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Some Important Aspects On Bee Venom Therapy For Lyme Disease

By Ruth Jones


Bee venom has been used to manage a number of conditions for what is estimated to several centuries. The first use is thought to have been by beekeepers in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. The therapy, also termed apitherapy has been used for conditions such as premenstrual syndrome, asthma, Lyme disease and multiple sclerosis among others. If you consider trying out bee venom therapy for Lyme disease, there are a number of things you should know beforehand.

Lyme disease is a rapidly spreading infectious conditions that is caused by a bacterium known as Borrelia burgdoferi. The condition is transmitted form one person to another through a tick bite. Affected persons tend to complain about chronic fatigue that is most severe in early afternoons, non-healing infections affecting the jaw bone, joint pains, reduced libido, insomnia, emotional irritability, confusion and poor short term memory among others.

There are no specific guidelines to guide the use of bee venom. Commonly, therapy is initiated at high doses and tapered over several months as the symptoms of an illness begin to resolve. Other practitioners do it in the reverse; starting at a low dose and increasing it gradually until therapeutic levels are attained. As far as the source of the therapeutic agent is concerned, two approaches can be used; exposing the client to the natural sting by a swarm of bees or injecting the commercially available product.

How exactly he venom achieves its effects is not clearly understood. However, research has helped identify at least forty active ingredients within it. The most significant among them is a peptide known as mellitin. This peptide has strong anti-inflammatory properties that rival those of cortisone. The peptide also has the ability to inhibit the reproduction of Borrelia burgodoferi which helps to control the infection.

One may experience a number of side effects when the treatment is administered. The effects are similar to what would be experienced when one is subjected to the natural sting. They include itchiness, swelling and redness of the area where the injection is administered. Note that a number of people (about 5% of the population) mount an allergic response when the treatment is administered. Sensitivity testing will help determine if you fall in this category.

The conventional management of this disease is through the use of antibiotics. Metronidazole (the intravenous formulation) is highly effective against the cystic stage. The oral form is not preferred due to its potential to cause liver injury. Tinididazole is an alternative drug that can also be used if available. It has the advantage of being less toxic. Combining the antibiotics with proteolytic enzymes increases the chances of success.

There many different forms of bee venom that are available commercially in the market. Usually, you will be required to have a prescription to be given the first dose. A physician or an allopathic will then test it onto your system to determine whether you are allergic to it. Once this has been ruled out, you can be taught to do the injections on your own.

Bee venom is an important therapeutic agent even though it has not been approved for use for most of the conditions it is said to treat. Ongoing research has helped reveal more information about this agent and hopefully it will be taken up by pharmaceutical companies in the near future to be repackaged into a more predictable product. For now, there is need to be very cautious and to consult a physician whenever in doubt.




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