This is the first edition of this paper published in
1999 and will guide you in 23 steps of designing your therapy. The updated and
expended 6th edition of this paper available in a booklet form and will guide
you in 39 steps.
See Books & Booklets: BK033.
Bee venom therapy is an alternative form of
healing. It has been practiced for centuries for many different conditions
using a variety of means. The available resources for the patient and therapist
will determine the actual way the therapy will be carried out. What is needed
are some basic guidelines to help determine whether bee venom therapy is an
appropriate alternative for you.
The purpose of this publication is to provide assistance to those would like to explore the benefits of including bee venom therapy as part of their healing process. This publication is a primary and it is my intent to expand it at a later date. Time and work commitments prevent it now.
I receive countless comments from those who struggle to find the necessary resources and information on how to plan and continue their therapy. This is especially so for those with multiple sclerosis and arthritis, but the steps of planning are as applicable for most health conditions.
The successful use of bee venom and the outcome of treatment is proportional to the knowledge of the administrator of the venom and the efforts you invest in your own healing. Experience shows, people who prepare for the therapy and make an informed decision on using bee venom therapy obtain better results and continue the therapy much longer as compared to those who don’t. Being prepared means knowing the difference between the positive and negative symptoms of bee venom and how to change your program accordingly. The condition of the person during treatment will change and this may mean changing the application method. The ability to “read the negative symptoms” signals the therapist on the next course of action or inaction.
The most traditional way of administering bee venom is to use live bees. Another way is to use products containing bee venom. Before you make your final decision on what form of bee venom therapy you wish to begin you need to take some steps to become familiar with the basics of the therapy. Only then can you make an informed decision.
The following steps will help you know what questions to
ask and what basic rules to follow in your research. Investigate each step
carefully and make notes of your results. Summarize the gathered data and then
make your decision. If you decide to give bee venom therapy a try, be prepared
and follow all steps of the therapy guidelines. Therapy guidelines are not
found in this publication. You will have to read books on bee venom therapy to
get these. Be a good guardian of your health on your journey of healing.
Let’s begin:
• Consult with your
medical practitioner and discuss in detail all treatment options both
conventional and complimentary;
• Research and undertake
all available conventional therapies that are indicated for your condition, are
consistent with your beliefs and whose risks make the therapy worthwhile;
— Do you want to follow a non-drug approach?
— Are you prepared to
live with the after effects: permanent? short term?
— Can you afford
the therapy?
— Are there practitioners with the area who practice the
therapy?
— Are drugs/supplements readily available?
— Are you
prepared to make temporary/permanent life-style changes for this therapy?
• Decide whether to undertake bee venom therapy. If at this
point you decide not to, you need not read any further since your research has
already indicated, for whatever reason, it is not suitable for you at this
time. Don’t throw this out as you may revisit it at anytime in the future.
Your circumstances, finances and emotional situation may change to where bee
venom therapy will be a viable alternative. Congratulate yourself regardless,
as at this point you have made an informed decision on your health;
• Inform your medical practitioner about your plan and ask his/her
support. If support is adamantly refused seek out a practitioner who will, even
if not endorse it wholeheartedly, agree to monitor your progress and will at
least be supportive of the choice you have made;
• Seek
your family’s and friends’ support as there may be times when their
physical help and definitely their moral and emotional support will be needed.
