What is Apitherapy
Apitherapy, or bee therapy, is the use of products of the common honeybee for therapeutic purposes. (The term comes from the Latin apis, which means "bee.") Honeybee venom, bee pollen, raw honey, royal jelly, and propolis are the products generally considered to have medicinal effects. These products are said to be effective against a wide range of ailments, from arthritis and chronic pain to multiple sclerosis and cancer, although few scientific studies have as yet proved their benefits.
The history of apitherapy extends back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and China. Even Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the "father of medicine," used bee venom to treat arthritis and other joint problems. Austrian physician Phillip Terc initiated the modern study of bee venom and intentional bee stings when he published his article "Report about a Peculiar Connection Between the Beestings and Rheumatism" in 1888. The late beekeeper Charles Mraz of Middlebury, Vermont, is credited with popularizing bee venom therapy over the past 60 years in the United States. Today, thousands of medical professionals and lay practitioners use apitherapy throughout the world.
HONEY:
This is made from the nectar collected by bees from many different flowers. The bees store the nectar in their hive, in the concentrated form of honey, mainly for their own food.
The beekeepers harvest the honey surplus and sell it. I expect you are familiar with honey as a spread on your toast, but it can be used in cooking and drinks as well as other more unfamiliar uses - Honey, due to its extremely low water content is naturally anti-bacterial and can be used for dressing wounds and burns to keep them sterile and promote healing.
ROYAL JELLY:
This is produced by the bees as food for the 'developing' bees in the colony. The queen bees are fed this during the whole of their larval period, but worker bees are fed this for the first three days of their larval period only. This encourages correct development.
Royal Jelly is produced in the glands of worker bees and is a complex mixture only known to the bees. Royal Jelly is often used in cosmetics and can be found in capsules and other products and is promoted for its youth-giving properties. It can also be used to help many illnesses.
POLLEN:
This is collected by the bees from flowers and used as the protein part of their diet. Pollen can be harvested by the beekeeper from the bees as they enter their hive. This is then cleaned and either dried or frozen before being included in natural remedies and food supplements. However, there have been reports of people having allergic reactions following the consumption of pollen and it is, therefore, recommended that a test is carried out with small amounts of pollen before taking this on a regular basis.
Pollen can be used to help people build up resistance to allergens by gradually increasing their intake and thereby decreasing the sensitivity.
PROPOLIS:
This is collected by the bees from plants and trees and is used to coat the inside of the beehive and the honeycomb cells with an antiseptic layer. It is a resinous substance and is often used in tincture, creams, cosmetics, tablets and capsules. Many people use this as an aid to healing.
BEESWAX:
This is secreted by the worker bee from special glands on the underside of her body and used to build the home in which the bees live. It is made from the honey that is eaten by the bees. Between two and four pounds of honey needs to be consumed by the bees to produce one pound of beeswax. It is used in face and hand creams, ointments, lipsticks and lipsalves, coating tablets and capsules in the pharmaceutical industry.
BEE VENOM:
Bee venom is administered either by needle or by actual bee sting. Chemical studies show that venom contains a number of powerful anti-inflammatory substances, including adolapin and melittin. Said to be a hundred times more powerful than hydrocortisone, melittin stimulates the production of cortisol, a natural steroid that also acts as an anti-inflammatory. Not surprisingly, bee venom therapy (or BVT) is often used for conditions that involve inflammation, such as tendinitis, bursitis, and rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Remember that is the product of the bee's sting! and some people are allergic to it!! There are many reactions that can happen, but normally they cause a localised reaction with redness and swelling surrounding the sting area. A more severe reaction will result when the swelling increases to the whole of the limb causing problems with movement.
The most severe reactions are when the person stung has intensive skin redness, irritation and difficulty in breathing which can result in loss of consciousness. This is also known as an anaphylactic reaction and needs urgent medical help. If this condition is known to exist the person may carry a self-help device containing adrenaline or epinephrine, but this has to be prescribed by a doctor and is only available for the most severe of reactions. It is not meant for use where redness and swelling only are experienced. Many people who feel the boost to their immune systems, having used bee venom, often use it as a form of therapy. People with auto-immune diseases like Arthritis and MS have a pathological immunity to bee venom and are unlikely to suffer any side effects.
Bee venom contains more than 40 pharmacologically active substances, many of which have yet to be studied. For centuries bee stings have been used to cure diseases such as Arthritis, Rheumatism, Gout, and many other painful joint conditions. Venom contains the protein 'Melittin' which stimulates Cortisol production from our adrenal glands. Cortisol is a natural anti-inflammatory and does not have the dangerous side effects of artificial steroids.Venom also contains 'Peptide 401' which is believed to be 100 times more powerful than cortico-steroids.
There is much written about bee venom therapy and many people advocate its use for treating rheumatic diseases, arthritis and multiple sclerosis although it is condemned by many organisations. Therefore the use of this therapy should only be undertaken after careful thought, discussion with an apitherapist and your doctor. The therapy should be carefully monitored, so please DO NOT just get hold of a bee and start stinging!
