Update on CFS/FM Remission with Bee Venom Therapy

[Guest guest]

Hello Gang,

Oldtimers may recall some of my posts about the incredible benefits

I've had with Bee Venom Therapy (BVT). I'm the PWC that took the

road less traveled, and am in my FOURTH 100% REMISSION from CFS/FM by

getting stung with live honeybees! Most PWCs are skeptical because

it's so outside the box of known therapies for this DD, but that's

exactly why I decided to try it. Early on in my illness (7 1/2 years

full blown from sudden onset + previous 4 years with milder symptoms)

I realized that we share a lot of symptoms with MS and decided to

give it a try because it had helped thousands of MS patients. Now, I

know that we have a lot of possible causes and pathogens in common

with MS.

Bee venom has truly been a Godsend for me! It gives me lots of

energy, got rid of my FM pain, cognitive and neurological symptoms,

IBS, and all the rest of my CFS/FM symptoms. As a bonus, it gives me

a feeling of well being (it's a mood elevator) and it's believed to

have cancer protective properties. Bee venom is also used to treat

various cancers effectively. Since PWCs are predisposed to a higher

incidence of cancer, this is an additional bonus. I've included some

Medline references below on studies conducted on melittin, apamin and

other components of bee venom that are effective for various

cancers. In spite of all the anecdotal and scientific studies

showing that bee venom is very effective for many diseases,

pharmaceutical companies aren't interested in researching whole bee

venom because it's a natural product and can't be patented -- there's

no money to be made! Components of bee venom continue to be

researched because they can be added to other chemicals and can then

be patented.

I've been experimenting with BVT for over 5 years and now, I'm

convinced it could help other PWCs -- not just from my experience,

but because others with CFS/FM are reporting similar results. When I

first wrote about my first remission with BVT to this list in 12/99

(copy of this post can be found on Corina's website @

http://www.angelfire.com/stars/cfsrecovery/alternative.html and in

list archives) I had just started another round of BVT. Since then,

I continued to sting for almost two years averaging 4-6 stings every

other day. I did not stop stinging through my second 100% remission

that lasted 4 months but relapsed after I came down with a cold. I

didn't relapse with the first cold, but the second one got to me!

Two months after my third 100% remission, I decided to test the

waters and stopped stinging after almost 2 years. I felt

100% " normal " with no stings for 2 more months -- then relapsed! I

immediately resumed stinging in January 2002 and am in my fourth

remission for over 3 months. What makes this remission even more

remarkeable is that I came down with the flu in February 2002, with a

fever of 104 that knocked me down for a month (I refuse to get flu

shots) and still bounced back to another 100% remisssion! Presently,

I'm still using 6 stings every other day. Next time I decide to stop

BVT, I will try a maintenance dose -- 2 stings once a week to see if

it's effective in keeping things in check. I was advised to use a

couple of stings weekly, but never adhered to a maintenance dose

since I don't have my own beehive. Having a steady supply of bees

year round is not a problem thanks to a couple of companies that ship

bees for BVT by mail.

Between these four 100% remissions, I fluctuated between 75-95%

(function and symptoms) since I began using BVT. I also was able to

wean myself off Florinef 2 1/2 years ago when it stopped working for

me. It helped with severe NMH episodes that usually left me in a

semi-comatose state for several hours. After I stopped using it, I

was able to abort them within 15 minutes with just 4 stings on my

spine (sounds painful but it's one of the least painful areas to

sting). I haven't had any NMH symptoms since then. For me, they

were the most debilitating symptoms that left me in a vegetative

state. I was unable to stand, sit or think at all! I don't fully

understand why BVT worked. Bee venom has a vasodilating effect and

is supposed to lower blood pressure -- just the opposite of what I

want for NMH! The only possible explanation I can come up with, is

that scientific studies indicate that bee venom is an anticoagulant,

has a stabilizing effect on blood pressure, the HPA axis (stimulates

the pituitary to produce ACTH which stimulates the adrenal glands to

produce cortisl) and the autonomic nervous system. In 1972, research

conducted at Walter by Vick and on dogs and monkeys

documents the rise in their cortisol levels. It probably also had an

effect on my " leaky " mitral valve since one of the many substances of

bee venom is cardiopep, which has beta adrenergic and anti-arrhythmic

properties

Dr. Theo Cherbuliez, President of the American Apitherapy Society,

www.apitherapy.org, helped me to get started with BVT. He wrote the

chapter, Bee Venom in the Treatment of Chronic Diseases, in the book

Bee Products: Properties, Applications and Apitherapy (Mizrahi, A.

and Lensky, Y. Editors) Plenum, London, UK 1997, pp. 213-220.

To explain why bee venom is effective for many chronic diseases, he

wrote,

" Bee Venom includes some forty components, of which a dozen have been

extensively examined. They include 11 peptides, 5 Enzymes, 3

physiologically active Amines, Carbohydrates, Lipids and amino-acids.

