|
|
Natural Alternative Medicine Information - Articles, search
and news in a single place.
APITHERAPY :
Bee Therapy is the
treatment of ailments with the use of products made from the common
honeybee's venom and honey. These medicines include bee pollen, raw
honey, propolis and royal jelly. Although scientific studies have
not proved the theories that apitherapy works, products like royal
jelly have become an increasingly popular item sold on convenience
store counters as an energy serum and made into beauty products.
Hippocrates used the venom from bees to treat joint ailments such
as arthritis, and a more modern day doctor Phillip Terc claimed that
bee stings help rheumatism in an article written in 1888.
There are five basic honeybee products:
Venom is either injected by needle or allowing the bee to sting the
affected area. This is the most complex form of apitherapy and the
only one where you must consult a practitioner. Users say the benefits
far outweigh getting repeatedly stung by bees. Patients presenting
with tendonitis, for instance, can be helped with two or three sessions,
whereas the pain associated with degenerative bone diseases can only
be alleviated through several sessions a week for at least six months.
Be sure to get an allergy test for beestings before attempting this
form of therapy. The venom contains natural anti-inflammatory chemicals
which are more potent than, say, hydrocortisone for tendonitis and
arthritis.
Pollen has been found to be a good treatment for seasonal allergies,
and is commonly marketed as an energy supplement. Pollen is often
used in bee beauty products and is believed to slow the aging process,
although there exists no scientific evidence to support this claim.
Raw honey is full of "b" vitamins (no pun intended!) and
is a quick energy booster, like cane sugar or fructose. This is not
processed honey-it has not been filtered or heat treated-and there
are actual studies showing that putting a poultice of raw honey on
an open wound can dramatically slow the spread of infection causing
bacteria.
Royal Jelly is produced in the salivary glands of the worker bee in
order to feed the queen, hence the name. Because this milk white substance
is thought to help the queen live so long and make her more fertile,
products made from royal jelly are marketed for beauty supply. While
these claims are unsubstantiated, studies on humans found that royal
jelly can lower levels of cholesterol.
Bees can make their own glue to stick their hives together and repair
the walls. This bee glue is called Propolis and is made from the sap
of conifers or poplar trees. Products made from bee materials for
the purpose of creating salves and chap sticks are made from propolis.
It is also considered by apitherapy enthusiasts to be an antioxidant.
Other reported health benefits are the breaking down and softening
of scar tissue as a cosmetic application, the decrease of fatigue
and spasms associated with suffers of MS, and the antitoxins can be
beneficial in keeping AIDS patients from contracting flu's and viruses.
Apitherapists have no licensing requirements or credentialing organizations.
Some are physician's who believe that it works to lessen joint pain
in their patients, most that use it are or once were patients of apitherapy
themselves. The most important precaution you can take before exploring
this option for treatment is to get an allergy test. If you have a
reaction to the bee pollen often used in juice bar health drinks,
you are probably allergic to bee pollen and should forego this type
of treatment. If you have heart disease or diabetes you should not
seek apitherapy, and never give any type of honey to infants.
Raw honey may contain fungus, so the AIDS patients that might be helped
through the propolis antioxidants could be harmed through the use
of unprocessed honey. Lastly, there are no recommended dosage standards,
so exercise caution when first starting to experiment with the benefits
of apitherapy.
Last Natural Alternative
Medicine news in our weblog
|
