Sweet Solution To Spring Allergies

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- It's not your imagination, allergy season kicked off about the time the weeds starting growing.

But are the two connected?

Steve Smith, with Southwoods Landscape and Nursery, says the weeds seem worse this year, but it's really just because they're all blooming at once.

Started several weeks ago, with the rain and the quick warm up, so instead of coming on gradually and in spurts they've pretty week taken over many yards," said Smith.

Pollen from the grass is part of the problem too, but not the worst of it.

"So you had this perfect storm, this perfect confluence of early and late tree pollens, at the same time," said David Hurewitz MD, Allergy Clinic of Tulsa. 

Doctor David Hurewitz says what's affecting most people is tree pollen. And lots of it.

"That yellow green pollen is tree pollen and tree pollen is thicker and heavier than grass and weed pollen, so it doesn't blow far, you don't need a microscope to see it, unlike grass and weed pollen, grass pollen blows for miles, weeds for hundreds of miles, trees tend to stay in the neighborhood," Hurewitz said.

The allergy clinics keep track of which specific pollens are up and down each day, because each person has a different reaction to what's in the air.

Right now, that's mainly tree pollen, with enough weed and grass pollen to affect almost anyone with an allergy.

But some people are trying a natural way to get some sweet relief from allergies. Instead of pills and nasal sprays, some people swear by locally harvested honey.

"The secret is the honey is locally-produced with pollen from the surrounding area. The bees bring it back and that's what you ingest orally. So, when you breathe in the pollen, your sinuses don't go crazy," said Grant Gillard, beekeeper.

Beekeepers say local honey won't do much for people allergic to cigarette smoke or dust, or for pet allergies.

Even if it does help with pollen allergies, honey won't cut the sting of allergy season right away.

"It's not instantaneous. It's not like taking benadryl where you're dried up like that. They'll come back 3 to 4 weeks later and say though, 'my cough is gone, I've stopped sneezing so much and I'm a believer," Gillard said.