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apitherapy anyone?

85K views 95 replies 53 participants last post by  Gypsi 
#1 ·
I've hardly seen any discussion on apitherapy on this board. Why is that do you suppose? I'd be willing to create a separate forum for it but not sure anything would happen. Are there lurkers out there that would enter into discussion should this new forum happen? Anyone with firsthand experience with apitherapy?

- Barry

[ January 23, 2007, 10:07 PM: Message edited by: Barry ]
 
#27 ·
How does a novice handle bees? Answer... Use a wide mouth jar. Find bees visiting flowers. Quickly put jar over bee and flower. Bee will fly up against glass trying to escape. Do not invert jar, put lid on. The bee will continue to try to escape toward the sun. Several bees can be caught in the same jar without others escaping. Put bees in refrigerator and cool down till dormance sets in. Dump bees on counter and grasp them by wings, they will come to life from your body heat. Now you have a bee properly positioned to sting where you want. Cool area to be stung with ice. It lessens pain. P.S. Who can catch the most bees in 10 minutes makes a great game at a beekeeper picknic.
 
#28 ·
Liability in this day and age is a factor in everything we do, from administering stings to serving a too hot cup of coffee. ( Remember Mc Donalds? ) Heck, Starbucks was sued when some schlep pinched his unit when he sat down on a toilet seat.
I've administered stings quite often to family and friends, always with positive results, but I would strongly suggest the person taking an allergy test first, having an epipen and transportation close by, and having about 2 million in liability insurance.
Better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

J.R.
 
#29 ·
I have been having on and off rotator cuff problems in my shoulder ever since I strained it hang gliding a couple years ago. I did not have trouble with it last summer when I was getting stung working my bees. Now it is back however I can't quite work myself up to getting myself stung on purpose. It will be interesting to see if I get relief from the roator cuff pain when if I get stung working the bees this spring.
 
#30 ·
I resorted to bee stings a few years ago for pain in my neck, shoulder and right arm that was a result of degenerative disc disease. I read a book by Amber Rose "How Well Are You Willing To Bee," and my husband would pick the bees off of the landing board of a hive and give me stings right in our back yard. I know the neighbors thought they were witnessing spousal abuse.

I started out with a test sting and then got five more that day. I increased my stings by two each time, getting stung every other day. When I got up to about 16 stings I just kept them at 16 every other day. It took about six months, but the pain went away and stayed away for several years.

About three weeks ago, I started having pain in my right upper arm and forearm. It was a more intense pain than before. I already had some heavy duty pain killers for a ruptured disc in my back, but they had no effect on this arm pain. I went to the Spring NC State Beekeepers Meeting May 2 and 3, and sat in on an Apitherapy class. I got a test sting by the Apitherapist (Frederique Keller) and had planned on being treated during the class. Unfortunately I was the next to the last person in line and they ran out of time about four people ahead of me.

My husband and I stopped Frederique between sessions and she marked my neck, shoulder and arm in eight places with a red felt tipped pen and told my husband to sting those places. When we got home from the conference he followed her directions and I was immediately pain free. It was so miraculous to me. It has been short lived relief - by the next couple of days the pain is back. I am continuing to get stings in the same places every other day and this gets me through the next 48 or so hours. I am hoping that soon I will be able to spread out the length of time between stings.

Incidently, I am a nurse. The doctors and nurses that I used to work with thought that had gone completely nuts when I told them about the apitherapy I was using a few years ago. I'm not nursing anymore, but I'm sure their reaction would probably be the same. The thing is that I haven't needed any pain medication for my arm or my back for three days now. I had spent the previous three weeks taking it every four hours and still in pain. So, who is the crazy one? Not me.

I can't remember if I learned this from Amber Rose's book or Pat Wagner's (I have both of them) but if you keep twenty or so bees in a wide mouth plastic jar with holes in the sides and lid, you can spray the bees with water before you open the jar. This makes them much easier to catch with forceps or long tweezers. One advantage of this over just grabbing them off of the landing board is that you can grab them by the head. When my husband would grab them off of the landing board if he got them by the abdomen they tended to poo when they stung me. I guess he literally squeezed the **** out of them.

