The Wellness Group of Bayonne

Buzzing with Excitement

Dr. Noah

Photos Courtesy of Dr. Noah DeKoyer

By Tara Ryazansky

Photos Courtesy of Dr. Noah DeKoyer

Last January, The Wellness Group of

Bayonne was buzzing with excitement. Dr. Noah DeKoyer led an event called An Evening With The Bee Keepers.

The beekeepers are Dr. Noah and his family. “When my father retired, he was considering becoming a master gardener. That’s a course that you can take through Rutgers University,” Dr. Noah explains. But the new retiree decided not to take on the program.

The Head Beekeeper

“It was a little bit too comprehensive. He would have had to go to class every Friday. So instead, he joined a local bee club. He learned a lot, and it started from there.” Now the family has been beekeeping together in Bergen County for eight years. “My father is the head beekeeper, for sure,” said Dr. Noah, adding that he and

his siblings help. “He has the time to check in on them and make sure that things are going right. Historically, in my father’s youth, my family has had other beekeepers, so doing this has always been in the back of our minds to do this.” The family also enjoys gardening. Dr. Noah shares his plants on Instagram at @drnoahdekoyer and @wellnessgroupof bayonne. “If you look at #dekoyergarden2022 you’ll see all of my different garden posts,” he says.

The Harvest

Last year’s haul included figs, tomatoes, celery and, of course, plenty of flowers. The garden supports the DeKoyers’ bee population, and in return, the bees help pollinate the garden. “Our bees are crucially important. Certain things wouldn’t exist without bees,” Dr. Noah says. “They’re fascinating, too. They’re struggling from environmental toxins and other natural invaders so it’s a really good thing to beekeep if you can.” At the event, Dr. Noah discussed how bees can help humans. “All of the products from the beehive, whether it’s propolis or honey, even venom, all have real benefits for humans,” Dr. Noah explains. “Of course, honey is a form of sugar, so if you’re diabetic, you

have to be careful, but raw honey is chock full of all sorts of nutrients like B vitamins and amino acids. It’s anti-microbial. It’s got so many positive benefits. It can help with seasonal allergies because if it’s unprocessed, there are little bits of pollen from the local flowers. That tends to help some people with their seasonal allergies, not everybody, but some people.” Dr. Noah also described the process of beekeeping.

The Supers

“You have the beehive, and on the bottom is where all the bees are. You want to keep the bees and the queen on the bottom of the hive. On the top is where the bees build out the honeycombs,” he said, pointing out the wooden boxes where the bees create their hive. “Those are called supers. As the season goes on, you add more supers. It gets higher and higher until it can be almost 6 feet. Those boxes are filled with the honeycomb.” Next, it’s time to extract the honey. “You take the smoker that everyone is so familiar with, and you smoke the hive, and you remove the top boxes, and you put these trays in a centrifuge and you spin the honey out from the hive. It basically just pours out, and you put it in the bottle to enjoy,” Dr. Noah says. “Last year, we got about 600 pounds of honey.”

The DeKoyer family extracts honey from their beehives twice per year. Dr. Noah holds up two bottles that show off the difference between each harvest. “Typically, in the summer, it’s a much lighter honey, and in the fall, it’s a much darker honey because of the different flowers,” Dr. Noah explains.

“If anyone wants to find out more about our honey, they can come into the office and try it,” Dr. Noah says. The Wellness Group of Bayonne recently relocated. “We practiced together on 734 Broadway for 15-plus years, and we just moved to 120 Lefante Way at the end of August 2021,” Dr. Noah says. “It’s been great. We’re in the Stop & Shop parking lot with HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx and Otaiko right next to us. People can come in and get adjusted or get whatever services they’re doing and then go food shopping with unlimited parking. 734 was a great home to us for many, many years, but there was no parking, which is a little stressful. Now we have the parking and a beautiful walk along the river by the golf course. It’s great.”

Practicing Wellness

Dr. Noah shares his practice with chiropractors Dr. Charles P. Gonzales, Dr. Maris Stella Fraga and Dr. Michael Acanfora. They also offer physical therapy with Dr. Kamakshi and acupuncture with licensed acupuncturists Teresa Knott and Cathey Baier. The office hosts events similar to An Evening With The Bee Keepers frequently. They feature health and wellness topics. Check fccofbayonne. com or call 201-858-0444 for details. Dr. Noah was inspired to begin a career as a chiropractor as a child. “When I was a kid, I was very familiar with that pink bubblegum-tasting amoxicillin. I had strep throat and ear infections constantly,” Dr. Noah says, adding that a friend of his mother’s suggested that they try a visit to her chiropractor. “I remember walking down that hallway and getting that adjustment and hopping off the table and saying, ‘Wow, mom, that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.’ I was, like, 10 years old. After that first adjustment, I never got another earache or strep throat ever again.” Dr. Noah continues, “People still think it’s about car accidents and low back, and we do take care of people with low back pain every single day, but what it really is about is maximizing the way your body works and maximizing the way your nervous system works.”—BLP

18 • BLP ~ SPRING | SUMMER 2022