Apitherapy
400671
205077114
2008-04-12T05:45:09Z
Gr8white
2793327
/* Clinical practice */ reworded last sentence, removed "should", added "pain"
'''Apitherapy''' is the medical use of [[honey bee]] products. This can include the use of [[honey]], [[pollen]], [[propolis]], [[royal jelly]], and bee [[Venom (poison)|venom]].
Most claims of apitherapy have not been proved to the scientific standards of [[evidence-based medicine]] and are [[anecdotal]] in nature. A wide variety of conditions and diseases have been suggested as candidates for apitherapy, the most well-known being bee venom therapy for [[Autoimmune disorder|autoimmune diseases]] and [[multiple sclerosis]].
==History==
The exact origins of apitherapy are difficult to pinpoint and can be traced back, in a general sense, to ancient Egypt, Greece and China. Use of honey and other bee products can be traced back thousands of years and healing properties are included in many religious texts including the [[Veda]], [[Bible]] and [[Quran]]. These are mostly attributed to nutritional benefits of consumption of bee-products and not use of bee venom.
The more modern study of apitherapy, specifically bee venom, was initiated through the efforts of Austrian physician [[Phillip Terc]] in his published results "Report about a Peculiar Connection Between the [[Bee sting]]s and [[Rheumatism]]" in 1888. More recent popularity can be drawn to Charles Mraz ([[1905]]-[[1999]]) a [[beekeeper]] from Vermont, United States over the past 60 years.<ref name="">{{cite web|url=http://www.merrynjose.com/artman/publish/article_87.shtml|title=Health and the Honey Bee|date=2007-03-07}}</ref> (Also see [[Bodog Beck]], M.D.)
== Clinical practice ==
While 'Apitherapy' encompasses use or consumption of bee products, the most commonly associated is bee venom therapy and not the consumption of honey or other bee products.
Bee venom therapy is claimed to be of use in arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, dissolving scar tissue (e.g. keloids), [[Herpes zoster]] (shingles), etc.
The most abundant active component of the venom is [[melittin]], which has a powerful anti-inflammatory action. However, bee venom is a complex mix of a variety of peptides and proteins, some of which have strong [[neurotoxic]] and [[antigen|immunogenic]] effects.
There is no standardized practice as some purport the location of the sting is important, with the sting acting as a sort of [[acupuncture]] in combination with the effects of the venom, while others report the location is not important. The number of stings also varies widely from a few to hundreds and they may be administered either by live bees or by injection. This treatment can cause pain, and even result in death if the subject has an allergy to bee venom, which can produce [[anaphylactic shock]].
== Scientific research ==
In a controlled study from Allegheny University of the Health Sciences in Philadelphia, bee venom was found to have no positive effects at any dosage in mice with [[Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis]], the [[animal model]] for [[multiple sclerosis]]. Additionally many of the animals expressed worse symptoms from the placebo groups.<ref name="mscanada">{{cite web|url=http://www.mssociety.ca/en/research/CAT980602.htm|title=No Beneficial Effect of Bee Venom in Study Using Animal Model for MS |date=1998-06-02|publisher=Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada|accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref>
Phase I of a study at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC, funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) was geared towards safety in administering bee venom treatments to humans with multiple sclerosis. <ref name="">{{cite web|url=http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/html/alternative_1.html|title=The Buzz About Bee Venom Therapy for MS|date=2007-03-07|author=Christine Haran|first=Christine|last=Haran|publisher=BreakThrough Digest|accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref>
==References==
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==External links==
===Advocates===
*[http://www.apitherapy.org/ American Apitherapy Society]
*[http://www.apitherapynews.com/ Apitherapy News]
*[http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/html/alternative_1.html Georgetown Study]
*[http://healthresourcespress.com/apitherapy_books/bible_of_bee_venom_therapy/bible_bee_venom_therapy_bodog_beck.htm The Bible of Bee Venom Therapy]
*[http://www.agirlnamedguy.com/daisy/content/view/180/155/ Live Bee Venom Therapy Demonstration]
===Critical===
*[http://www.theness.com/articles.asp?id=9 Bee Venom Therapy] - By [[Steven Novella]] MD, President of the [[New England Skeptical Society]]
*[http://www.mssociety.ca/en/research/CAT980602.htm Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Bee Venom Study]
[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[bg:Апитерапия]]
[[eo:Abelterapio]]
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[[id:Terapi lebah]]
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