Monday, December 20, 2010

Bee Venom Therapy Used in India to Treat Arthritis, Asthma, Infertility, MS

Bee Venom Therapy (Apitherapy) at NER Agri-Expo
By Susan Waten, Morung Express, 12/18/2010

The most unusual stall at the Nagaland Honey & Bee Mission (NHBM) pavilion at the NER Agri Expo is the bee venom therapy or apitherapy stall. The NHBM discovered a group of people in Terogvunyu village, in Tseminyu block, Kohima, who were not only active bee keepers but also apitherapists. This very group has been invited to set up a stall and administer free treatment to visitors willing to avail themselves of the services.

Apitherapy or bee venom therapy is the use of products of the common honeybee for therapeutic purposes which involve the medicinal use of bee sting venom which reduces inflammation and boosts the body’s immune system. Bee venom is a complex composition of enzymes, proteins and amino acids. It is a colorless clear liquid with a sweet taste and is a little bitter. Bee venom is applied to specific points on the surface of the body. After its sting, the bee immediately dies.

Patients are tested for sensitivity which involves a minute dose of the venom on the skin portion between the thumb and index finger. Within 20 minutes, if allergic reaction happens, spirit is applied as an antidote. With every sting, a patient feels a pin-prick pressure on the skin portion it is administered on. These bee stings are effective against a wide range of ailments such as arthritis, jaundice, goiter, infertility, gastritis, kidney problems, asthma, sinus, cough, eye allergy, toothache, corm, reptile bites, blood clots, lesions and even multiple sclerosis and cancer.

For common ailments like toothache and eye infection, bee acupuncture is done in the gum and on the periphery of the eye. For stomach pain it is done at the nape. Diabetes treatment takes about 8 months of rigorous acupuncture sessions while skin diseases such as ringworms takes 40 to 50 stings at a time. The number of bee stings depends on the severity of the disease. Normally children below 8 years and old people are not treated…

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