Is Bee Sting Therapy Effective?
01 Feb 2006
Some people affected by MS believe that bee sting therapy can stabilise or improve their MS related symptoms. Toxins from bee stings are thought to contain substances that have anti-inflammatory properties and regulate nerve cell activity. This is the first controlled study looking at whether bee stings could be a helpful therapy for MS.
This study involved 26 people with either relapsing remitting or secondary progressive MS between the ages of 18 and 65. People were not taking any medication for their MS, were not pregnant and had no history of allergies. They were tested for allergies to bee stings before they started the study and were asked to carry treatment in case they developed a serious allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock) after the bee stings.
The group was randomly divided into two, one half receiving bee sting therapy and the other receiving no treatment. After 24 weeks the treatment groups were swapped for a further 24 weeks. Treatment involved receiving actual bee stings three times a week at regular intervals. Initially the participants were given one bee sting and this was increased by one every session until the participants were receiving a maximum of 20 stings at a time. Therapy was well tolerated and there were no serious side effects in this study. The most common side effects were local tenderness, swelling and redness, although five participants had flu-like symptoms the day after bee sting therapy.
The results showed that treatment with bee stings did not reduce the number of relapses that a person had or the number of areas of new damage found in the brain and spinal cord by MRI scans. An assessment of disability using the Expanded disability status scale and self reported results on fatigue and quality of life showed no improvement.
Further research on the safety and effectiveness of bee sting therapy needs to be carried out. This study advises that people affected by MS should not take bee sting therapy until these further studies have been conducted.
This paper was published in Neurology, December 2005, vol. 65, pages 1764-1768
The group was randomly divided into two, one half receiving bee sting therapy and the other receiving no treatment. After 24 weeks the treatment groups were swapped for a further 24 weeks. Treatment involved receiving actual bee stings three times a week at regular intervals. Initially the participants were given one bee sting and this was increased by one every session until the participants were receiving a maximum of 20 stings at a time. Therapy was well tolerated and there were no serious side effects in this study. The most common side effects were local tenderness, swelling and redness, although five participants had flu-like symptoms the day after bee sting therapy.
The results showed that treatment with bee stings did not reduce the number of relapses that a person had or the number of areas of new damage found in the brain and spinal cord by MRI scans. An assessment of disability using the Expanded disability status scale and self reported results on fatigue and quality of life showed no improvement.
Further research on the safety and effectiveness of bee sting therapy needs to be carried out. This study advises that people affected by MS should not take bee sting therapy until these further studies have been conducted.
This paper was published in Neurology, December 2005, vol. 65, pages 1764-1768
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