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Overview of
Bee Venom Therapy
By Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD
Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) is an ancient therapy that
works well in a variety of medical conditions. With this
therapy, bee venom in bee-sized doses is put into acupuncture sites
or other critical spots in the skin. The resulting sting works
wonders with arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fractures, sciatica, and
many other conditions.
Now why would a naturopathic doctor use this odd
therapy? Simply because it is safe, effective, and less
expensive than other therapies for these problems. One
obstacle is fear of the pain from a sting, but when people realize
the benefits gained in pain relief, the sting becomes unimportant.
The venom is a natural substance that stresses one
small area of the body's immune system. This can train it to
come back stronger. Bodybuilders use this process with their
weights, food, and rest. Allergic reactions are very rare and
avoidable. Body responses to this bee sting are like a
chemical concert. These responses improve with practice, like
any physical skill. Handling a little stress and coming back
stronger is central to increasing the health of any living system
and its ability to adapt.
A patient with an advanced case of multiple
sclerosis is being treated with BVT. This woman has
experienced a progressive loss of motor nerve control over her lower
legs for the past 15 years and chronic severe pain in her knees and
feet. She is in braces from the knees down and needs crutches
to walk. Within three weeks of therapy, twice weekly, she has
built up to eight stings per session. At this point she
describes a major decrease in her knee pain, increase in her leg
strength, and better circulation in her feet. This patient
also describes a mood uplift or anti-depressive effect after her BVT
sessions which lasts for several days.
With patience, good nutrition and physical therapy,
it is anticipated that this woman will be able to walk without the
crutches within six to eight weeks. She has had joint damage
from her disease process and there is insufficient experience yet to
verify reports that this can be reversed. To simply have
reduced her pain levels and increased her coordination and strength
has been impressive.
Using bee stings for therapy is reported in ancient
Chinese medicine. Many ancient civilizations celebrated bees
as symbols of industry and fertility. Our recent traditions
note it from 18th-century Germany and Eastern European countries,
where beekeepers found that accidental stings cleared up arthritis
and other maladies. A Hungarian doctor, Bodog Beck, pioneered
this therapy in the 1930s. Then, a young company, Heinrich
Mack, Nachf., decided to test his system by grinding up whole bees,
injecting the matter into the muscle and keeping good records of how
uncomfortable it made people. That didn't work so well, oddly
enough, and the whole therapy has been discredited in conventional
medicine until very recently.
In current media reports, conventional medicine and
pharmacy interests have complained of more interest in BVT than
their latest drug for multiple sclerosis. Typical charges are
that scientific data is lacking, and in paternalistic tones they
present this therapy as yet another act of confusion or quaint
desperation.
The venom-triggered repair process works on many
diseases. Any condition with a component of degeneration and
loss of muscle or nerve function may respond well. Especially
with autoimmunity, where normal immune defense is directed against
one's own tissue, the BVT is unique in its effectiveness.
In medicine there are no guarantees. This
therapy helps many people who have not found relief elsewhere.
It is safe, natural, inexpensive and often has better results than
drugs. If you or a loved one has adjusted to chronic pain, you
know how disabling it can be.
If you are looking for this kind of result and like
to test things out, consider this therapy. But remember that
the location of stings, their number, and the recovery interval are
important variables. Don't let the hive arrange your diagnosis
and treatment -- see an experienced Naturopathic Physician instead.
Consider joining the Apitherapy Society and getting their
suggestions.
It would be nice if the so-called journalists on the
entertainment/news would donate a fraction of their advertising
income to fund some real research at our naturopathic colleges.
They would soon note how natural medicine research projects are
stonewalled when results are unable to be patented. Economic
factors and political concerns affect all of us in medicine, but the
simple fact is that BVT works very well in tough cases.
Continued scientific attention to bee venom would be welcomed by all
of us, but such validation already is extensive worldwide,
particularly in the scientific literature of Europe and Russia.
Bee Venom Therapy in the U.S. has been championed by
Charles Mraz of Vermont. He is a beekeeper now in his 90s who got
his start when he was 14 years old. Well-published and the
subject of national media attention, he is the former director of
the American Apitherapy Society. The AAS is involved in many projects supporting bee
products in health care, including a nationwide research study on
Bee Venom Therapy.
The AAS offers two courses on Apitherapy each year--one in
February that is usually on the West coast, and a July course that
is usually on the East coast.
American Apitherapy Society
5535 Balboa Blvd., Suite 225
Encino, CA 91316
Phone: 818.501.0446
Fax: 818.995.9334
Email: info@apitherapy.org
Web: www.apitherapy.org
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