Monday, March 27, 2006

Bee Venom Therapy for Arthritis Popular in Japan

Bees Could Take Sting Out of Arthritis: Experts
Eloise Dortch, The West Australian, 3/25/06

Bee stings may one day be used to treat arthritis and multiple sclerosis in Australia - in a natural therapy already commonly used in Japan, say scientists.

Speaking at the eighth annual Asian Apicultural Association conference at the University of WA, Nepalese entomologist Ratna Thapa said he had used bee venom to treat arthritis with a 50-60 per cent success rate and lower back pain and shoulder ache with 90 per cent success.

He combined some venom treatments with honey and propolis - a resin deposited outside the hive, which could contain concentrated flavonoids with restorative properties. Such treatments were already popular in Japan and were gaining interest across Asia, Dr Thapa said…

Japan Apitherapy Association director Hirofumi Naito said bee venom therapy involved removing bees' stings using forceps and lightly touching the skin several times to reduce blood pressure or rebalance the nervous system.

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