Persistent neuropathy, or nerve pain, can be torture. Although there are a few medications that are prescribed, they don’t always help. Most also have side effects that can be troublesome.
We doubt that many folks with neuropathic pain will volunteer for the remedy this reader discovered by serendipity. He is not the only one, however, to find that a fire ant bite could dispel the chronic nerve pain for a time.
Q. I have chronic nerve pain that is never-ending in both legs. Walking helps me reduce the spasms in my legs, so I try to do that regularly.
I was out for a walk and a fire ant bit my big toe. That hurt plenty, but ten minutes later the pain and spasm in the leg that was bitten stopped. There was no change in the leg that wasn’t bitten.
Could that bite have actually eased my pain?
Related Testimonials
A. Several years ago we heard from another reader:
“I had such unbearable hip pain that I had to be helped in and out of chairs.”
After being bitten by fire ants,
“I was sick and dizzy most of the day, but a miracle happened: my severe pain has gone. ”
A visitor to our website offered this story:
“I have had severe pain in two fingers on my left hand for several years. I got into a fire ant nest in a bale of hay while feeding my horses and received about 20 stings before I got them off me.
“The next morning the pain in my left hand was gone, and so far four days later I still have no pain in that hand. I really hope there are some serious research studies being conducted somewhere on the pain relief properties in fire ant venom.”
Scientists are studying the molecular biology of fire ant venom, but there don’t seem to be studies of its use to relieve pain.
Do Not Try This at Home
We caution that this is not a do-it-yourself project, since people can have terrible allergic reactions to the bites and go into shock. Some individuals have suffered seizures or heart failure as a reaction to fire ant bites.
