Bee Sting Therapy for Arthritis and Diabetes

Bee sting therapy is an alternative treatment for arthritis and diabetes. The idea is that the venom from bee stings helps reverse these conditions. Bee sting therapy has been practiced as an alternative therapy for centuries, even as far back as the second century B.C. in eastern Asia.. According to a study published in the journal "Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine," some doctors (mostly based in Eastern Europe and Korea) practice bee sting therapy, allowing patients to be stung up to 80 times a day to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

Function

• Bee sting therapy is thought to reverse conditions such as arthritis and diabetes because bee venom contains melittin, a peptide made up of amino acids that functions as an anti-inflammatory. According to the American Apitherapy Society, bee sting therapy functions by cutting down inflammation, improving your circulation and bolstering your immune system. Though the therapy has ancient roots, modern interest can be attributed to 19th-century doctor Phillip Terc and even more recently to Vermont beekeeper Charles Mraz, who helped reintroduce the concept of bee sting therapy to the United States in the 20th century. Treatment can either be administered by injecting extracted venom into the patient or allowing the bees to sting him directly.

Studies

• Researchers at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki in Greece found that bee sting venom slowed the advancement of arthritis in rats in a 1988 study. In another 1988 study at Montreal General Hospital, clinicians determined that bee sting venom also slowed down the production of interleukin-1 in rats, a compound that causes inflammation in people with arthritis. However, no human trials have been conducted that have yielded positive results of bee sting therapy for arthritis or diabetes.

Risks

• One drawback of bee sting therapy is that a small section of the population is allergic to bee stings. While some of these people may be able to tolerate one or two bee stings, more than 10 can be fatal if the reaction is severe enough. When undergoing bee sting therapy it is important to have a first-aid kit available that includes epinephrine. Epinephrine can save your life if you go into anaphylactic shock. Signs of an allergic reaction include facial swelling, which includes the eyes and throat. In a severe reaction, the throat can constrict and cut off oxygen.