Hey there, viewers!
Bees are known for making delicious and nutritious honey. But did you know that
bees also produce venom that can help cure illnesses? You heard it right! For centuries
bee venom has been used in therapies that can heal the human body, and recent developments
around bee venom claim that a bee sting can help cure ailments like arthritis and reduce pain!
But how accurate is this claim? In today’s video, we’ll discuss Bee venom and its
effect on arthritis. How effective is it? Are there any risks? Let's get started, shall we?
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Let’s start with what Arthritis is.
Arthritis can be tormenting; It usually develops over time in older adults or individuals who do
strenuous labor. Arthritis is a rheumatic condition, an autoimmune and inflammatory
disease causing your immune system to attack your joints, muscles, bones, and organs.
‘Arthritis’ is a word derived from Greek which means 'disease of
joints,' and is used to describe around 200 conditions in joints,
joint tissues, and other connective tissue. The most common is osteoarthritis.
It occurs when tissues at the end of joints wear down and then swell, resulting in pain.
Arthritis has many symptoms and drastically affects a person's
day-to-day life. Symptoms begin to show around one or multiple joints.
Arthritis can develop for various reasons, but the most common is overuse of joints,
age, injuries, being overweight, muscle weakness, or genetic history of Arthritis.
Now that we know about the disease and its conditions let's move on to treatment.
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What are the available treatments?
Most arthritis treatments control pain and reduce damage to the affected joint.
Treatment includes medications, physical therapies, various surgeries,
diet, exercises, and devices that can assist.
So, how do bees fit into treatment? The medicinal use of bee venom dates back to ancient Egypt,
and it is documented in Europe and Asia. The Greek physician and father of modern science,
Hippocrates, used bee venom to treat joint pain and arthritis.
According to an article, bee venom therapy has been around for 3000 years.
The publication of a clinical study from 1888 renewed interest in bee venom, and ever since,
developments in its treatment have been made, despite its flaws.
(Pause) How effective is Bee Venom?
Studies have shown that half of the bee's venom contains 'melittin,' which plays a significant
role in treatment—Melittinis composed of 26 amino acids.
Many studies have examined the biological and pharmacological activities of melittin.
It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties in various
cell types, and it is very beneficial to many chronic diseases, not just arthritis.
Melittin has pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties; given in lower doses, it can react and
relieve pain. To our surprise, these studies also show that individual components in bee venom, like
melittin, trigger a sort of immunity response in the body. Isn't that fascinating? Some researchers
have speculated whether bee venom therapy may help alleviate arthritic joint pain and inflammation.
Let's check out some experiments with this venom.
Experiments on rats
A recent study investigated how bee venom reacts in rats. Researchers divided rats artificially
induced with Rheumatoid Arthritis into three groups and one group of rats that did not have
arthritis. They introduced each group to a treatment. One group received bee
venom, a second received the anti-arthritis drug methotrexate, and a third received .
After the study, they found that bee venom and methotrexate had similar
effects in reducing arthritis symptoms. Researchers concluded
that bee venom therapy might effectively minimize arthritis pain and inflammation.
These study results were positive, but the issue was these tests were conducted on animals,
not humans. So it is unclear whether researchers could apply these effects to humans.
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Now let's see the effects of bee venom on us.
In 2018 a study was conducted on 120 people to
test how bee venom affects chronic disease patients.
It compared the anti-arthritic effects of bee venom with the anti-arthritis drug methotrexate.
The study took place over 8 weeks between two groups. One group received treatment through
drugs, and the other through 5–15 bee stings every other day. Participants in both groups
experienced improvements in stiffness, swelling and tenderness of joints, reduction of the
duration of morning stiffness, time of walking, and ability to strengthen the grips. Although
both groups showed relief in their arthritis symptoms, there was no significant difference.
This study's results were highly positive, but it is important to note that it was not double-blind,
meaning the participants and experimenters knew who was receiving what treatment,
which reduced the reliability of the results due to the possibility of a placebo effect.
Another study took place in 2020 on more promising meta-analyses.
The study included several randomized controlled trials
investigating bee venom therapy for many diseases, including arthritis.
Researchers concluded that bee venom therapy might help treat inflammatory forms of arthritis.
Solidifying that bees are not limited to providing only honey but
can also significantly help treat chronic diseases.
Yet, questions remain. What are the side effects of bee venom? Are there any risks?
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Here are essential things to consider before beginning bee sting therapy.
Now you know that bee stings can be a helpful cure for arthritis,
but if you live with this condition and are considering treatment or looking
to recommend this treatment to someone, there are crucial things you should know.
Even though many arthritis patients opt for bee sting therapy,
it is still not a primary cure for arthritis. It can be an alternative option and can
be taken with existing medications until more conclusive studies occur.
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Before using a syringe, patients used to get bee venom directly from bees via the bee's stinger.
Today, in some cases, these practices still exist.
We advise you to consider your options with a medical professional or doctor.
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A possible allergic reaction is something to consider before beginning bee sting therapy.
Bees can be life-threatening because they can cause extreme allergic reactions in some people.
The most threatening response is anaphylactic shock, a term for allergic reaction. Anaphylactic
shock occurs when your blood pressure drops so low that your cells and organs don't get
enough oxygen, causing a person to stop breathing. If not treated immediately,
anaphylactic shock can result in death, always get an allergy
checkup before inserting bee venom or have an emergency kit ready at the time of therapy.
So, although not entirely scientifically proven,
bee venom can help alleviate the pains of arthritis. Want to learn more about
arthritis? Let’s keep the conversation going with a couple more arthritis-related videos. Shall we?
Check out 16 Warning Signs of
Rheumatoid Arthritis You Might Be Ignoring or 10 Foods to Avoid If You Have Arthritis
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more!
Are you considering Bee Sting therapy? Let us know what you think in the comments below!