Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Local Honey Recommended for Allergies

Seasonal Allergies? A Spoonful of Honey...
New York Times, 4/12/2010

In “Allergy-Free New York” (Op-Ed, April 6), Thomas Leo Ogren makes several good points about reducing the misery of people with seasonal allergies. Besides a variety of trees, there is a simpler way for allergy sufferers to find relief: local honey. This remedy (predating Claritin and its ilk) has long been recognized around the world.

Honeybees collect pollen from the very trees that are causing all the sneezing and runny noses. By taking a spoonful of honey daily, approaching and during allergy season, you inoculate yourself against the offending pollen and greatly reduce your allergic reaction.

And now, honeybees are legal in New York City. Given the high incidence (and cost) of allergy-induced asthma, local honey could prove to be a great boon, all the while sweetening your tea or straight from a spoon. Mary Poppins had a point.

Christine Lehner
Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., April 6, 2010

The writer is a beekeeper and a writer.

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