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HISTORY
OF BEE VENOM THERAPY Perhaps the most exotic product from the hive is bee venom. Bee venom has been used via bee-sting therapy for centuries in many cultures. Hippocrates and Confucius were familiar with its healing properties. Eastern countries in particular have employed the curative abilities of bee venom, in fact, large clinics dedicated entirely to bee venom therapy are common in China. Its popularity is rapidly increasing in Europe and North America for the purposes of providing relief to arthritis sufferers and desensitizing those that are allergic to bee stings. In a movement towards healthier lifestyles and in the reaction to the dangers of modern drugs and their side effects, people are now turning to more natural ways of treating their conditions. Thus the use of bee products are, once again, gaining popularity. The American Apitherapy Society is just one body that has been formed to promote the use of the bee venom therapy. In the past the only way to receive bee venom therapy was through an injection or the actual bee sting. Now with new technology produced by Nelson Apiaries, bee venom therapy can be administered in a much sweeter, less painful way. HISTORY OF Nectar Ease™ AND NELSON APIARIES Nectar Ease™ is the Original Manuka honey with bee venom. Things are buzzing for Nelson Apiaries Ltd., operated by the Cropp family who have been working bees for the past 100 years. The noise maker is a revolutionary new product called Nectar Ease™, the result of a mistake made in Phillip Crops honey shed in 1996. Little did he imagine the impact his error would create worldwide in the field of natural health. Nectar Ease™ is bee venom mixed with Manuka honey and the process of mixing the two is a world first. The therapeutic
benefits of bee venom have been known for years - bee sting therapy
being used for arthritis is recorded as far back as Hippocrates and
Galen in 130AD. ADDITIONAL HEALTH BENEFITS In addition to arthritis there are also reports of bee venom therapy assisting in the control of:
People
often use alternative therapies for themselves but seldom consider
their application for their pets, even their working animals. However,
Nectar
Ease™
is also used by many customers to treat their animals, including dogs,
cats and horses. Normal guidelines to dosage are applied. SCIENCE OF BEE VENOM THERAPY Clinical
Trial Results on Nectar
Ease™,
November 2000 Bee
Venom Components Research has so far established that Bee Venom Therapy stimulates the activity of the immune system so the body produces it's own healing agents Like many alternative and folk remedies there seems little evidence to suggest a mechanism by which bees venom could have any therapeutic value. However, there have been studies performed which have demonstrated the existence of compounds in bees venom with important and very relevant pharmacological properties. Amongst the most important of these seems to be Peptide-401, commonly referred to as the mast cell degranulating peptide of MCD for short. Researchers from Guys Hospital and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology published a report in 1973 about Peptide-401 in which they demonstrated it to be 100 times more effective as an anti-inflammatory agent than hydro cortisone. However, another compound that has come under great scrutiny is Mellitin which forms the bulk of dried bees venom. Many studies have been performed around the world investigating its properties one of which demonstrated it to inhibit the formation of free radicals which are believed to contribute to joint damage. Mellitin has also been shown to indirectly stimulate the adrenal gland to produce the bodies own cortisol by stimulating the pituitary gland to release ACTH. "Bee Venom Therapy is a classic example of the homeopathic principal, which states that a substance that produces the symptoms of a disease is a cure for that disease. Rheumatic diseases result in swelling, pain and inflammation. A bee sting causes the same symptoms. The sting stimulates the immune system to relive the inflammation caused by the bee venom, while relieving the symptoms of the rheumatic disease at the same time. Bee Venom Therapy stimulates the immune system through the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. This therapeutic effect stimulates the immune system rather than suppressing it, completely contrary to the effects of many drugs. "¹ ¹Chrles Mraz, Health and the Honeybee, p. 46; Queen City Publications, 1995 Bees venom contains a compound called apamin which enhances long term synaptic transmission and dopamine which helps increase motor activity. The implications of their actions are obvious although not proven in any studies. In addition there is a component of bees venom called adolapin, also a neurotransmitter, that has been shown to have an analgesic effect which may be important for those who suffer pain as one of the symptoms. Nectar Ease™ Honey is a creamed blend of Manuka honey and other honey, with Manuka constituting between 60-65% of the raw material before processing. The bee venom component is considered to be the active compound in the product. The venom composition and strength varies between honeybee species and small variances are even identifiable inter-specifically between races and locations. The bee venom used in the Nectar Ease™ product is extracted exclusively from the Apis Melifera species of honeybee. The following
table expresses the composition of venom from a honeybee worker as
stated in the findings of two separate studies (Dotimas and Hilder,
1987 (1); Shipolini, 1984 (2)).
In 1982 Bulgarian researchers Shkendrov and Koburova isolated another peptide in bee venom called adolapin and showed that it had anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. In April 1993 Chen, Chen and Sun of the Nanjing Institute of Biochemical Pharmacy in China not only noted the anti-inflammatory properties of bee venom but also demonstrated its analgesic effects. In July
1990 Ziai, Russek, Wang, Beer, Blume from the American Cyanamid Company,
Pearl River, New York, USA commented that peptide-401 displays striking
immunological and pharmacological activities. They also demonstrated
that MCD significantly lowered blood pressure in rats. Glucosamine In the case of Asthma, Eczema, Arthritis and Crohn's Disease the body uses the immune system to cause inflammation which produces Glucuronic Acid and Glucosamine to eliminate the toxins which have entered the body through our eating, drinking and breathing habits. It is a naturally formed substance but in the above cases the body cannot produce enough to fight the imbalance and it is necessary to take some Glucosamine to supplement the body's natural performance. All available research prove that Glucosamine Sulfate is effective in treating Osteoarthritis. Fifteen years ago, researchers began supplementing Glucosamine Sulfate to Degenerative Joint Disease (Osteoarthritis) patients. This naturally occurring molecule is used by the body to make cartilage in healthy joints. Researchers hoped that supplying this building block might lead to repair of degenerative joint disease damaged joints. Subsequently, double blind trials have consistently shown Glucosamine Sulfate is effective. In one double blinded trial the standard dose of Glucosamine Sulfate (500 mg taken three times per day) led to a 40% drop in pain. All ten patients who received Glucosamine Sulfate in the trial had a reduction in joint swelling, and eight of the ten suffered less pain. Two other blinded trials also reported greater pain relief in the Glucosamine treated groups. Another double blinded trial reported a sharper (73%) drop in symptoms for those taking Glucosamine. Benefits
and Features include the following:
Links to Information on Bee Venom Therapy Technology New
Zealand Media Release: The Internet Health Library 2000, "Therapies Bee Venom Research" MS Association of King County/Bee Sting Therapy "Bee Venom Protocol for Lyme's Disease 7/23/00" Bee Venom Frequently Asked Questions
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