Of the peptides, the most represented are Melittin, Apamin, Mast Cell

Degranulating Peptide and Adolapin. All together, they have systemic

actions: anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-

pyretic, stimulating ACTH, stimulating vascular permeability. The

Enzymes, act on the cardiovascular system and locally at the point of

administration of the venom. In the most summarized way one can say

that Bee Venom acts on the immune system, redirecting some of its

faulty mechanism. Bee venom acts on all afflictions influenced by

cortisone, however without any of the side effects of the drug. "

" As for the constituents, adolapin has an analgesic effect.*

Phospholipase A2 decreases arterial pressure and heart rate, and

increases capillary permeability.* Melittin lends anti-bacterial and

antifungal properties, and increases resistance to radiation.*

Cardiopep possesses anti-arrhythmic properties. Bee venom is a

vasodilator, which increases local circulation, and works against

spread of bacteria, countering arthritis.* Note that little research

has been done in this country regarding bee venom, however,

considerable studies have been conducted in Europe which indicate

it's efficacy. "

With CFS or any chronic disease, the immune system is stuck in

the " chronic mode " . Bee venom challenges the immune system, giving

it an opportunity to rebalance itself so the body can heal itself.

Every time I start a new round of BVT, I experience a " healing

crisis " (herxing with fever and flu-like symptoms) and swelling and

itching on sting sites. In the early stages of therapy, they're

excellent indications that the immune system is responding and that

BVT will be effective. Herxing doesn't last long (for me about 2

days 3-4 times) and swelling and itching lasts about a month until

the body becomes used to the venom. Hamerman, the father of

homeopathy, said, " You can never cure a chronic illness, the best

you can hope for is to make it acute, and then you can cure it. "

Since a small percentage of the population (.5-2%) is allergic to bee

venom resulting in anaphylactic shock, there are safety measures that

are always followed -- no one has ever died from BVT!

I don't take any medications for CFS/FM. Besides BVT, I use fresh

pollen, royal jelly, honey, propolis, a multivitamin, vitamin C,

folic acid and probiotics daily. I still take monthly

cyanocobalamin B12 shots -- it's all my doctor is willing to give

me. I have been taking thyroid medication for 11 years, after my

thyroid was destroyed with radioactive iodine when I was treated for

another autoimmune illness, Graves' disease. This month, I went for

my annual thyroid checkup and tests showed that I could lower the

dose of thyroid medication I've been using all these years!

I urge those that find this information too good to be true, to

research bee venom on their own, and hope that some of you will

finally take the BVT plunge! For all still searching that elusive

magic bullet, I offer you hope. I am living proof that, in spite of

everything our bodies have been subjected to, most of the damage is

reversible. I'm 53 and in the early stages of menopause (no

symptoms -- BVT of course) and haven't felt this good in over 11

years! Thanks to the humble honeybee, I know what " normal " feels

like once again.

For the scientific minded, references are below.

Bzzz...

" All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed;

Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-

evident. "

-- Schopenhauer

REFERENCES

1. Marsh NA, Whaler BC.

The effects of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) venom and two of its

constituents, melittin and phospholipase A2, on the cardiovascular

system of the rat.

Toxicon. 1980;18(4):427-35. No abstract available.

PMID: 7210027 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2. Lin SC, Huang TF, Ouyang CH.

Characterization of the purified anticoagulant principles from Apis

mellifera (honey bee) venom.

Taiwan Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi. 1983 May;82(5):629-39. No abstract

available.

PMID: 6579218 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

3. Ouyang C, Lin SC, Teng CM.

Anticoagulant properties of Apis mellifera (honey bee) venom.

Toxicon. 1979;17(2):197-201. No abstract available.

PMID: 442111 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

4. Vick, J.A., G.B. Warren and R.B. . (1975) The Effect of

Treatment with Whole Bee Venom on Daily Cage Activity and Plasma

Cortisol Levels in the Arthritic Dog.

Am. Bee J. 115, 52-53,58.

5. Couch TL, Benton AW.

The effect of the venom of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., on the

adrenocortical response of the adult male rat.

Toxicon. 1972 Jan;10(1):55-62. No abstract available.

PMID: 5015541 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

6. Marsh NA, Whaler BC.

The effects of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) venom and two of its

constituents, melittin and phospholipase A2, on the cardiovascular

system of the rat.

Toxicon. 1980;18(4):427-35. No abstract available.

PMID: 7210027 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

7. Bee venom enhances guanylate cyclase activity.

Science. 1981 Jul 17;213(4505):359-60.

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Beta adrenergic and anti-arrhythmic effects of cardiopep, a newly

isolated substance from whole bee venom.

Toxicon. 1974 Mar;12(2):139-44. No abstract available.

PMID: 4152790 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

9. Vick JA, Mehlman B, R, Philips SJ, Shipman W.

Effect of the bee venom and melittin on plasma cortisol in the

unanesthetized monkey.

Toxicon. 1972 Oct;10(6):581-6. No abstract available.

PMID: 4198739 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Effects of whole bee venom and its fractions (apamin and melittin) on

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Increased resistance of mice to x-irradiation after the injection of

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Nature. 1967 Jul 15;215(98):311-2. No abstract available.

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channel in neuroblastoma cells: voltage-clamp and biochemical

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