Bee venom has been getting major buzz in the beauty world for treating arthritis, killing the HIV Virus, sclerosis and certain other conditions. Bee venom is made by bees. This is the poison that makes bee stings painful. Bee venom is also used to make medicine. Don’t confuse bee venom with bee pollen, honey, or royal jelly. Other venoms are derived from related members of the insect order Hymenoptera.
History
According to Christopher Kim, medical director of the Monmouth Pain Institute in Red Bank, N.J., bee venom therapy has been around for thousands of years. Reference to the treatment can be found in ancient Egypt and Greek medical writings. Also known as apitherapy, the technique is more widely used in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America.
Hippocrates used bee venom to treat joint pain and arthritis. In more modern times, interest in the effects of bee venom was renewed in 1888 with the publication of a clinical study conducted in Europe on its effect on rheumatism. Since then, interest in bee venom treatment has ebbed and flowed.
Benefits Claimed
With the increasing advent and acceptance of natural medicines, interest in the therapeutic value of bee venom has grown. However, there is conflicting evidence that bee venom is a useful therapy.
There are numerous conditions that bee venom has been used for:
- rheumatoid arthritis
- nerve pain (neuralgia)
- multiple sclerosis (MS)
- HIV
- reducing the reaction to bee stings in people who are allergic (desensitization) to them (venom immunotherapy)
- swollen tendons (tendonitis)
- muscle conditions such as fibromyositis and enthesitis.
Although bee venom therapy is largely an unproven technique, about 50 U.S. physicians report good results using the substance to treat not only pain, but arthritic conditions, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other health woes. Other practitioners treat high blood pressure, asthma, hearing loss, and even premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with bee venom.
Bee Venom Therapy
To obtain bee venom, the bee venom is first extracted, then it’s processed. The processed venom can then be targeted to specific locations on the body, depending on the disease.
There is no standardized practice for the administration of bee venom. Some purport that the location of the sting is important, with the sting acting as a sort of acupuncture in combination with the effects of the venom. Others report the location is not important. The number of stings and the location of sting also varies widely from just a few to hundreds, and they may be administered either by live bees or by injection. This treatment can cause pain, and even result in death if the subject has an allergy to bee venom, which can cause anaphylactic shock.
How Does Bee Venom Work?
Giving repeated and controlled injections of bee venom under the skin causes the immune system to get used to bee venom, and helps reduce the severity of an allergy to bee venom
“Most the 40 ingredients in bee venom have been identified,” says Cohen. “Mellitin, an anti-inflammatory agent found in the venom, is one hundred times stronger than cortisone.”
Bee venom also contains a substance known as adolapin, which is both anti-inflammatory and pain-blocking. Practitioners believe all the ingredients in bee venom work together to cause the body to release more natural healing compounds in its own defense. Bee venom is also said to increase blood circulation and reduce swelling.
What Could Bee Venom Do For You?
For Venom Immunotheapy-
Therapy includes hyposensitizing individuals who are highly sensitive to bee stings to reduce the severity of allergic reactions. A series of bee venom shots under the skin (bee venom immunotherapy) seems to be effective for reducing reactions to bee stings in people with a severe allergy to bee stings. Bee venom immunotherapy provides 98% to 99% protection from reactions to bee stings. Purified bee venom for under-the-skin injection is an FDA approved product.
For Arthritis
It has been speculated that honeybee venom may prevent the development of or improve the status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This conclusion is based largely on anecdotal observations of a general lack of arthritis among beekeepers stung routinely during their lifetimes. In one survey of a random sampling of the general population, 83% of respondents believed that bee venom could be an effective treatment for arthritis based on information they had read in the lay press.
For Skin –
- Smooth and plump the skin by increasing blood circulation.
- Increase the movement of nutrients between levels of the skin.
- Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Improve skin texture and vitality.
Read about the Superfoods for your skin and hair here.
Multiple Sclerosis
Administering live bee stings in gradually increasing doses up to 20 stings given three times weekly does not seem to improve multiples sclerosis. Treatment for 24 weeks does not seem to improve fatigue, disability, or quality of life.
Read about salmon recipes that one can lower the risk of Multiple Sclerosis.
Bee Venom Kill HIV Virus
Nano
particles containing the bee venom toxin melittin can destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), while at the same time leaving surrounding cells unharmed, scientists from Washington University School of Medicine reported in the March 2013 issue of Antiviral Therapy. Researchers say they hope the nanoparticle technology could be incorporated into a vaginal gel to prevent the spread of HIV in areas with high rates of infection.
Also, read about how Colloidal Silver can help in killing HIV virus.
Bee Venom Dosage
There is no recent clinical evidence to guide dosage of bee venom.
Pregnancy/Lactation
Documented adverse reactions exist. Avoid use.
Caution Needed
Apitherapy patients must first be tested because one to five percent of the population is allergic to bee venom. Moreover, the practitioner should have close at hand a bee sting kit which can immediately reverse allergic reactions.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apitherapy
http://www.bee-hexagon.net/files/file/fileE/Health/VenomBookReview.pdf
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