Greg Ferris said (to Allen Dick, in sci.agriculture beekeeping)
about apitherapy for MS and other chronic problems:

> To get a true understanding of the problem you have to realize that
> the medical profession has not cured anything since polio.  They now
> come up with treatments that require the patient to come back over and
> over for prescriptions.  No prescriptions are required for bees so
> even if it worked they would not be interested.

I read the above and laughed so hard that some very good
single-malt ended up being spilled.

The above is exactly the sort of petulant view that, if persistent,
will insure that apitherapy stays a "lunatic fringe" treatment forever.

Ask any doctor.  The "medical profession" is made up of people
who work hard every day to promote non-prescription therapies,
such as:

   1)  Eating right
   2)  Not smoking
   3)  Exercising a bit

...but most PATIENTS insist on a "magic pill" for everything,
since it requires no effort on their part.

I certainly have more than my fair share of paranoia, but
even I don't imagine a gunman behind every grassy knoll.
There is no massive conspiracy.  There is simply a lack of
money to fund studies.

It is expensive to fund the extensive studies required to prove
that bee venom is "safe and effective".  Is it any wonder that
the makers of bottled bee venom products are the ones to fund
such studies?

But is there a "market" in bee-sting therapy?  Sure there is!
Mr. Ferris is proof that there is.  His 2000 customers are
a gold mine at even minimal rates, with no real expense
other than shipping.

I don't see any difference between selling bees, selling the
bottled venom, or selling prescription drugs.  All require the
patient to (as Mr. Ferris said) "come back, over and over".

Alternatively, one could teach an MS patient how to keep an
observation hive (or even a full-size hive).  Of course, once you
teach a few MS patients some beekeeping skills, one might
see teachings spread from patient to patient, and find many
MS patients learning to keep bees on a small scale.
Thus endth the gold mine.

So, who has the moral high ground?  The doctors, making
money from writing prescriptions, or the beekeeper, making
money selling bees rather than teaching people how to raise
their own?

It is the old "give a man a fish" versus "teach a man to fish"
routine, and I don't need to point out which is the only moral
choice, do I?

        jim

        farmageddon  (Special this month - get stung for free!)