If this is not forthcoming seek out self-help groups for similar conditions or
who you know will be non-judgmental and supportive;
•
Gather information on bee venom therapy. This will include a visit to
the local library and an Internet search, including Medline and the Apitherapy
Research Service to uncover all obvious information. Contact your local
beekeeper group to get names of those who have bees and those who likely are
doing therapy themselves or supplying bees. There may be apitherapists or
acupuncturists who do the therapy or are willing to. There are many books now
available on bee venom therapy. See recommended books at the end of this
booklet. You can never read too much on the matter;
•
Choose which form of therapy is most suitable considering your condition
and circumstances i.e. live bees, bee venom preparations, apitherapics and
apiceuticals;
• Revisit your medical practitioner to
discuss your research and a treatment plan. If allergy testing is required it
can now be arranged. Discuss integrating this method with other conventional
therapies that are not contraindicated with bee venom therapy. Will you be able
to discontinue taking contraindicated medications? Are there risks to your
health condition;
• Prepare to begin bee venom therapy
about two to three months before you actually start. You must be free of
medications, primarily steroids and NSAIDs, for at least two to three months
before you administer bee venom in the forms of bee stings or solution. A drug
free period of five to six months is preferable. Cleansing and detoxification
protocols may be helpful. Taking bee hive products like honey, bee pollen,
propolis and royal jelly can also contribute to your healing. Herbal and
mineral supplements can strengthen your immune system and make you stronger to
start the therapy. Pay attention to those contraindicated with your health
condition;
• If you chose bee sting therapy, locate a
source of bees in your area. Discuss with the beekeeper price, availability,
the beekeepers treatment timing and protocol (of the bees that is) and how you
can keep the bees alive and healthy the longest. Consider purchasing your own
beehive; not only will you have your own supply of bees, but also honey,
propolis, pollen and more unintentional stings than your expected! If there is
no beekeeper in your area check the provincial or state apiarist for beekeepers
who may ship. There is also a full listing of suppliers in the booklet
“Bee Venom Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis - A Bibliography,
Research and Resource Guide;”
• If you
choose to use bee venom products; locate suppliers and inquire about the
availability of the needed products. Especially ask the supplier about the
support that comes with the product. That is, will they give advice on how to
use it, how often, when, contraindications, and other circumstances to maximize
the positive effects. Keep in mind, the product may be purchased more cheaply
elsewhere, but if no support comes with it it may be more expensive or less
effective in the long run. At Apitronic Services all of our products come with
the above described support only if purchased through us. Your options on
products containing bee venom include ambrocations, creams, drops, honey and
bee venom blends, solutions, liniments, liquids, ointments, tablets and
homeopathic formulations;
• Obtain an Epipen® from a
pharmacy and keep liquid Benadryl® handy in case of allergic reaction to
any bee venom (stings or products). Read the user instructions immediately
after purchasing it, review it again weekly. Practice holding it and go through
a mock-up of how you would use it. When an emergency occurs you may not have
the time or presence of mind to start reading the instructions. We have all
heard of persons losing consciousness sometimes within less than a minute.
Personally, when I was stung on one occasion, I had less than 30 seconds before
my breathing became so labored I was light-headed. A helpful booklet
“First Aid for Bee and Wasp Stings” is listed at the end of
this publication;
• Gather the products you will need for
your therapy and familiarize yourself with their use. If difficulties or
questions arise, consult the supplier for help;
• Book an
appointment with your medical practitioner to have a check up just prior to you
starting the therapy. This will ensure you are physically and psychologically
able to start and will also act as a benchmark for you and your practitioner to
measure your progress;
• Start the therapy under the
supervision of your medical practitioner or apitherapist;
•
Follow your medical practitioner’s or apitherapist’s treatment
protocol exactly and do not make changes without prior consultation;
• Be patient and expect a personalized, slow, gradual, progressive
and tolerable treatment plan. The need for a minimum amount of bee venom comes
with selecting proper administration areas to maximize the benefits of bee
venom (appropriate acupuncture, acupressure and trigger points);
• Be careful with bee venom! Do not over administer and always
follow the guidelines of BVT and the proper nutritional protocols;
• Document observations and notes on the course of treatment in a
diary. Never stop reading and rereading the literature you have. Keep searching
for new things you may not have heard about before;
•
Evaluate your treatment protocol with your medical practitioner or
apitherapist including the quality of bees, therapy materials and their use,
administration area, nutritional protocol and how you actually follow the basic
guidelines of therapy. Always feel free to discuss the difficulties you may be
having as modifications may be possible which will make success more readily
apparent and more likely to occur. Ask feedback from those who supplied the
product and therapy materials. Do not ask someone who may use different
methods and materials; the answer can be confusing as different methods apply
to different protocols. This is especially true when using summer vs. winter
bees, bee stings vs. venom solution, bees just removed from the hive vs. bees
kept in a box or jar for weeks or strong reversed tweezers vs. adjustable
tweezers;
• Ensure you always have a continuous supply of
bees and/or enough bee venom product for the therapy. Unexpected circumstances
may prevent your source’s access to products;
• Share
your personal experience with others using bee venom and for those you believe
may too be helped by it. Be prepared for skepticism but feel confident that
your success will be your greatest ally;
After reading all of these
steps, you may ask “what next?” When asked what publications I would
suggest to learn more about bee venom therapy, especially for multiple
sclerosis sufferers, my choices would be these three publications.
