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Bee Venom Therapy May Ease Many Ailments Therapeutic application of honey bee venom has been practiced since antiquity and may be an effective treatment for arthritis and other inflammatory and degenerative diseases. By GSReport Start Date: 4/25/99 It sounds like a folk remedy, and a weird one at that -- let bees sting you, and feel better for it. But that's the claim of people who study and practice Apitherapy, the therapeutic application of honey bee venom. According to Dr. Glenn Rothfeld, M.D., apitherapy has been practiced since deep antiquity and is currently under study by physicians in France and Russia, and even the U.S. Army. It is most often used in cases of arthritis and other inflammatory and degenerative diseases. But some practitioners and patients claim it is also effective in relieving the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Dr. Rothfield says that honey bee venom contains at least 18 active substances. Melittin, the most prevalent substance, is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents known -- 100 times more potent than hydrocortisol. Adolapin is another strong anti-inflammatory substance, and also has analgesic effects. Apamin enhances nerve transmission. Other substances include Hyaluronidase, Phospholipase A2, Histamine, and Mast Cell Degranulating Protein (MSDP), and small amounts of the neurotransmitters Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Seratonin. Some practitioners extract venom from honey bees and inject it into the patient; but others say the best effects are obtained directly from the sting of the bee itself. There is some risk of anaphylactic allergic reaction to bee venom, so apitherapy practitioners keep a bee sting allergy kit on hand. Among the ailments that are said to respond well to bee venom therapy are: arthritis, both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis; bursitis, tendonitis and similar conditions often associated with injuries; scar tissue, which is said to soften and break down in response to apitherapy; and multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Rothfield notes that the effects of bee venom on MS are not well understood. However, the MS Association of America recently awarded a grant to Dr. John Santilli, an immunologist, to prepare the venom in extract form to study its effect on MS patients. Hundreds of patients with MS currently seek out bee venom therapists and beekeepers, Rothfield says. The treatment is prolonged and can be painful, but the common responses are increased stability, less fatigue, and less spasm. [See http://www2.shore.net/~spectrum/apitherapy.htm. GSReport thanks Deborah Lindemann for bringing this story to our attention.] Excelsior, Michael Lindemann's new novel (written under the pen name Michael Paul), depicts a wholly plausible near future in which human cloning is both widespread and widely abused; terrorists have access to target-specific biological weapons; recreational space travel is commonplace; and mounting pressures of global climate change, environmental decline, population growth and civil unrest inspire radical new approaches to urban security. Built by Frontier on a Macintosh on 6/17/00; 12:00:40 PM. Web Comments - Produced by Larry Lowe Served 3300 times since 4/25/99.

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