Bee Sting Against Arthritis Pain

Newspaper Columns, Herb & Home Remedy Q&A July 30, 2007

Q. I'm a nurse in a rural hospital. Some of the mountain folk I care for tell me that a bee sting every two years or so will significantly decrease arthritis inflammation and pain. They attribute this remedy to the Chinese who came to this area a hundred years ago to work on the railroads and in the logging industry.

A. “Apitherapy,” or bee venom therapy, for arthritis goes way back in time. There are reports that it was used in ancient Egypt and China. Hippocrates (460-377 BC) is purported to have written about bee stings for painful joints.

Doctors in this country used bee venom therapy to treat arthritis during the first part of the 20th century. Hospital pharmacies even stocked venom for injections. After World War II, this approach fell out of favor because it was considered unscientific.

Proponents claim that honeybee stings can alleviate the pain of tendonitis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and postherpetic neuralgia. This nerve pain lingers after a shingles attack and can be excruciating. The American Apitherapy Society can provide more information (www.apitherapy.org).

Reader Comments

I was stung by a wasp at the base of my thumb,which completely relieved the arthritis pain I'd had there for years! The relief lasted for about 2 weeks. I had never heard of this before and wondered if any research had been done re bee venom and pain and swelling.

Posted by: Lynn Peters | July 30, 2007 2:14 PM

Yellowjacket stings in my legs seem to lessen pain in my knees for a long time. For my hands, just washing dishes works better than Aspirin or ibuprofen.

Posted by: harv nelson | August 5, 2007 9:32 PM

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Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

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