At 17:38 21/11/1996 -0700, you wrote:
>Dr. Thomas Bell of Missoula, Montana has done some work along this line,
>also published a brief note about the high incidence of allergy among
>family members of beekeepers.  I don't know that any reports such as you
>request have been published.
>
>I do know that two of my students became allergic to honey bee stings,
>got the shots, and went back to work with bees.
>
>I also know a beekeeper whose kids got the shots, helped one, not the
>other.
>
>Dr. Bell says that the traditional skin scratch test may or may not be a
>reliable predictor of allergy.  People vary a lot, and some have nasty
>reactions without responding to the test.  Others experience a bad episode
>and then don't the next time.
>
>However, it has been our experience that once set down the path of
>sensitivity, the shots are your best bet for turning things around.
>
>
>Over the years, I have met beekeepers across the U.S. who have had someone
>in the family become sensitive, get the shots, and go back to working with
>bees.
>
>The most extreme case, from a presumably reliable source, described a
>woman who was so allergic that she had violent reactions to any amount of
>venom - so the shots were not an option.  Reportedly, the Mayo Clinic gave
>her a massive blood transfusion from a beekeeper, than started the series
>of shots.  Can't say that I talked to the woman, but my source claimed to
>have known her.
>
>The older whole bee extracts were pretty variable in success.  The pure
>venom extracts seem to work much better.  Pricey, but possibly worth the
>cost and trouble if you truly want to keep working with bees.
>
>Of course, Dr. Bell cautions that it may not work for all.  The people on
>my crew who have had the shots, carry a sting kit.  Oh yes, one now also
>works with Bumblebees and has been stung and hasn't had any serious
>reactions to either Honey Bees or Bumblebees.
>
>Jerry Bromenshenk
>The University of Montana-Missoula
>[log in to unmask]
>
>P.S.  It is unfortunate that the cost of the shots is high enough that
>most Doctors advise simply staying away from bees.  Some of my colleagues
>do field work in remote areas of distant countries. They have opted for
>the shots - why worry when it can be corrected (at least for many).
>
>Is homeopathy any good for stings???
David Warr
Cheshire
UK