I am considering going to The Charles Miraz Course and International Conference in Raleigh, NC in April. Its so expensive, though. If they really want to get the word out and promote apitherapy they should consider reducing the cost: $225.00. I'll see how the funds are looking before I make a definite decision. Anyone else planning to go?
 
#32 ·
I would like to see an apiatherapy forum.

I have noticed that when on the rare occasion I get stung, any pain from some injuries I sustained years ago lessens. Now having said that, the sites that I have been stung at tend to itch like crazy for four or five days. If I get stung on the face though, I don't swell or itch. On my hands it swells and hurts a little for a while and then gets itchy. On my legs, forget about it! It gets hot to the touch and itchy enough to drive me half mad.

I vote to give the forum a go, share links and suggestions, and make sure there is a heading that releases BeeSource from any liability.

Albert
 
#33 ·
apitherapy

We just had our NC spring meeting and Dr.Theo Cherbuliez had a workshop on apitherapy. I volunteered to have my left foot stung for diabetic neuropathy. He said that anyone treated should first be advised of the risk, then be tested for allergy by stinging on the back of the right wrist. He also said NEVER administer a sting without having an epipen available. We had about 25 volunteers who were treated, no problems. My neuropathy is better today(stung Saturday) and I was advised to administer my own stings to the prescribed nerve points. I'm waiting until I can build a little bee box to collect my apitherapy bees in.

There will be a 3-day workshop in Raleigh in April. get details on the AAS website:

http://www.apitherapy.org/news.html

I'm all for "aternative" medicine. I'm trying to convince my wife that beesting therapy will help her current chronic cough. She's not convinced that bee stings are something she will voluntarily endure.
 
#34 ·
I was at Dr.Theo Cherbuliez's and Frederique Keller's workshop, too! Were you in the first class? If so, I was sitting just to your left. (I remember seeing a man with his shoe and sock off.) Are you going to the AAS course and conference in Raleigh?

If your wife is opposed to stings, she may want to try propolis for her cough. You can make a preparation with 140 proof or higher alcohol. I bought a book at EAS in Georgia from Ann Harmon last summer that has instructions.

I haven't made any yet but I did buy some 190 proof Everclear yesterday. It started a nostalgic conversation at the ABC store among the employees about high school, the beach and making PJ in the bathtub there. I guess you had to be there...
Susan
 
#36 ·
apitherapy

I guess as long as the doctors and hospitals of the AMA and the drug manufacturers make so much money from pushing pills, they don't care about anything that is cheap and effective. After all,modern medicine is not about healing, it's about treating and getting insurance money. My wife has been treated for a chronic cough since August last year. Her GP and her Pulmonary Specialist were prescribing drugs and treatment that were in conflict with each other. They have diagnosed her ailment variously as allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis and now COPD. I gave her some honey and vinegar which works for me(I prefer bourbon and honey), and it didn't faze her cough. I'll try some propolis and Everclear.
 
#37 ·
Beegee- After posting this morning I was inspired to get out the book I had bought and start rendering propolis. My husband had some in the freezer. According to the book, you want a 1:4 concentration of propolis:alcohol by weight. Put the propolis in a glass jar, pour the alcohol over it then put it in a dark warm place. Every day for 7 to 12 days shake the jar. At the end of that time period filter it. (You can use muslin or a coffee filter.) Then place the jar in the refrigerator "for a day or so," then filter again and store in a dark glass bottle. I had a limited amount of propolis and didn't want to use it all on the first experiment, so I used 62.5 grams of propolis to 250 grams of Everclear. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it turns out.
Susan
 
#38 ·
Accupuncture points...

I wonder if accupuncture points and apitherapy points might be the same in many cases. If so there is a lot of references to accupuncture points on the web and elsewhere.

I still vote for a forum!

Albert
 
#40 ·
I wonder if accupuncture points and apitherapy points might be the same in many cases. If so there is a lot of references to accupuncture points on the web and elsewhere.
I think so.

