Bee Pollen Allergies
Bee Pollen Allergies
Bee pollen allergies are allergic reactions to bee pollen, whether taken as raw bee pollen or as a supplement.
These reactions can be so mild that people could possibly not even notice the reaction, or assume that it is something else causing it..
These reactions can range from hives, skin rashes to itchy face or throat.
However, taking this to the opposite extreme, the reaction can be very severe.
A person could get an anaphylactic shock where the airways can swell up and close, they get a rapid pulse rate, a rise in blood pressure, fainting or fatigue.
In this instance medical assistance is required immediately as without it death can occur.
Thankfully, this is occurs only in a few isolated cases.
Needless to say, if you are allergic to bee products or bee stings then it makes sense to avoid bee pollen altogether
If your symptoms are mild or non-existent then it is best to start off slowly when taking bee pollen, whether it's in it's raw form or in supplements.
In the case of raw pollen granules start with 2 - 3 granules under the tongue, and in the case of pills or tablets just take a small amount of the recommended dose for the first few days and see if your body reacts in a negative way.
If you are unsure about this in any way then it is best to talk to your doctor.
Studies of Bee Pollen Allergies
Some studies have been made into actually using bee pollen to treat bee pollen allergies.
Strange though it may seem, to use one allergen to treat other allergies it is a recognized treatment known as immunology.
You are possibly more familiar with this procedure as in vaccinations against smallpox or measles.
The technique is to slowly expose the allergic person to minute amounts of of bee pollen at regular intervals.
This causes the body's immune system to produce antigens until such time as the body adapts by becoming desensitized to bee pollen.
As an added bonus, this technique using bee pollen also works for hayfever and other pollen allergies.
Actiual studies
In the USA, Leo Conway M.D. conducted a private study of bee pollen allergies and it's effects.
He gave bee pollen injections to a diverse group of patients, all of whom had bee pollen and other allergies.
After 3 years he found that his patients were more or less free of allergies.
A more recent study (2011) has taken place in Finland where two groups of patients with birch pollen allergies were treated by one group consuming bee pollen honey and another group consuming regular honey.
It was found that the bee pollen honey group had:
Further studies are taking place.
Original Paper
Birch Pollen Honey for Birch Pollen Allergy – A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
K. Saarinena, J. Jantunena, T. Haahtelab
aSouth Karelia Allergy and Environment Institute, Lappeenranta, and
bDepartment of Allergy, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Good sources of bee pollen
Unfortunately, you will find that the quality of bee pollen sold varies enormously.
Some bee pollen also contains flower pollen, which is due to sloppy manufacturing which reduces the effectiveness of the bee pollen.
Also, it is strongly recommended that you should not purchase bee pollen from heavily industrialized countries where pollution is high, and this pollution is passed into the food chain.
Bee pollen allergies are allergic reactions to bee pollen, whether taken as raw bee pollen or as a supplement.
These reactions can be so mild that people could possibly not even notice the reaction, or assume that it is something else causing it..
These reactions can range from hives, skin rashes to itchy face or throat.
However, taking this to the opposite extreme, the reaction can be very severe.
A person could get an anaphylactic shock where the airways can swell up and close, they get a rapid pulse rate, a rise in blood pressure, fainting or fatigue.
In this instance medical assistance is required immediately as without it death can occur.
Thankfully, this is occurs only in a few isolated cases.
Needless to say, if you are allergic to bee products or bee stings then it makes sense to avoid bee pollen altogether
If your symptoms are mild or non-existent then it is best to start off slowly when taking bee pollen, whether it's in it's raw form or in supplements.
In the case of raw pollen granules start with 2 - 3 granules under the tongue, and in the case of pills or tablets just take a small amount of the recommended dose for the first few days and see if your body reacts in a negative way.
If you are unsure about this in any way then it is best to talk to your doctor.
Studies of Bee Pollen Allergies
Some studies have been made into actually using bee pollen to treat bee pollen allergies.
Strange though it may seem, to use one allergen to treat other allergies it is a recognized treatment known as immunology.
You are possibly more familiar with this procedure as in vaccinations against smallpox or measles.
The technique is to slowly expose the allergic person to minute amounts of of bee pollen at regular intervals.
This causes the body's immune system to produce antigens until such time as the body adapts by becoming desensitized to bee pollen.
As an added bonus, this technique using bee pollen also works for hayfever and other pollen allergies.
Actiual studies
In the USA, Leo Conway M.D. conducted a private study of bee pollen allergies and it's effects.
He gave bee pollen injections to a diverse group of patients, all of whom had bee pollen and other allergies.
After 3 years he found that his patients were more or less free of allergies.
A more recent study (2011) has taken place in Finland where two groups of patients with birch pollen allergies were treated by one group consuming bee pollen honey and another group consuming regular honey.
It was found that the bee pollen honey group had:
- 60% less symptoms,
- double the amount of asymtomatic (no symptoms) days,
- severe symptom days reduced by 70%,
- and a 50% reduction of antihistamine use.
Further studies are taking place.
Original Paper
Birch Pollen Honey for Birch Pollen Allergy – A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
K. Saarinena, J. Jantunena, T. Haahtelab
aSouth Karelia Allergy and Environment Institute, Lappeenranta, and
bDepartment of Allergy, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Good sources of bee pollen
Unfortunately, you will find that the quality of bee pollen sold varies enormously.
Some bee pollen also contains flower pollen, which is due to sloppy manufacturing which reduces the effectiveness of the bee pollen.
Also, it is strongly recommended that you should not purchase bee pollen from heavily industrialized countries where pollution is high, and this pollution is passed into the food chain.
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