Monday, April 05, 2010
A 45-year-old U.K. woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis, says bee stings helped her regain her quality of life, London’s Daily Mail reported.
Sami Chugg was confined to her bed and unable to move, but after the area around her spine was deliberately stung by 1,500 bees, she feels much better and can walk again.
Bee venom therapy is known in some cultures to relieve the body of pain by reducing inflammation.
“Most people would be terrified by the prospect of being stung by a bee,” Chugg said. “But when you have a condition like MS, that involves numbing of the body, any sensation is welcome – even if it’s from a bee sting.”
There are some risks associated with bee stinging — some people go into anaphylactic shock after being stung.
A MS Society spokesman said trials in the United States on purified bee venom extract have not found any lasting effect on MS sufferers.