If you are suffering from any joint, spinal, neurological or musculoskeletal ailments, bee venom therapy just might be the alternative medicine you are looking for to alleviate your pain. Bee venom therapy, in short, is a therapeutic treatment in the apitherapy family in which a honey bee is allowed to sting you, releasing its “poison” into your body. It is not for people who are highly allergic to bee stings; however, those with bee venom sensitivity can try it under the supervision of a medical professional in the event of an adverse, potentially life-threatening reaction.
How It Works
The primary ingredient in bee venom is a strong anti-inflammatory substance called melittin. To give you an idea, hydrocortisone is often prescribed for all types of joint and musculoskeletal pain and this melittin is up to 100 times stronger than a prescription dose of it. Melittin stimulates the adrenal glands of the body which in turn prompts the body to trigger a naturally healing reaction to the bee sting.
Another component in bee venom is called adolapin which has pain-killing characteristics and also acts as a natural neurotransmitter. Apamin is another ingredient in the bee venom cocktail which also acts as a neurotransmitter and helps with the increase of motor activity. Combined with the melittin, these main ingredients in bee venom have the to power to improve your coordination and mobility in addition to your vision and even your sensitivity to touch. A decrease in pain is a natural side effect and energy levels are known to improve along with mood.
Feeling the Sting
You can perform bee venom therapy virtually anywhere on your body with the exception of the inside of your ears and your eyes. Where you get stung depends on your health condition and location of pain. Typically, you would start with just a few stings a day but your health condition could be severe enough to warrant 50 or more stings on any given day, several times a week.
While the sting may be felt for just a minute or two, you may experience a hot, itchy sensation at the sting site for several hours, depending on your body’s sensitivity to the venom. A cool compress can help alleviate the sensation. For safety sake, many medical professionals say that you should be prepared with an Epi-pen which delivers a shot of epinephrine, basically adrenaline to counteract potential anaphylactic shock.
There are apitherapists that are trained to specifically handle honey bees and deliver the stings. However, beekeepers can be trained in this practice as can you. Some people, upon finding that bee venom therapy is successful at alleviating the side effects of their health condition, will raise honey bees themselves so there is always a steady supply on hand for this stinging treatment.
Because bee venom therapy is still not quite the mainstream, it is important that you seek the advice of your doctor before starting it. You should make sure that you will not adversely react to the therapy and prepare some safeguards, such as the Epi-pen, in case you develop a severe reaction. If this treatment is right for you, you can expect better circulation, a decrease in inflammation and a boost to your immune system.
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April 18th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I believe in bee therapy,I been getting 1 to 2 days a week since october,I feel better then I have in years.