Apitherapy Expert to Speak in Maine

Maine Apitherapist to Tout Benefits of Honey in Cape Elizabeth
By Tess Nacelewicz, Current, 1/6/2010

Most people use honey to sweeten a cup of tea or as a treat on a buttered biscuit. They may not be aware that honey also is used for health reasons - such as being spread on burns or wounds to facilitate healing.

However, anyone who wants to learn about the health benefits of honey and other products from honeybees will be able to do so this month in Cape Elizabeth. On Jan. 14, an internationally known apitherapist will give a talk about how honey, pollen and even bee stings can be used for health care.

Dr. Theodore Cherbuliez, vice president of the American Apitherapy Society and a Freeport resident, will speak at 7 p.m. at the Cape Elizabeth Community Services building.

The event is sponsored by the Cape Farm Alliance, a group dedicated to preserving agriculture in Cape Elizabeth.

Liz Hunter, the farm alliance member who invited Cherbuliez, said getting him to speak in Cape Elizabeth "is a big coup."

Cherbuliez travels and lectures worldwide on apitherapy so he is often not available, said Hunter, who knows him because her son is married to one of his daughters.

Cherbuliez, who has a medical degree and is a practicing psychiatrist as well as an apitherapist, said he plans to talk about the main bee products used in apitherapy "for the maintenance of health and when illness and accidents interrupt health."

He said the products include honey, pollen, propolis, and bee venom, and can be used to treat conditions ranging from allergies to arthritis to various types of cancer…