I still can’t believe it. My son has hardly sneezed at all during the month of August, even though the ragweed is now in full bloom as far as the eye can see.

We’d been keeping his allergies under control all summer with a fabulous product by Pascoe called PascAllerg. It’s a homeopathic combination that had worked so well for him (despite his numerous pollen allergies) that we hadn’t even used antihistamine this year. However, we were giving him the homeopathic remedy daily.

One day in early July, while I was doing some research on allergies, I stumbled upon some interesting information on bee pollen. Many alternative and complimentary medical sites talk about bee pollen and the many health conditions that it can help with. Folks selling bee pollen cannot make any medical claims for it, according to FDA regulation, but people who use it freely talk about it on the internet.

What impressed me is the excellent nutrition that is found in bee pollen. Studies have identified trace amounts of minerals plus a number of vitamins. In addition, it is very high in protein. I figured it wouldn’t hurt and might just be a good addition to our diet. So, I bought a couple of bottles and started putting it in our morning smoothies of fresh fruit and avocado.

It has taken us about 4-5 weeks to finish those bottles. I started with about a tablespoon in a blender full of smoothie (which is divided between all four family members). Eventually, I was using about 2 tablespoons a day. That means each one of us is now getting about 1.5 teaspoons of bee pollen every day.

I didn’t change anything else in our diet, nor have we introduced any new supplements over the summer.

One day, I realized my son was missing his distinctive hollow barking cough. In fact, I hadn’t heard it for days. I asked him if he was still taking his PascAllerg, thinking that it must be working even better after being on it for awhile. He looked up with surprise and said he’d been forgetting - did I want him to take it now? I asked him if he needed it. He took a big breath and blew it out. “Nope”, he said.

And that was that. We’ve had no incidents of breathing problems of any kind since and no sneezing attacks.

You have to be careful with bee pollen - especially if you have a serious bee sting allergy. You might also have to be careful if your seasonal allergies are very severe. However, if the experience of our family is any indication, it might be a worthwhile addition to your routine. As with everything that applies to allergies, it’s better to start it before allergy season kicks in for you. Buy a local product so that you are getting exposed to local pollens - that should improve any benefit that you get. Start with a small dose - and work your way up to 1 or 2 teaspoons a day. That’s what we did and I’m really happy with the results.

I’m still getting used to a child who appears to have no challenges with allergies. Our food allergies have been addressed with NAET; now, his seasonal allergies have disappeared. My son has had both since he was a toddler.

It’s a big change - but it’s a change for the better.