CHINA: Chinese are flocking to private clinics for a bee sting therapy said to alleviate pain and cure disease.

A clinic on the outskirts of Beijing is renown for a special treatment-- doctors here say they can cure rheumatism, arthritis, back pain, and even improve liver problems and cancers. But this unique treatment - used in China for over 3000 years - has nothing to do with injections, potions or pills. It is called bee venom therapy, part of apitherapy - which is the use of honeybee products like honey, pollen, royal jelly and venom for medical purposes. Chinese patients are flocking to private clinics like this to be stung in hopes of alleviate pain and cure diseases that state hospitals can't deal with. Traditionally, bee venom therapy uses live bees - forcing them to sting in the affected area, trigger points or acupuncture points. Apitherapy doctors say the venom provokes an immune response. The stung area becomes red and swollen as blood is drawn to the site. This activates the body's healing process. After 30 seconds, stubborn pain is replaced by a feeling of warmth. Some say that a strong pain makes you forget about a weaker one. Lu Jiumei (pron: lee djee-oh may) comes from Hebei Province just a few hours south of Beijing. She heard about the therapy from a friend and decided to give it a try. She's been treated five times at the Xizhihe (pron: hsee djur huh) Traditional Medicine Hospital. "I feel pretty good after the treatment. I don't think this can be harmful to the human body in terms of side effects. I have been treated a few times now. My pain is relieved a lot and it's going away." Lu said. Bee venom is rich in enzymes, peptides and biogenic amines. There are at least 18 active components in the venom which have some pharmaceutical properties. But the way that the venom works is not entirely known yet. Some scientists believe it can modify the way the immune system functions and contribute to increased production of hormones such as cortisol. Apitherapy experts say bee venom can help blood flow smoothly in human bodies and can rehabilitate cells. It can inhibit the growth of bacteria and the development of inflammation. Li is an expert on the bee sting cure at Xizhihe Traditional Medicine Hospital. He says it isn't practical for state hospitals to offer the treatment. "There are few places that can do this treatment well. Although live bee sting treatment has a very good effect for certain diseases, state hospitals take a lot of factors into consideration. This treatment is not practical for state hospitals. Because they don't have a reliable sources of bees, the government is not allowing a massive production of bee venom. Moreover, we are not too sure about which diseases this treatment works the best on." Li Zhengqing said. Although Li has been researching the treatment for about twenty years, he says most of the venom's active ingredients still have to be studied in the light of modern medicine. For centuries, bee stings have been used as a folk cure for diseases such as Arthritis, Rheumatism and many other painful joint conditions. Today, some clinics are branching out to treating cancers and diabetes. "When I came here, I was doubting this place. Honestly, I have had diabetes for years and years and it's very serious. Before I came, my foot was rotting, doctors at other hospitals were telling me that they needed to cut off my foot. I was spending a load of money. So when I got here, I had no idea what I was doing and what the bee sting treatment was all about." Liu Guorong, a 58-year-old diabetes patient said. Liu said before he came in for treatment the part of his foot with poor circulation was growing fast. Several state hospital doctors told him that the only solution was to amputate. After several sessions of venom therapy, Liu says he feels better and blood flow is improving. To treat a patient could take anywhere from an hour to half a day. A test sting is first required because the allergy can be deadly. After the treatment, patients cannot walk away, as doctors need to keep a close eye on possible reactions. The clinic's management admits that because evidence of the bee sting therapy's effectiveness is still largely anecdotal, it is hard to predict what part it will be playing in the medical world years from now. "Using live bees to treat certain diseases is widely used with people in private clinics. The knowledge we have about venom therapy has increased over the past years. There is no doubt about that. But there is still a large area that's unknown to us all. There are too many unanswered questions. One of the biggest unanswered questions is how to avoid the side effects of bee stings. The application of the venom therapy among private clinics is based on experience," Xu Xiaowang (pron: hsoo hsee-ow wahng), Head of Xizhihe Traditional Medicine Hospital said. Patients pay 20 Yuan (approx 2.5 USD) per sting.

ITN Source | November 26, 2006

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