Mihály Simics: Bee Venom Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis - A
Bibliography, Research and Resource Guide: This publication lists 235
references and resources for books, literature, tools, therapy materials and
videos (Product Code: BK018).
Charles Mraz: Health and the
Honeybee: This book will introduce you to the basics and techniques of bee
venom therapy including points where to sting (Product Code: BK015).
Mihály Simics: An Outline of Multiple Sclerosis and Bee Venom
Therapy - The Reference Guide for Practical Self-help. This publication is
dedicated to those interested in using bee venom therapy for treating multiple
sclerosis. See BK026. pp. 80. (Product Code: BK035).
I
also recommend you study our Bee Venom Therapy Supplies and Books
catalogue. It offers over 140 items for those who wish to practice bee venom
therapy. This wide selection of products will provide several options for
professionals and lay therapists alike. I will be happy to assist and guide you
in choosing the most suitable ones whether you are a novice or a professional.
Our advice covers the following as well as any unique or personal inquiry which
we will try to resolve.
— Books, booklets and/or literature to
read to help you with your therapy options;
— Where to locate
information on a specific health condition;
— Tools, kits or
individualized items needed to start the therapy;
— Products and their
suppliers;
— Supportive documentation and instructions for all therapy
materials and products that we sell;
— Referral service of
professionals and lay therapists in your general area;
— Apitherapy
Research Service and Book Search;
Just by reading this small booklet
you have taken a step toward making a choice that will impact on your health.
Informed decisions are the keystone to the success of any therapy. The best
information is that which we seek out ourselves. By educating ourselves we
become stronger and more able to endure the very difficult trials life often
puts in our path. I wish you well in your search. If there is some way that I
or my company can assist you along the way please feel free to get in touch
with us by whatever means you are able.
RECOMMENDED
READINGS
The following books were written mostly by physicians and
considered to be classics of bee venom therapy. They will provide you a solid
foundation of understanding of bee venom therapy.
Beck, F. Bodog,
MD (1935) Bee Venom Therapy - Bee Venom, Its Nature, and Its effect on
Arthritic and Rheumatoid Conditions. Hardcover reprint in 1984. It is also know
and published as: The Bible of Bee Venom Therapy, soft cover (1997), 238 pp.,
Book Code: BK010
Broadman, Joseph., MD (1962) Bee Venom
- The Natural Curative for Arthritis and Rheumatism. 224 pp., Soft cover
reprint: Bee Venom Therapy (1997), 220 pp., Book Code: BK012
Kim, Christopher, MD (1992) Bee Venom Therapy and Bee Acupuncture
Therapy (Medical textbook for physicians and acupuncturists), 550 pp. (in
Korean and English)
Potschinkova, Pavlina, MD (1996) Handbuch
der Apireflextherapie. 396 pp. (in German)
First Aid for
Insect Stings
Simics, Mihály (1995) First Aid for
Bee and Wasp Stings. Apitronic Publishing, 32 pp., Book Code: BK017
Internet Resources
Bee Venom Therapy Supplies and
Books — http://www.beevenom.com
Apitherapy
Bookshop — http://www.apitherapy.net
Apitherapy
Reference Database — http://www.saunalahti.fi/~apither
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Bee venom hypersensitivity,
pregnancy, congenital heart diseases, cardiovascular conditions, hematological
disorders, atherosclerosis, purulent infections, hepatitis, nephritis,
tuberculosis, insulin dependent diabetes, fever, psychosis, venereal diseases,
pre and post surgery, malicious tumours, liver and kidney diseases, use with
Adrenocortical Steroids and/or Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs),
use with Beta-Blockers, depression, and use under the age 12.
Copyright © 2000-2005
Mihály Simics. All Rights Reserved.
Apitronic
Services, 9611 No. 4 Road, Richmond, B.C., Canada, V7A 2Z1, Ph./Fax (604)
271-9414
e-mail: msimics@direct.ca |
http://www.apivet.net |
http://www.beevenom.net |
http://www.apitherapy.net |
http://www.corp.direct.ca/beevenom/