Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [54]
Over the course of the three-day conference, I listened to speakers who had come from all over the globe to offer their insights on apitherapy. They were beekeepers, doctors, educators, practicing apitherapists, acupuncturists, as well as people recovering from illnesses from which only the honeybee and her products offered relief. All of these interesting and knowledgeable people had gathered to talk about honeybees and their products for healing. There was a vast amount of information to absorb.
BEE VENOM THERAPY
Bee venom therapy has been used throughout history and has helped cure many ailments. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used honeybees and their venom to treat patients more than two thousand years ago. The use of live bees to literally sting certain pressure points, similar to the technique of acupuncture, has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine. Acupuncture balances the flow of energy and promotes natural healing through the insertion of extremely fine needles into the body at precise points. The placement of these needles activates the meridians, or energy channels, to move and balance energy within the body, which in turn relieves the symptoms of many conditions and promotes general health and well-being. Bee venom is administered through a systematic protocol of stings and following the same strategy of pressure points used in acupuncture. More important, it follows neurological trigger points. It is thought that bee venom jump-starts the immune system by improving blood circulation and by stimulating the body’s natural ability to produce cortisone, which is produced by the adrenal gland.
Bee venom is said to be very effective for aiding multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been applied to a range of other conditions, including sciatica, migraines, and lupus. It has been reported that bee venom has been used to kill cancer cells when all other treatments fail. A trained apitherapist will carefully profile a patient before applying any bee venom. Bee venom is not a substitute for a good diet and exercise. There is a long list of medications, including beta blockers, which suppress the immune system, anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as alcohol, that should be cleansed from the body before beevenom treatment begins. Although this technique has not been approved by the traditional medical community here in the United States, many countries around the world, including some in Europe, recognize apitherapy as a medical treatment and routinely use it as a way to heal.
PASS THE BEE POLLEN—PLEASE!
Bee pollen comprises those brightly colored morsels that I had observed my honeybees carrying into the hive. Pollen is the male sex cells of a flowering plant, and honeybees gather it in the pollen baskets on their hind legs. They mix it with nectar and their own enzymes (invertase) and bring it back to the hive as a tiny granule, now called bee pollen.
Bee pollen actually comes in all sorts of colors, ranging from yellow ochre to burnt sienna, depending upon the type of flower it is gathered from. Bee pollen tastes like edible flowers. When eaten fresh, it is slightly sweet with notes of honey and beeswax. Bee pollen is said to be nature’s most complete food, containing every nutrient needed to sustain life. This complete source of protein contains many of the basic elements in the human body, including twenty-two amino acids, twenty-five minerals, fifty-nine trace elements, eleven enzymes or coenzymes, fatty acids, carbohydrates, and protein. Among the eighteen vitamins it contains are B-complex vitamins and vitamins C, D, and E. It is said that man can survive a full three months on just two tablespoons of bee pollen a day. Since the time of the first Olympics, athletes have been taking bee pollen for sustained energy and vitality. Bee pollen is also said to decrease symptoms related to hay fever and seasonal allergies. It