The citrus have started to blossom.

[jimj]

As a "for what it's worth" thing, I've been told many times that eating local honey can help allergies by boosting immunity.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by jimj

As a "for what it's worth" thing, I've been told many times that eating local honey can help allergies by boosting immunity.

I've heard the same thing but have no first hand knowledge. Our local vegetable grower swears he cured all his allergies after moving here from the Pacific Northwest simply by eating local honey.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by nitram

I guess the 4 allergists I've been to need to go back to school, I'll have a talk with them next visit.

Here's an exerpt from one of my alergists Dr Shubert in a news article in the Arizona republic awhile back:
For the typical allergy sufferer," physician Schubert said, "even 20 pollen grains per cubic meter of air will cause a reaction." This is a fraction of what allergy sufferers may encounter on a given day during the spring. Schubert said, "The count for mulberry pollen around the Valley during an average spring is about 3,000 grains per cubic meter. For olive trees, it's about 300 grains."

Don't expect pollen counts to drop enough to make a difference unless water rationing is instituted, resulting in widespread plant loss, he said. Or unless rain like Saturday's continues to rinse pollen from the air, a temporary fix.

Walking in his neighborhood, Schubert also smelled orange blossoms, the signal, dreaded by allergy sufferers, that spring pollination is shifting into high gear.

Citrus trees, however, are just the messengers, he said. Their pollen, too heavy and too sticky to float, is carried by insects from blossom to blossom. It is the airborne pollen from other vegetation, inhaled at the same time we're registering citrus blossoms' insect-attracting scent, that causes allergies.

As I stated above they are irritants that are activated by the aroma of orange blossoms.

More Information From The Pollen Library: Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Orange (Citrus) Genus Level Details & Allergy Info

I think there may be some power of suggestion involved. I have a cat and sometimes when people are visiting they are just fine until the SEE the cat and then they start sneezing etc.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I've heard the same thing but have no first hand knowledge. Our local vegetable grower swears he cured all his allergies after moving here from the Pacific Northwest simply by eating local honey.

Heard it from my doc's and my wife's doc as well not to mention several health food stores I've been drug into over the years.

[stephen431]

Originally Posted by jimj

As a "for what it's worth" thing, I've been told many times that eating local honey can help allergies by boosting immunity.

I've heard of that too. I love honey and have eaten a lot of (according to the labels) local honey. It didn't make a dent in my allergies.

From what I understand, many American honey producers filter all (or nearly all) of the pollen out of their honey before bottling it so it doesn't crystallize. (To reference an earlier thread, they filter the honey through diatomaceous earth)

My allergies have not really been that bad for the past few months, and the honey I've been eating is this stuff called Airborne from New Zealand. I get it because of the taste, but it's supposed to have a lot of pollen in it.

**I don't really think eating honey can affect my allergies one way or the other.**

[jimj]

Originally Posted by stephen431

I've heard of that too. I love honey and have eaten a lot of (according to the labels) local honey. It didn't make a dent in my allergies.

From what I understand, many American honey producers filter all (or nearly all) of the pollen out of their honey before bottling it so it doesn't crystallize. (To reference an earlier thread, they filter the honey through diatomaceous earth)

My allergies have not really been that bad for the past few months, and the honey I've been eating is this stuff called Airborne from New Zealand. I get it because of the taste, but it's supposed to have a lot of pollen in it.

**I don't really think eating honey can affect my allergies one way or the other.**

Try raw honey?

[stephen431]

Originally Posted by jimj

Try raw honey?

Yeah... The stuff I've found locally was so crystallized it was like eating skittles.

I've heard good things about Arizona Rangeland Honey (by Dee Lusby), but I haven't found a vendor in Phoenix.

[_Charles_]

You can get AZ local raw honey at Sphinx Ranch - east side of Scottsdale Rd between McDowell and Thomas.