What's the deal with "bee sting therapy?"

General Questions
#1

I just happened to be watching an old “Unsolved Mysteries” episode today, and they were talking about Multiple Schlerosis, (MS) and bee sting therapy.

Now, what this means is, taking honey bees, and actually letting them sting you, in the affected areas (if you’re having trouble with your feet, for example, you sting on the foot). You do a very intensive regimen of this (pretty much all the time, although frequency varies, I would imagine), and it’s supposed to help stop the symptoms of MS, or even reverse them.

There were quite a few who said it had worked for them, and even the MS Society of America (or whatever the name of the organization) is funding research into this area.

Is there anything to it? Or is it more homeopathy-like quackery?

#2

The jury is out. It’s tough to do a double-blind test when the drug in question is a bee sting. How would you fake that for a placebo group? :smack: (smacks bee on forehead)

#3

I have a friend with MS (Victoria Williams); she says it’s helped her.

#4

Why use bees?

Is honey bee ‘venom’ difficult to synthesize?

#5

I hadn’t heard of it as a treatment for MS, but I remember the actor Jack Warner being treated with bee stings in the 70s for his crippling arthritis. LINK THING

#6

I don’t know, but apparently there’s something in the bee venom that stimulates the muscles.

Though why they can’t extract it from the bees either, I have no idea. I was cringing at the site (I HATE bees!), but sadly, some of the people are so afflicted they can’t even feel the stings when they first start.