See http://www.honeybeecentre.com/bvt.htm

By the way, my mom cured arthritis in her thumb with bee stings -- lots of them -- and it stayed away for years. She's eager for more bees to cure what ails her now. ;)
 
#39 ·
I would like a thread on this subject. Apitherapy is something that I would like to learn about. I've read that if you incorporate accupuncture along with BVT you get much better results. Drapers Super Bee in Millerton, PA does BVT, they may even help me learn more about it?
 
#42 ·
Thanks Susan!

I could see from a therapuetic standpoint how both approaches have validity. One to attack/heal the source directly and the other to assistand stimulate the body to do the same.

I already have enough on my plate to learn, but this is going to have to fit in. I didn't realize how helpful the stings have been until we communicated about it here. When I mentioned it to my wife, she confirmed that I hadn't complained about my hip for a couple of weeks after the last couple of stings.

I really hate to sacrifice any of my girls. But the greater good must prevail.

I'm STILL all for a seperate forum!

Albert
 
#43 ·
I am a little late to this thread but I'll post anyway. I get asked every now and then if I would provide bees for people. I do not support the practice or any beekeeper foolish enough to provide people with a very serious allergen. I have first hand experience with a law suet resaulting from an allergic reaction to a product. It was not bee related, but it was a family business that went bankrupt because of it.
 
#44 ·
I am a little late to this thread but I'll post anyway. I get asked every now and then if I would provide bees for people. I do not support the practice or any beekeeper foolish enough to provide people with a very serious allergen.
I can respect that, Bluegrass. We all have to do what we are comfortable with. But there are many "serious allergens." Peanuts, seafood, iodine, all medications.

Keep in mind that it is only a serious allergen if you are highly allergic to it. Your chances of having an anaphyactic reaction to a honeybee sting are lower than your chance of winning the lottery. Incidentally, I learned this fact from a doctor who spoke at a NC state beekeeper meeting.

Susan
 
#45 ·
I think the difference is that with these other allergens there are warnings on the lable. Bees don't come with lables. I personally feel that it is a high risk business practice for the beekeeper. If enough people get into this type of therapy then it is only a matter of time before somebody dies....and that type of news coverage is what we as beekeepers don't need. I will not provide bees and discorage anybody who asks from persuing this type of therapy. I think if it was effective and safe we would have bee venom for sale at the drug store. If I were considering selling bees for this I would be sure to have a disclaimer and know the select few customers I sell to very well.
 
#46 ·
You're absolutely right - these other things do come with labels. It wasn't always so, though. I agree that if you plan on selling bees for this purpose or if you plan to offer apitherapy that you should have a disclaimer form signed. And probably in most states you can be charged with practice medicine without a license if you charge for actually performing apitherapy on someone unless you are some type of licensed medical provider like a doctor or accupuncturist.

You actually can buy apitherapy products in some health food stores now. But the reason that you don't see them in mainstream drug stores has nothng to do with the effectiveness or safety of the therapy. It has to do with the effectiveness of pharmaceutical manufacturers at courting doctors and lobbying our US goverment. It would be a real stretch to call many of the drugs that make it to the market safe. The worst of them get pulled from the market, usually within the first year. A few not so quickly. Others remain on the market because they help one problem even though they cause other problems. What happens then? Your doctor puts you on another med or two, and so on, and so on.

No one is lobbying for bee sting therapy on the same scale as pharmaceutical companies for their cash cow. No one is pursuing doctors, PAs or Nurse Practitioners on behalf of apitherapists like the pharmaceutical reps do for the big drug companies. They have an enormous amount of money to spend to plead their cause. That's why everyone's meds cost so darned much! Rest assured that we have all been duly warned.:)
Susan
 
#47 ·
Apitherapy Anyone?

If this has not already been posted by others:

The American Apitherapy Society International Conference will be held in Raleigh, NC. April 26-29, 2007. To register or receive more information visit www.apitherapy.org or email aasoffice@apitherapy.org. 818-501-0446

Charles Mraz Apitherapy Course. Apitherapy training focuses on the therapeutic use of products of the beehive: honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom.

