Saturday, October 04, 2008

Bee Venom Therapy Recommended for Arthritis

Can a Honeybee Bite and Cure?
Dr A Nagarathna, Deccan Herald, 10/3/2008

Bee venom was first linked to arthritis as a possible treatment as the result of a chance observation. Beekeepers noticed that their aches and pains and creaky joints seemed to improve after having been stung by bees repeatedly…

Bee venom is a complex mixture of proteins (enzymes and peptides) with unique pharmacological activities. Enzymes are proteins that catalyze the chemical reaction in living systems. The main enzymes in bee venom are hyaluronidase and phospholopase. Hyaluronidase breaks down hyaluronic acid and the intestinal fluid that holds cells together allowing the venom to spread faster among cells. Peptides are proteins that possess specific biological activities. There are three major peptides in bee venom like melittin, apaonin peptide 401 which stimulates the body's adrenal and pituitary gland to produce cortisol which is a natural steroid which doesn't cause medical complications like the induced steroid. Bee venom is a powerful anti inflammatory agent more effective than cortisone when administered in small doses.

Traditional therapy involves the application of bee stings on the affected area of the patient over a period of time. Gradually the frequency and number of stings are increased until desensitization is achieved.

A single dose of bee venom administered subcutaneously was found to effectively suppress the development of arthritis. Bee venom administered to rats and dogs three times per week beginning for two weeks showed swelling lesions and inflammation noticeably decreased in rats treated with venom…

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I suffer from severe tendonitis in my left elbow and wrist, I have virtually no movement in my wrist, the other day I put on a clean shirt that had been hung out to dry, and started feeling a biting sensation, I pulled off my shirt to find a wasp( we live near an orange grove), shortly later I found that I had an amazing amount of increased movement and less pain in my wrist, I then started to research this and am glad I did.