One of the most familiar - and beloved - insects is the humble honeybee. These busy little critters live in complicated hives with intense social structures, where they buzz around contentedly as they make honey for us to enjoy spreading on bread-and-butter sandwiches and on top of warm toast. Now there's another purported use for that golden food of the (bee) gods: pain relief.
Apitherapy, coming from the Latin word for bee, focuses on the medical use of various bee products to cure a myriad of health problems, raising from fibromyalgia to multiple sclerosis and even sexual dysfunction. It is also widely thought to help alleviate symptoms related to arthritis, as bee venom in particular is used as an anti-inflammatory.
In fact, BVT, or bee venom therapy, which has been used in China for centuries, is now becoming increasingly popular as a controversial form of pain relief in the United States - providing you don't have an allergy to bees. That's because it's though to promote cortisol production in the body through a protein called melitten. Cortisol, released naturally by our adrenal glands, is a natural inflammatory which reduces both inflammation and pain.
At the present time there have been no clinical trials carried out in humans to see if BVT actually works, although there have been limited positive results with rats in trials related to rheumatoid arthritis (imagine a big a honeybee must appear to a rodent!). However, there is some anecdotal evidence - especially among patients with multiple sclerosis - to support its efficacy.
The US medical establishment, however, largely considers BVT to be nothing more than quackery - and many alternative practitioners do as well. "BVT, apart from simple anecdotal evidence, has no research to support its use in osteoarthritis either, especially given the wide variety of clinically proven traditional Western and alternative therapies available," says the Alternative Therapies for Osteoarthritis website.
"Given the serious risks of anaphylaxis, including death, BVT should be avoided." It recommends that people who avoid its advice should have a bee-sting kit and EpiPen (epinephrine auto-injector) close to hand if they try this therapy.
How It Works
BVT is administered in a rather straightforward fashion: the patient gets bee venom injected directly into his or her body by either using a needle, inserting the bee's stinger into their flesh, or letting a live bee sting them. A licensed doctor must administer the injections, but anyone - ranging from a bee venom therapist to your Great Uncle Freddie - can carry out the other treatments.
Usually, the patient receives anywhere from two to five stings each session, although for certain conditions people receive 20 stings at one time or more. The bees will usually be contained in a special jar, box or hive, and will be placed directly on the area that needs to be treated.
Alternatively, you can buy a box of bees yourself from an apitherapist, or bee farmer, and let them sting you. All you need is a pair of special tweezers and the guts to place a bee on your flesh and let it do its duty. Apitherapists compare this type of DIY apitherapy as being akin to diabetics administering their own insulin shots: the more you do it, the better you get at it. It is recommended to wait from three to five minutes before removing the stinger.
Other Apitherapy Products
Many other bee products are readily available, which are used for a variety of medicinal purposes. As always, it is important to check for allergies before trying any of them. People who are allergic to bees, suffer from asthma or have a compromised immune system should avoid bee products altogether...
Honey. Manuka honey in particular is thought to have many health benefits. Claims to help everything from healing leg and stomach ulcers to staving off infections. Gets its name as it is made by bees who feed uniquely off the flowers of the manuka plant. Interestingly, a similar honey is made by honeybees in Australia who feed off the jellybush plant.
Propolis. This is a tree resin which those clever bees make to seal up their hives, together with beeswax. In humans, it's not used to seal anything up - it's used because of its antibiotic properties (the propolis also helps keep infection from invading the hive). It can purportedly help shorten the duration of a cold and boost the immune system in general - and even stave off gum disease and dental cavities!
Beeswax. Glands on the underbelly of worker bees make this wax, used to build their honeycomb. Is used today to make candles and - surprisingly - as a skin softener, dating back to Roman times.
Royal Jelly. Ever wonder how this got its name? Well, probably because it's fit for royalty. Although this gelatinous substance is secreted from the glands of worker bees, it's then fed to the bee larvae. Those that thrive and have the possibility of becoming the Queen continue to get it - thus the conclusion that the jelly has magical qualities. If you ingest it, you'll also have some purported royal health benefits - Queen bees are bigger, live longer and are even more fertile than those boring old drones. So there!
Bee Pollen. High in protein and certain vitamins and minerals which are not found in our everyday diets, bee pollen is said to help improve memory, stamina, athletic and sexual performance and concentration. No scientific evidence can back this up, however. What cannot be disputed is that bee pollen can be expensive and cause contact dermatitis.
Safety First
Even if you have tested negative for allergies, you should always have a bee-sting allergy kit and EpiPen on hand before beginning any bee venom treatment. You should also have the people who will be administering the treatment tested as well, in case a rogue bee gets to work on someone other than the patient. In rare cases bee venom can cause a person to go into anaphylactic shock, which can cause respiratory problems and even death.
Even some people with no bee allergy should avoid any type of BVT whatsoever, such as pregnant women, people with tuberculosis or other infections, diabetics and those with heart conditions. Before beginning BVT, you should always check with your primary health care provider, and be allergy-tested as well. Only use a qualified practitioner, and investigate other options first. Remember, once stung, twice shy...
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