Bee venom therapy takes sting out of illnesses

By Maria Kegel

JAKARTA (JP): The first thing you notice when you walk into the small room in the back of the Pramuka Apiary is the glass full of about a hundred live bees.

This is no place for the squeamish. The apiary is a treatment center for various afflictions, or for general health and beauty.

Many swear that within minutes, the venom from several bees can provide pain relief for inflammatory and degenerative diseases.

Advocates of the medicinal use of honey bees' venom and honey, known by the medical name apitherapy, say it is especially useful for treating arthritis, helping relieve both the pain and the swelling, acute and chronic injuries, bursitis, tendinitis and other afflictions, as well as being helpful in treating scar tissue, which can be broken down and softened by substances in the venom.

That is because honey bee venom has 18 active ingredients, including melittin, which is 100 times stronger than hydrocortisol, making it the most potent anti-inflammatory agent known, and adolapin, another strong anti-inflammatory substance.

Staff at the local Pramuka Apiary say it is also effective for treating a wide variety of ailments, including asthma, high or low blood pressure, insomnia, migraines, toothaches as well as helping to lose weight.

A honey stand is set up at the apiary's entrance, selling bottles of the center's finest, and those who arrive early can nab the free honey "juice" on offer to patrons, while supplies last, every Saturday.

But bee venom therapy is offered every day, and those brave enough to try it say they either feel spontaneous relief or improvement later on.

Hardiman, who has worked with bees since 1970 and has practiced apitherapy since 1980, administers the stings to clients, who come from as far away as Sumatra and Bandung, West Java.

After checking a patient's pulse at the wrist or under the heel, Hardiman asks if he or she has a history of heart or liver problems.

Then, referring to a map of the human body's acupuncture points, Hardiman pinpoints the target for the bees to sting according to the person's ailment, and marks the spot lightly with a ballpoint pen.

"Although it's better for the bee to sting directly at the source of the pain, sometimes we go by acupuncture points," he said.

This was helpful for my complaint of menstruation discomfort, in which I could choose to have the stings at the acupuncture point for this on the lower back, instead of exposing my lower abdomen.

A bee is gingerly extracted with long tweezers from the glass, and brought to the target area by Hardiman.

Holding the bee carefully above the patient's skin, Hardiman gently taps the bee's lower part until it releases its stinger..

"If a person's face turns red, we stop further treatment (for that day)," he said.

But if not, a second bee is fished out several minutes later and applied in the same way.

With both stingers still in the patient, he immediately taps the area around them, helping the venom to spread quickly under the skin.

He said he usually leaves the stingers in for several minutes, and for a maximum of 20 minutes.

"Some people can tolerate only one or two bees, while others can take more, but the maximum is 10 stings at a time," he said.

The number, sites and frequency of stings depends on the person's ailment and the person as well.

Advocates of bee venom therapy say a simple case of tendinitis, for example, can require two or three stings per session for two to five sessions, while arthritis might require several stings in two to three sessions a week over one to three months.

Stroke victims who have been left unable to walk, Hardiman said, need a course of 268 bee stings.

"They do not feel the stings until a week later," he said.

It is normal for itchiness, redness or swelling to develop up to a day or more following a session, as toxins remain in a person for three days.

"Don't scratch the area, just apply mentholated oil to it," Hardiman advised.

Reactions

Most allergic reactions to bee stings are to wasps or yellow jackets; some studies have shown that honey bee stings account for under 5 percent of all adverse stinging insect reactions.

However, it should be noted that there are risks of an anaphylactic reaction to bee venom, and physicians warn that it is a good idea to carry a bee sting allergy kit.

Since the venom influences the body for the three days it is in the system, people are encouraged to return after this period for more stings, according to Hardiman.

The center uses the apis mellifera, a superior type of honey bee imported from Australia, and the apis cerana, a local type of honey bee.

If a patient's condition remains unchanged, then the stings should be increased, Hardiman said.

However, people may be more susceptible to bee venom than to medicine, he warned.

"If there's a reaction after three stings, they should wait a week before returning for more," he said.

There are no regular customers at the apiary as once a person recovers, they no longer come back, Wawan Darmawan, the head of the offices at the apiary, explained.

Some physicians have recommended their patients visit the center, and Wawan said after a public seminar was held five years ago, the health ministry acknowledged the practice, allowing the apiary to operate as an apitherapist center because there had been no accidents or fatalities caused by the bee stings.

Wawan said a person requiring bee venom treatment could come twice a week for about nine weeks.

A session, lasting about 10 minutes to 20 minutes, covers up to three bees and costs Rp 10,000 a person.

For those without serious ailments, it is sufficient to come once a week for sessions, he said.

"The maximum is four times a week and it's dangerous to exceed that," Wawan said, adding that those who wished to increase their stings could consume honey instead.

Honey, which is a part of apitherapy and a natural food supplement, should be consumed after the bee stings to offset any unpleasant reactions felt by the patient, he said.

Hardiman also said honey was used to help reduce hair loss by applying it directly to the scalp.

Wawan admitted to having a monthly bee sting as well as consuming honey every day to benefit his health, and attributed his strength, healthy appetite and good sleep to the treatment.

So how did the apitherapy rate in my case? The stings, especially from the second bee, were certainly distracting, helping me to forget about my condition.

It could have been wishful thinking, but the next day there seemed to be a light alleviation of the pain, but not enough to warrant another venom session.

But the slight swelling and pain in the joints of my fingers which usually appear in the morning were absent the day after.

Pramuka Apiary is located in Kompleks Wiladatika in Cibubur, East Jakarta, and can be contacted at 844-5104 or 922-5578.