Apitherapy, particularly the use of bee venom, has a history that stretches back thousands of years. It may sound flaky, but some medical doctors are reporting excellent results for the relief of pain from arthritis, tennis elbow or even post-herpetic neuralgia (excruciating pain lingering after shingles). We spoke with several people at the American Apitherapy Society.
Some practitioners apply the medicinal bee stings along acupuncture meridian points. Acupuncture itself has been considered outside the norm of medical practice, but an anesthesiologist at Duke University School of Medicine has found it reduces post-operative pain and complications such as nausea.
Guests: Andrew Kochan, MD, is President of the American Apitherapy Society. He practices physical medicine and rehabilitation in Los Angeles.
Frederique Keller is Vice-President of the American Apitherapy Society and practices apitherapy and acupuncture on Long Island, New York.
Fountain Odom is a beekeeper in North Carolina who uses apitherapy for his arthritis.
T. J. Gan, MD, is Professor and vice-chairman of anesthesiology at the Duke University School of Medicine. He has been pioneering a combination of acupuncture with anesthesia to alleviate post-surgical pain.
