BEE VENOM

WHAT IS BEE VENOM ?

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 inhibits cyclooxygenase; it thus has analgesic activity as well. Apamin inhibits complement C3 activity and blocks calcium-dependent potassium channels, thus enhancing nerve transmission.

Other substances, such as Hyaluronidase, Compound X, Histamine, Phospholipase A2, and Mast Cell Degranulating Protein (MSDP), are involved in the inflammatory response of venom, with the softening of tissue and the facilitation of flow of the other substances. Finally, there are measurable amounts of the neurotransmitters Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Serotonin.

 

BEE VENOM BENEFITS

Bee venom therapy can be useful in a wide variety of medical situations. Charles Mraz, a beekeeper in Middlelebury, Vermont who has popularized bee venom therapy for the past 60 years, says that it is reasonable to try bee venom therapy in any clinical situation where nothing else works.

However, there are four situations which are most frequent:

1. Scar tissue. Keloids and other scar tissue are broken down and softened by the substances in the venom, and can flatten out and fade in color. Internalscar tissue, such as adhesions from previous surgery, may respond to treatment over the area

2.  Acute and chronic injuries. Bursitis, tendonitis and other areas of injury respond well to bee venom therapy. In this case, the effect is probably a local anti-inflammatory effect, involving the humoral and cellular immune responses to a foreign protein. Chronic back and neck pain may respond, as can other aches and pains.

3. Arthritis and other systemic inflammations. Bee venom therapy can be useful in both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, helping with both pain and swelling. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, -rheumatoid nodules can lessen in size. Other connective tissue disease such as scleroderma have been (anecdotally) helped by BVT. &Even systemic inflammations not related to joints, such as ulcerative colitis or even asthma, may warrant a trial of bee venom. This is presumedly due to stimulation of endogenous cortisol through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.

4. Multiple Sclerosis. This use of honey bee venom is poorly understood, and needs to be studied further. Recently, the MS Association of America awarded a grant to an immunologist, Dr John Santilli, 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. The treatment is prolongued and not for the squeamish, but the common responses are increased stability, less fatigue, and less spasm.