Bee Venom Therapy

Dr. Joanne R. Miranda

Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) is an ancient therapy that works well in a variety of medical conditions.

Bee Venom Therapy

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. T his 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 antidepressive 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.

BEE VENOM THERAPY

Bee venom therapy is the part of apitherapy which utilizes bee venom in the treatment of health conditions. Apitherapy is the use of beehive products, including honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom. It has been used since ancient times to treat arthritis, rheumatism, back pain, skin diseases and in this modern age as an alternative therapy to treat multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

 Bee venom comes from the stingers of honey bees who use it in defense of the bee colony. Bee venom is a rich source of enzymes, peptides and biogenic amines. There are at least 18 active components in the venom which have some pharmaceutical properties. The effect mechanism of the venom is not entirely know yet. Scientists believe it can modify the way the immune system functions in the body and contribute to increased cortisol production.

 Traditionally, bee venom was administered with live bees by stimulating them to sting in the affected area, trigger points or acupuncture points. Depending on the nature of the disease, the standardized venom can be used in a cream, liniment, ointment or injection form. Bee venom is most effective when it comes directly from the live bee during the late spring to early fall season when bees have a good pollen source to produce potent venom. Their venom during the winter period is less potent. Next to the effect of a live bee, injectable venom solution is considered to be a standard method to administer bee venom.

 Venom solution is prepared from pure bee venom (Apis Venenum Purum) and is a homeopathic preparation. It is administered intradermally just between the skin layers or subcutaneously under the skin to imitate the effect of a bee sting. Each injection is equivalent to or is less than the average dry venom sac content of a honey bee. Bee venom is also used topically in creams, liniments and ointments. The application of venom solution with electrophoresis or ultrasonophoresis is practiced in Europe and China.

 Bee venom therapy is practiced by health practitioners and lay apitherapists. There are treatment protocols available to follow. In general, the therapy starts with the determination of whether the patient is allergic to the venom by administering a small amount of venom intradermally. If no allergic reaction develops within a certain time, the therapy is continued with the administration of one to two bee stings or injections. The therapy is carried out every other day (three times a week) by gradually increasing the number of bee stings or injections. The length of the therapy is determined by the nature and severity of the condition.

 There is discomfort associated with the administration of bee venom including pain, itching, swelling, inflammation and redness. Symptoms like redness, swelling and itching are desired effects of the therapy showing the response of the patient to the venom. The more severe the reaction, but not anaphylaxis, the faster the recovery. Anaphylactic reactions which can be life threatening are also reported from bee venom, but they are rare.

 The literature of bee venom therapy is very extensive and lists over 2,000 titles. There are basic guidelines of the therapy which need to be followed. The education on the part of the patient and the therapist is critical and the obtained result is proportional to the knowledge and experience of the administrator of the venom. Bee venom therapy is an alternative form of healing. In the hands of a licensed practitioner, it is considered to be safe and can be used when the patient does not respond to conventional treatment methods.

What is Bee Venom?

Bee venom is a complex composition of enzymes, proteins and amino acids. It is a colourless clear liquid, with a sweet taste and a little bitter. It is soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol and ammonium sulphate. If is comes in contact with air, it forms, opaque or grayish-white crystals.

What does Bee Venom contain?

Bee venom is hemorrhagic, differing from snake (viper) venom, which is a coagulant. As well as containing: apamine, melittin, phospholipase, hyaluronidase, which have the opposing action of inhibiting the nervous system, and stimulating the heart and the adrenal glands; the venom also contains the mineral substances, volatile organic acids, formic acid, hydrochloric acid, ortho-phosphoric acid. Also present are some antibiotics, an enzyme phospholipase A, as well as two amino acids rich in sulphur methionine and cystine. Sulphur is the main element in inducing the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands, and in protecting the body against infections.

How does it work?

Bee venom therapists apply bee venom to specific points on the surface of the body. Patients are tested for sensitivity before the first treatment, which involves an injection of a minute dose of the venom. What type of conditions is Bee venom used to treat? Bee venom simulates the release of cortisone (cortisol) and is therefore effective in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, especially arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). It can be applied directly or by intramuscular injections. Other treatments, such as electrotherapy, hormone therapy, can help to eliminate periarticular deformations, improve joint movement and raise the general state of the organism. Two products developed in Bucharest, an ointment - Apireven - and a liniment both have been used successfully in several cases of rheumatoid polyarthritis. The results have shown an important reduction in muscular pain, sciatic pain, nerve pain, neuromialgias and intercostal and bronchial nerve pain.

Research and methods of using Bee venom

Several patients suffering from phlebitis and thrombophlebitis noticed an increase in their skin temperature with a change in the blood circulation. However, good results were shown in all the sciatic nerve cases, and those with nerve and articular pains. In chronic inflammatory nerve affections the results were also very good, with ceasing of pains and a partial recuperation of movement. When combined with an oral therapy, such as vitamin therapy, good analgesic effects were obtained in cortisone-dependent patients suffering from rheumatoid polyarthritis. The bee venom is applied for 4 5 days, followed by a 2 - 3 day break. Treatment is then re-commenced again. Using this method no adverse effects were reported. Applying the venom topically provided a long-lasting effect and offers significant benefits in arthritic and rheumatic conditions.