COLORADO SPRINGS — September is National Honey Month, and while honey is sweet, it also offers several health benefits. One local beekeeper credits honey for curing his son’s allergies.
Frank Seeley has been a local beekeeper for more than 30 years and the owner of The Honey Cottage. But his career was sparked by an effort to save his son from severe allergies. Seeley's son Matthew was only five years old when he was diagnosed with allergies.
From pollen to everything in the outdoor air, Matt couldn’t play outside because he couldn’t breathe. Desperate about answers, Seeley visited his local doctor only to find out that the prescribed cure wasn’t cheap or effective. Seeley was told to pay for medicine that was $120 a month, required his son to take 3 different pills a day, and it gave him no relief. Feeling at a loss, Frank started asking his loved ones for other solutions.
“A friend told me about raw honey, and I was skeptical. We tried a jar. Within the first week, we started noticing changes. The second week was very big changes and our doctor told us, don’t do that, rely on the pills. We found a natural path,” Frank Seeley said.
Within a month of using honey as allergy medicine, their son’s allergies had completely disappeared and he was off the pills the doctor had prescribed him. Also, his use for the rescue inhaler almost completely diminished, allowing him to play outside again like a typical 5-year-old kid. The effectiveness of honey inspired Seeley to become a beekeeper and honey has been a huge part of this family’s life ever since.
Additionally, Seeley's wife, Crystal, started having skin issues at the age of 16. She had dry skin that was sensitive and would break easily. But as the years passed, Crystal started noticing that traditional hand soap made her skin allergies worsen. She learned that she was allergic to MSG, acids, mineral oils, and even the scents offered in hand soaps. After many doctor visits, her issues remained.
“I was going for my culinary degree. We were realizing that I was having a really hard time with some of the soap. I was having an allergic reaction to it, and what we learned is when I put honey or beeswax products on it, it would seal the skin and it wouldn’t bleed as much,” Crystal Seeley said.
This new discovery inspired Crystal’s husband, Frank to start creating hand cream made from natural materials, such as cocoa butter and beeswax. Here, at the shop, you can see they sell several organic soaps. Customers have noticed that products nourish the skin.
Crystal and Frank co-own their honey business and the family is forever thankful for the benefits honey and beeswax have offered them.
