without bees.

honey is nice on toast as well.

[OHforDUCKScake]

But how does it not cure hayfever?

Its worked for me....

And muscle testing is used as a diagnosis, not a cure.

[OHforDUCKScake]

But I have to agree, Munuka honey is pretty great stuff

if you're loaded

[phantomhairpuller]

Local honey worked wonders for a whole bunch of people where I work.

What's your problem anyway OP? Why so 'I'm gonna scream' about it?

[eragon]

honey is fab and interesting stuff, and am sure is going to be used in some medical way once approved one day. (if we can all keep them and therefore us, alive. once bees go, we all go!)

however its not going to be used for treating hay fever.

it does soothe sore throats etc.

but, the reality is that the pollen bees eat and collect are not the ones that cause the majority of hay fever problems.
its the finer pollen grains that are airbourne, that are the issue here, not the ones that require insects for reproduction.

also, the idea of small amounts triggering tolerence is used for example in inducing peanut tolerence , to do the same requires individual tailored amounts of pollen for each person. It also has to be taken over a LONG period of time in increasing amounts to push the tolerence level.

so, even if you buy local honey, you have no idea that it even has your allergen in it. and if it has it there is the correct amount for you, to trigger antibodies.

Most people havent had any formal testing for what they are allergic to, and tend to use guess work. often advised to make a note on the calender and look up the timing of seasons for plants etc.

However weather does have an impact, wind etc good and bad.
how can you tell that magic honey is working recently if the weather is reducing your local area pollen levels?

Also people with seasonal hay fever, forget to take antihistamine daily two weeks before season nears, to give build up effect, and so receive little benifit from the antihistamine.
other non drug ways of reducing impact of pollen on body can be implemented in a combination and can help. However for those with very severe hay fever, there are nhs treatments, oral treatments, but steriod injections are to be avoided.
The UK no longer approves on nhs for injection treatments for environmental /hay fever due to concerns for safety. However is still available in other countries.

[OHforDUCKScake]

To be fair, from what you have written I can take from that that it is possible. Just not as likely as it would be to be an umbrella remedy for all that suffer with hayfever.

For example, the bee flowers may not be the main offending flowers. However, unless you are saying that the flowers bees are attracted to are hypo allergenic and cannot possible cause hayfever, then they have every chance of making some sneeze and stream, even if technically that chance is lower than other plants.

I once had hayfever in October many years ago. It was very unlikely but it happened.

And yes small exposures to an allergen can help build up a resistance.

And it may take a long time but who's to say that some havent used it for a long time? You dont know.

For example, my brother and my mum were very allergic to cats. But strangely not ginger ones (does anyone know why that might be by the way?!). I got them a ginger kitten that my friend was giving away, and just a few months afterwards both my brother and my mum were fine round all cats.

Months. Not years.

If someone is clever enough and starts using local honey in February then theres no reason why it might not help them.

[ithaca26]

different things work for different folk, me - I had the most horrendous tree pollen allergy. Over the last 15 years I have tried it all, local honey chinese herbal meds, steroids and so on. Last year I consulted a homeopath and this year I have had a teensy few sneezes and thats it. From previous years feeling exhausted, drained and full of it so much so that Ive had hospital consultants at work telling me I must demand specialist help (docs refused as I was not a life threatening allergy case!) so I am totally amazed and delighted to be free of it at last. I would urge anyone to try homeopathy. You do get worse before you get better though.

[eragon]

ohforducksake (nice name btw) once yr hay fever is kicked off, other pollens introduced may irritate already inflamed areas iyswim.

october 'hay fever' is normal and common, it called mold allergy.

and as for the cat, for mild cat allergies it depends on age and health of cat, the older it is the more dander.

also allergies can go dormant, as in the case of asthma.
I would urge anyone to avoid homeopathy.
agree NHS GPs are rubbish at recognising severe impact of seasonal allergies. Did you have steriod injections ithica26? hopefully no more than 3 ?

chinese herbal treatments also can be quite unregulated, and the herbs do contain steriods. I would avoid that as well unless recommended by immunologist.

[CatherineofMumbles]

Completely agree that different things work for different folk... We also sourced local honey - we were desperate for the magic bullet to cure DS1 (very serious symptoms, asthma, horrific), and believe me we tried everything. And the local honey kept us sane, by giving us something to cling to. I suspect what did (yes!!!) cure him, was a fantastic locum GP who referred us to Dr Rosenthal at the Royal Brompton, who shoe-horned DS onto an experimental trial of a therapy only licensed for adults (DS was 12, on the cusp...), and he was fixed after 3 years. This June, first for many, NO symptoms, normal life, happy boy.