I attended the NC/SC Spring Beekeeping Conference. The conference had two Apitherapist administering bee venom Apitherapy to over 100 volunteers. I will post a photo, although I don't know how to at this time. This my first post.

:eek: Yikes!

Steve
 
#51 ·
If this has not already been posted by others:

The American Apitherapy Society International Conference will be held in Raleigh, NC. April 26-29, 2007...
...I attended the NC/SC Spring Beekeeping Conference. The conference had two Apitherapist administering bee venom Apitherapy to over 100 volunteers. I will post a photo, although I don't know how to at this time. This my first post.

:eek: Yikes!

Steve
Welcome, Steve! Some of us were at the meeting in Monroe, NC, that you speak of and got stings there. I would love to go to the classes in Raleigh, but they are so darned expensive that I don't know if I will be able to or not. I will continue my stings though, as long as they are helping my back, neck, shoulder and arm pain. If I go too many days without stings the pain returns. As long as I sting every two to three days, I have no pain and I can do things I have not been able to do in years. (lifting, carrying over 20 lbs, vacuuming)

Susan
 
#50 ·
I used to get migrains. So bad I lost time at work not to mention with the family and bees. At the sugestion of my father, I stung myself in the back of the neck during the middle of one episode. less than 5 minutes I was home free. Over a period of time my migranes have declined to being very rare. I rarely wear protection when I work my bees. If I dont get stung from time to time, i make it a point to sting myself. I dont know what it can or cant do as far as disease goes, but i figure it cant hurt.... (pun intended, sorry).

tom
 
#52 ·
Two years ago I was raving about being pain free because of the bee stings. I ended up in the emergancy room with the beginings a anaphalxis toward the end of that year and became a much more careful beekeeper. As a result I had an extremely bad year with my back. This spring I have a really nasty hive that I won't get rid of because I took 80% losses this winter. They hit me about 25 times about four days ago so I popped some benadryl and still got more pain and swelling than I normally get. Guess what? I am now walking normal and getting out of bed without having to inch myself up. I just need to find some way to ballance the risk with the benifit.
 
#53 ·
Sierra,

And I can't even goad my girls to sting me!

I'm having some difficuty getting the girls to commit Hari-Kiri lately. Ever since I took the gloves and viel off, I haven't been stung. Tommorrow is my last chance for a week or two. I think I'm going to have to get drastic, and actually grab a few and make them sting me. I only wish I could get it someplace other than my hands!

Regards,
Albert
 
#55 ·
jar application

So if you've got a bee or two in the glass jar--why not just apply the opened end to the area you hope to sting? Holding one by the wings might cause too much comotion should she escape.

And yes-balance between benefit and risk is a fine line. With the case of multiple stings.....best to work up to the final number slowly.

Best of luck to those supplying bees.
 
#60 ·
Reyah Stings me

Reyah Carlson
1252 South Marshfield Road
Bruner MO. 65620 417 278 0127

This woman Spoke at the Oklahoma State meeting this Saturday very nice woman and very interested in helping people with ailments, She her self has MS and is doing good because of of apitherapy.

http://www.reyahsbeesness.com

http://www.apitherapy.org
Reyah stings me and is very knowledgable(sp) I have MS and I am now living pain free after years of pain killers and muscle relaxers that make me a zombie. I now am able to actually have a life and enjoy myself. The reason BVT is not researched is like someone said follow the money trail. My meds were over 3000 a month that the Department of Veterans Affairs (aka you taxpayers) were paying for and i still had alot of pain. now I am pain free except for a bad day everyonce in awhile.
 
#58 ·
I have 2 diferent ladys that I supplied bees for before I set up 2 hives each. Now I take care of the hives for them. Both lady's have MS. One takes 10 stings a day. When she started 5 years ago she was in a wheel chair and it was paneful for her to move. You would not know her today as the same person because she walks and talks better than me. The other lady has been doing 12 stings a day for 4 years but it has not helped her. Both women have the same doctor and he says that this is not unusual.
Clint
 
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