Local Honey Recommended for Allergies

Bees May Help With Allergies
By Joel C. Thompson, Connecticut Post (USA), 6/11/2006

When trees and flowers blossom and bees busily gather pollen, some people begin suffering from pollen-related allergies.

Reflecting on the work of the bees and adverse reactions to pollen, beekeeper Jerry Soltisiak, of North Street in Easton, said allergy sufferers may actually find relief from eating honey.

"People who eat honey produced by local beekeepers in the area of their homes can build up a resistance to allergies," Soltisiak said in a recent interview. "But they may need to consume the honey all winter long before the pollen season begins. A lot of people come to me to buy honey for their allergies."

Soltisiak, who has kept bees for about 12 years and now has about 20 hives, said the secret lies in how the honey is produced by local beekeepers like himself.

"Commercial honey is filtered, meaning all the pollen granules are removed from it," he said. "I just strain my honey to remove bits of wax and other debris, but some pollen is left."

He said the small amount of pollen remaining in the honey allows people to gradually build resistance to allergies, making them less prone to experience stuffed-up noses and sinuses, itchy eyes and other cold-like symptoms when spring gets underway…