Allergies Anyone? Try Local Honey!

So this year, I both look forward to and dread, in equal measure – the arrival of Spring, into which – despite the temperature disguise – we are well and truly submerged. Love Spring, marks the end of dark Winter, gets those happy brain chemicals going in between that ridiculously undesirable look sneezing uncontrollably and reaching for high grade pharmaceutical strength anti-histamines.

This year though … I noticed, I was not sneezing like at all during the afore mentioned dangerous temporal zone. Like not at all. Got me to thinking ~ Why? Then I remembered, I have been putting a spoonful of local honey in to my herbal medicines all year, to improve the taste. From all reports this was marginally successful. What I was also doing, was tasting formulas – to see if there was any improvement. Maybe it was the Honey!?

I snaffled up a bottle of local honey from The General Food Store in Emerald, it was Honey produced by the Beewise Beekeepers [they do honey and book keeping] and must have been having a spoonful here and there. It worked. And every year, my allergies are baaaaaad! Not a fabulous look.

The scientific community are reluctant to embrace this interesting phenomenon. Bees are one of the Keys to global harmony. They do lots and lots of important things for food production. Honey made from local bees uses nectar and pollen collected from the local store house of pollen [responsible for irritating sinuses during hayfever season]. The hypothesis suggests that Honey is a kind of sweet vaccine against local allergens. It works by exposing people to a low grade dose of ‘pollen’ that then innoculates them for that year/season.

It could also work in the same way as desensitization therapy. This approach to allergy treatment and management exposes sufferers to diluted (but escalating) doses of offending allergens. This long-term therapy, designed to reduce a patient’s allergic responses to given allergens, relies on gradually familiarizing the patient’s immune system with the offending proteins, in the hope that the immune system will eventually stop overreacting to its presence. In can work, everything can work and does for some people some of the time.

What does Science say about this?

Bit of Fence sitting … but if you are interested – findings are inconclusive. Here’s what Healthline has to say.

Backyard Bees

Friends if you can, and are looking for an independent, self determining, autonomous exciting pet, why not keep Bees. Doug Purdie is all about Backyard Beekeeping and the Earth needs Bees, Bees are in trouble. If for no other reason – do it to manage the old allergies every year. Your bees will provide you with your own personally and geographically tuned medicine to help your body adapt to the pollen allergens local to where you live. Our bodies, after all – belong to the Earth and are designed to be tuned to the rhythms and cycles of the Earth, otherwise known as Seasons.

Friends – Bees are in Trouble. Australian Bees are the last Bees standing globally and many believe it is a matter of time before they are wiped out also. Bees are struggling to survive and are dying after developing a range of health issues with their gut and immune functions. Rather than go over the murderous trouble here, check out my post some moons back called “Bees are the Keys to Global Harmonies”.

While we are at it, here is a link to Greenpeace’s Save the Bees Campaign.

Bees are to Ecology is what …

Dialogue is to Psychology

They are feedback mechanisms which enables dynamic complex systems to self regulate, learn, grow, and evolve. You are individually a dynamic complex system and we are collectively one as well. Our challenge is to embrace feedback mechanisms. Conflict is a sign that our system is trying to regulate itself, restore homeostasis, or evolve. Seek conflict, face your shadow – as much as you can, it will help all of us but most of all it will save The Bees, they are The Keys.

If you are looking for a practice way to protest, to occupy, to stand against the forces that seek to rob you of personal power and community – keep Bees in your backyard. Doug Purdie has written a book all about the topic and encourages as many people as possible to keep Bees themselves.

Peace.