In the Article titled A randomized crossover study of bee sting therapy for multiple sclerosis it was concluded that the bee sting therapy made no notable improvements on patients with relapsing MS. The study divided patients into two groups; for 24 weeks the first group was administered bee sting therapy and then for 24 weeks they were not stung. The second group received opposite treatment; first 24 weeks not stung, second 24 weeks received bee sting therapy. The stings were administered 3 times per week and each time the patients were stung once more than the previous time maximizing the amount of stings per session to 20 stings. After various methods of observation, it was concluded that bee sting therapy does not help and the article even says that patients with relapsing MS should refrain from this form of therapy until there is better evidence to support it.
Other articles found also suggest that bee therapy is a cloudy subject; whether or not it works is yet to be proven scientifically.
On the other hand, if you ask Pat "the bee lady" Wagner, bee sting therapy is a wonderful discovery. According to Pat, bee venom contains Melittin which "greatly improves vision, coordination, mobility, and sensitivity to touch, among other things, in MS patients. They also decrease pain, can add to a feeling of overall well-being, and even boost energy levels."
The general consensus on whether or not bee sting therapy works seems to be that it really depends on the patient. Some swear by it and others feel that the present evidence is just not adequate enough.
References:
http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/beetherapy/sclerosis.html
http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/beevenom
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5 comments:
KristaS495: very nice paper. You and your classmate have given a nice overview of bee stings as potential therapeutic modalities. I had no idea bee stings...could actually have beneficial effects (i.e., pain reduction, energy boost)! I was thinking as I read your paper that the investigators must have had some challenges with "administering" the bee stings. Did they actually have the bees sting people, or did they somehow derive the venom and inject them? I believe it is the former. Also, in what country did this research take place? I'm just wondering about the IRB/patient consent issues. Thanks, TLH
It is very interesting when people think about therapeutics. It's really not a simple matter at all. It's interesting that you mention whether or not treatment of MS with bee venom is a matter of preference of the patient. It makes me think of therapeutics in a different way. Do you think the future of therapeutics will be geared toward each patient's preference? Obviously there's a line that needs to be drawn because we cannot afford to accomodate everyone... nevertheless, an interesting thought.
Terih and Jennyp,
It is a very interesting topic (bee venom therapy)...on the web, it seems that it is a miracle cure. Obviously, much more research needs to be done on this (as on many alternative therapies). It was interesting that in the study that KristaS presented, the researchers actually held the bee "stinger first" over the subjects leg with tweezers until the bee stung the subject. They did this because 1) the majority of case-studies used this method and 2)there was concern that exposure of the venom to the air would decrease its potency.
I guess the bee sting therapy depends on the patient, the area of the bee sting and if the bee stung them directly or if it was injected by venom. I guess alot of people do not really believe in miracle cures. So maybe for those who truely believe that the bee stings will work, it will work for them.
zoec495...thanks for your further description of their methods. I had this image in my mind of bees/a single bee being in a room with someone and the person waiting to be stung. Thankfully these researchers thought it through much more thoroughly than me! TLH
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