Winter/Spring Hayfever?

[MartinL]

Does anyone suffer from hay-fever from tree pollen?

Predominantly itching of the eyes & of course sneezing. Usually starts when hazel catkins are in abundance.
Earlier than usual this year.

Never affected until few years after starting beekeeping?

 

[enrico]

Yep, my wife does, and fungi spores when fungi prevelent.
E

 

[madasafish]

Youngest son does.

 

[Poly Hive]

I react to the Hazel.

Now sneezing.

PH

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I used to be a scout leader and I recall that on one Whitsun camp we were in a clearing in a wood and one of the young people had to be sent home because he was allergic to Birch pollen. His face swelled up and his eyes were practically closed yet when he was at home for two days his face returned to normal. It was quite a scary experience!

CVB

 

[Swarm]

Doesn't your honey help?

 

[Worldsend]

Ordered new tablets this week

Eyes tend to get itchy few weeks before nose starts

No honey doesn't help

 

[pargyle]

The worst for me is when the Horse Chestnuts come into blossom and it always has been. However, I drive to work through a road full of hazel catkins and this last week I've been sneezing and my eyes running after I've driven past, I've not really noticed this in the past- perhaps they are particularly pollen laden this year ?

 

[Poly Hive]

Swarm? No my honey has never helped so when asked that question I always said well it may do. Shrug not going to lose a sale over being too honest.

PH

 

[Wingy]

Never had a problem with tree or early season pollen, but late season grass pollen used to cause me considerable discomfort. Funny thing is it didn't ever bother me until in my late 20's early 30's and touch wood have had no issues for the last 3-4 years now late 40's so fingers crossed it's gone away again
Wingy

 

[Swarm]

Swarm? No my honey has never helped so when asked that question I always said well it may do. Shrug not going to lose a sale over being too honest.

PH

I was of a similar mind PH and I still give much the same answer as you but there have been too many claims that it does for it to be more than just coincidence. We have at least six customers who swear by it.
We used to supply a small hardware shop D) on one occasion my wife was delivering jars and a plumber was in there after honey, not pipes. He popped the lid and started drinking it, saying he'd run out a couple of days ago and been suffering, he was desperate.
We sold loads of honey there.

 

[Poly Hive]

Not disagreeing at all and the placebo effect is not to be discounted either but having suffered from hayfever all my life I can only say is that honey has done nothing for my symptoms that I am aware of.

PH

 

[MartinL]

My Issue is with eyes mostly & only started in my late 40's.
@ 2-3 years after I started Beekeeping?
I was interested to see if it could have been triggered by, or related to taking antihistamines?

 

[Beefriendly]

For what it's worth some allergies can come and go. I used to be allergic to mice....knew when we had mice in the flat long before the cat...eyes watering nose streaming. Lasted about 2 years and then simply cleared up. Had been on allergy tests and only thing they found I was allergic to was dust mites, no reaction to mouse urine etc. Weird!

Like others several swear by my honey for their hayfevers. Palcebo? Real? Don't know.

 

[fatshark]

Like others several swear by my honey for their hayfevers. Palcebo? Real? Don't know.

Unscientific nonsense that's been reasonably thoroughly tested.

Of course, you can never prove that honey doesn't prevent hay fever ... but when people have looked in controlled studies there's no beneficial effect of taking honey.

There's also the type of pollen that generally causes hay fever (grass i.e. wind borne) and the pollen in honey (largely not grass or any wind borne pollens).

Of course, if people want to buy honey because they think it will help then let them, but I think there are much better reasons for encouraging people to buy local honey than telling them it will help and continuing to propagate a myth (just look at some of the online claims, they're outrageous!).

 

[Beefriendly]

Unscientific nonsense that's been reasonably thoroughly tested.

I bet you say that to all your hay fever customers/sufferers.....

Where it gets "naughty" is if you start advertising honey as a hay fever cure.
Customers coming and telling you that it helps their hay fever....what can you do...[emoji765] [emoji765]

 

[Swarm]

I'd be more sceptical of 'controlled studies' tbh.

 

[Buzzlodge]

Unscientific nonsense that's been reasonably thoroughly tested.

Of course, you can never prove that honey doesn't prevent hay fever ... but when people have looked in ontrolled studies there's no beneficial effect of taking honey.

The linked study only compared 24 allergy sufferers given honey to 12 control subjects. This is not in any way powerful enough to detect an effect that might be active in a minority of allergy sufferers and certainly does not merit these peoples positive experienced being labelled as nonsense.

 

[Poly Hive]

"people positive" aka placebo effect. Now where is the Benedryl?

PH

 

[fatshark]

Yep

Over and out.