Apitherapy brings together all the benefits of bee products: fresh pollen, propolis, royal jelly and also bee venom. As surprising as it may seem, bee venom has positive effects on joint pain and osteoarthritis. For people allergic to bee venom, it is possible to desensitize easily thanks to standardized injections of venom.. only on medical prescription.
Secreted from the acid and base caudal glands of worker bees, the venom is a colorless liquid with a strong, characteristic odor. It is a complex compound made up of 85% water and 15% dry matter. These dry materials are a mixture of enzymes (15%), peptides and proteins (55% to 58%) (melittin, histamine, etc.), 25 to 30% of other compounds (sugars, phospholipids, etc.) as well as from 1 to 2% of volatile components. The venom is collected in the laboratory. the bees are first excited, then they sting through a very thin rubber membrane. The venom is then collected in a collector and then freeze-dried. In this way, large quantities of pharmaceutical quality are obtained.
Apitherapy: bee venom against rheumatic and osteoarthritic pain
The venom has variable effects on humans depending on. For a stung subject, the reaction can be normal or abnormal (allergy). Some people are naturally immune.
The venom is bactericidal, bacteriostatic, antifungal and antibiotic, allergenic… Its anti-inflammatory action is the basis of Anglo-Saxon “venom therapy” (USA). According to medical tradition, the venom relieves rheumatic and osteoarthritic pain. Its use to treat neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) remains highly controversial. No scientific evidence demonstrates objective efficacy in neurological pathologies. As a result, both American and European patient associations advise against its use!
“Apitherapy”
During its intradermal penetration by bee sting or by injection for treatment purposes, bee venom generates painful reactions, a consequence of its haemolytic and neurotoxic activity, which are dose dependent.
Violent or even fatal allergic reactions can exist in subjects who have already been stung or who are unaware of it!
The lethal dose of venom, except in special cases, is about twenty stings per kg of weight for an adult, or about 1300 close stings for a subject weighing 65 kg. (A hive contains 25 to 40,000 bees!)
Bee venom in cream, lotions, tablets, drops
The therapeutic use of venom is contraindicated in the following cases: Ill-balanced diabetes; use of Beta-blockers; Severe cardiovascular and renal deficiencies, advanced system diseases. The venom can be administered by syringe injection or even by inhalation of a dilute solution of bee venom. Bee venom enters the human body through the bee sting: Apipuncture.
The venom is also used in various presentations: creams, lotions, tablets, drops.
Apipuncture: the bee does the work
Traditional method, it has its defenders. It consists of depositing, with the help of pliers, one or more live bees on the skin of the subject on the painful areas or on acupuncture points. Each bite injects about 0.1 to 0.5 mg of venom or apitoxin. The barbs prevent the extraction of the stinger. The withdrawal of the bee leads to the loss of its terminal part. The isolated venom gland continues to contract spasmodically for up to several minutes. The dose injected into the subject varies according to the duration of the presence of the venom sac and the technique of ablation of the sting…
The freeze-dried venom is injected by the therapist (most often not a doctor), at a known dose, subcutaneously, intradermally, by mesotherapy, either on the painful area, or on acupuncture points or in association with other paramedical “practices”…
Only on medical prescription
You can find venom ready for injection in pharmacies (eg BEE VENIN ALBAY 120 mcg lyophilisate)
The use of venom must be done only on medical prescription, under rigorous medical supervision for perfectly determined conditions, taking into account the contraindications. Complete resuscitation equipment, the use of which is well known to the practitioner, must be present at the place of care. (Obligation of means)
Desensitization to bee venom5
Desensitization to bee venom (for hornet wasps with specific venoms) is done using two methods. Desensitization is effective in more than 90% of cases, due to the existence of a single major allergen that is well characterized biochemically.
Medical applications using components isolated from “apis mel” bee venom (eg melittin) exist. Research is actively carried out in various fields such as oncology, viral infectious diseases, etc. with very encouraging results.
