Bee Venom Therapy

Bee venom has a long tradition as a folk remedy for arthritis and other degenerative diseases. As in the case of many natural folk treatments used for millennia throughout the world, bee venom contains active compounds that have therapeutic properties. Just as myriad plants have given humankind some of our most valuable pharmaceutical drugs, many of the bioactive ingredients in bee venom are a treasured, but little known, part of Nature’s pharmacy active compounds that have therapeutic properties. Just as myriad plants have given humankind some of our most valuable pharmaceutical drugs, many of the bioactive ingredients in bee venom are a treasured, but little known, part of Nature’s pharmacy.

Bee venom is administered by properly trained therapists in the form of a direct bee sting or a variant of it, or else by injection of a Venom extract.. In several studies, including research conducted by Andrew Kochan MD, bee venom therapy was successful in treating diseases which conventional pharmaceuticals can only partly help. Bee venom has potent analgesic and immuno-modulatory properties that help reduce inflammation and promote healing. It also contains several anti-inflammatory compounds including melittin and adolapin.

Medical researchers in Russia reported that bee venom helped restore the normal function of the endocrine system in human patients. Other studies reveal that melittin stimulates the endocrine system to produce cortisol, the body’s own cortisone-like, anti-inflammatory substance. Melittin is a peptide that appears to be more powerful than hydrocortisone in decreasing inflammation. It is free of the serious side effects linked with hydrocortisone. A November 2004 article published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism explores the mechanism of this anti-inflammatory property of Melittin. The growing list of therapeutic benefits and overall safety profile of bee venom therapy have made it one of the most remarkable complementary treatments currently available for relieving intractable pain.

Preliminary case studies suggest that bee venom may improve symptoms of:

    * Rheumatoid Arthitis
    * Gout
    * Osteoarthritis
    * Bursitis
    * Tendonitis
    * Post herpetic neuralgia
    * Painful or keloid scars
    * Multiple Sclerosis
    * Fibromyalgia
    * Chronic fatigue syndrome

How Is Bee Venom Therapy Administered?

Bee venom therapy is the most specialized form of apitherapy and requires the expertise of a skillfully trained practitioner. A course of treatment always starts with testing the patient for allergy. This provides precious information about the patient’s general relation to bee venom. Allergies are quite rare and occur in only one out of every 100 people in the general population. Bee venom treatments are given twice a week on average, and patients usually report some improvement within two to three treatments. Different protocols have been developed for specific different conditions; these protocols are then tailored to the specific patient. Often patients who receive bee venom therapy are also given a personalized nutrition plan designed to help support their immune system.

(from material provided by Andrew Kochan, MD, 6-08)