For more information on apitherapy, visit these sites
The American Apitherapy Society
Beelief Apitherapy
The DMOZ Directory
The history of apitherapy extends back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and China. Even Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the "father of medicine," used bee venom to treat arthritis and other joint problems. Austrian physician Phillip Terc initiated the modern study of bee venom and intentional bee stings when he published his article "Report about a Peculiar Connection Between the Beestings and Rheumatism" in 1888. The late beekeeper Charles Mraz of Middlebury, Vermont, is credited with popularizing bee venom therapy over the past 60 years in the United States. Today, thousands of medical professionals and lay practitioners use apitherapy throughout the world.
HONEY:
This is made from the nectar collected by bees from many different flowers. The bees store the nectar in their hive, in the concentrated form of honey, mainly for their own food.
The beekeepers harvest the honey surplus and sell it. I expect you are familiar with honey as a spread on your toast, but it can be used in cooking and drinks as well as other more unfamiliar uses - Honey, due to its extremely low water content is naturally anti-bacterial and can be used for dressing wounds and burns to keep them sterile and promote healing.
ROYAL JELLY:
This is produced by the bees as food for the 'developing' bees in the colony. The queen bees are fed this during the whole of their larval period, but worker bees are fed this for the first three days of their larval period only. This encourages correct development.
Royal Jelly is produced in the glands of worker bees and is a complex mixture only known to the bees. Royal Jelly is often used in cosmetics and can be found in capsules and other products and is promoted for its youth-giving properties. It can also be used to help many illnesses.
POLLEN:
This is collected by the bees from flowers and used as the protein part of their diet. Pollen can be harvested by the beekeeper from the bees as they enter their hive. This is then cleaned and either dried or frozen before being included in natural remedies and food supplements. However, there have been reports of people having allergic reactions following the consumption of pollen and it is, therefore, recommended that a test is carried out with small amounts of pollen before taking this on a regular basis.
Pollen can be used to help people build up resistance to allergens by gradually increasing their intake and thereby decreasing the sensitivity.
PROPOLIS:
This is collected by the bees from plants and trees and is used to coat the inside of the beehive and the honeycomb cells with an antiseptic layer. It is a resinous substance and is often used in tincture, creams, cosmetics, tablets and capsules. Many people use this as an aid to healing.
BEESWAX:
This is secreted by the worker bee from special glands on the underside of her body and used to build the home in which the bees live. It is made from the honey that is eaten by the bees. Between two and four pounds of honey needs to be consumed by the bees to produce one pound of beeswax. It is used in face and hand creams, ointments, lipsticks and lipsalves, coating tablets and capsules in the pharmaceutical industry.
BEE VENOM:
Bee venom is administered either by needle or by actual bee sting. Chemical studies show that venom contains a number of powerful anti-inflammatory substances, including adolapin and melittin. Said to be a hundred times more powerful than hydrocortisone, melittin stimulates the production of cortisol, a natural steroid that also acts as an anti-inflammatory. Not surprisingly, bee venom therapy (or BVT) is often used for conditions that involve inflammation, such as tendinitis, bursitis, and rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Remember that is the product of the bee's sting! and some people are allergic to it!! There are many reactions that can happen, but normally they cause a localised reaction with redness and swelling surrounding the sting area. A more severe reaction will result when the swelling increases to the whole of the limb causing problems with movement.
The most severe reactions are when the person stung has intensive skin redness, irritation and difficulty in breathing which can result in loss of consciousness. This is also known as an anaphylactic reaction and needs urgent medical help. If this condition is known to exist the person may carry a self-help device containing adrenaline or epinephrine, but this has to be prescribed by a doctor and is only available for the most severe of reactions. It is not meant for use where redness and swelling only are experienced. Many people who feel the boost to their immune systems, having used bee venom, often use it as a form of therapy. People with auto-immune diseases like Arthritis and MS have a pathological immunity to bee venom and are unlikely to suffer any side effects.
Bee venom contains more than 40 pharmacologically active substances, many of which have yet to be studied. For centuries bee stings have been used to cure diseases such as Arthritis, Rheumatism, Gout, and many other painful joint conditions. Venom contains the protein 'Melittin' which stimulates Cortisol production from our adrenal glands. Cortisol is a natural anti-inflammatory and does not have the dangerous side effects of artificial steroids.Venom also contains 'Peptide 401' which is believed to be 100 times more powerful than cortico-steroids.
There is much written about bee venom therapy and many people advocate its use for treating rheumatic diseases, arthritis and multiple sclerosis although it is condemned by many organisations. Therefore the use of this therapy should only be undertaken after careful thought, discussion with an apitherapist and your doctor. The therapy should be carefully monitored, so please DO NOT just get hold of a bee and start stinging!
For more information on apitherapy, visit these sites
The American Apitherapy Society Beelief ApitherapyThe DMOZ Directory
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