Symptoms Of a Honey Allergy - How to Treat and Prevent Them

A few people are allergic to honey. They cannot eat or apply honey to their skin because their immune systems would react badly. Are you one of the people who suffer from a honey allergy? More often than not, people who have this allergy also react badly to bee pollen, wax and propolis. They develop mild or severe symptoms depending on the bee product they have taken. Also, a person can suffer severely for eating honey if he or she is taking some drugs to cure a certain disease. If you react terribly to this substance, it is sensible to avoid it altogether.

Most Common symptoms to expect

Many people develop signs in the mouth and respiratory system. For example they suffer from a runny nose, swollen lips or tongue, sneezing and itchy throat after consuming honey. There are some who have watery eyes and hives on the skin. Severe signs may include extreme congestion, headaches, skin irritation and a foggy brain. Some of us get stubbing stomach pains after consuming a considerable amount of honey. If one is greatly affected by this substance, their immune system may become very weak thus allowing germs to cause sicknesses.

How to get rid of honey allergy symptoms

Honey affects adults and children differently. In addition, it causes different signs in different people. Treatment therefore depends on the age of a person and how severe their symptoms look. Diphenhydramine-a type of antihistamine- is commonly used to treat honey allergies. Most of you know it as Benadryl. It provides relief in fifteen minutes thus giving you enough time to take a person to a doctor. There are certainly many other antihistamines in drugstores and chemists. The problem they have is that they provide relief very slowly. Some of them take up to twenty-four hours to reduce the signs of a honey allergy. The main thing is to see a doctor if symptoms persist.

How to prevent hypersensitivity caused by honey

This will mainly depend on how bad your reaction to honey is. If you have mild signs that go away on their own, you may continue to use honey in moderation. On the other hand, if you suffer badly after consumption of this bee product, you must avoid it altogether. This means that you will stop eating foods that contain this substance, too, including Greek pastries and tea with honey. So it will be sensible to ask foods and drinks vendors if their products have honey. If you cannot avoid this natural food, you may ask your doctor if it is fine to consume diphenhydramine prior to eating honey.

Most commonly reported complications

If you take too long to see a doctor or take diphenhydramine, you could experience terrible complications. Good examples include spells of dizziness and fainting, shortness of breath and even convulsions. All these are signs of anaphylactic shock. It is good to know the emergency numbers you could call to request an ambulance if you suspect that a person has this shock.