Hi All,

I felt I had to throw in a comment or two about the recent comments about
apitherapy.  While I somewhat agree with the notion that the AMA is
uninterested in bee products for the treatment of arthritis, MS and the
large list of other less-common maladies that can be treated using
apitherapy methods, I don't agree with the idea that this represents the
average American doctor.  The truth is that most doctors trained in the US
know very little, if anything, about bees, and their many gifts.  Apitherapy
needs to be a grassroots movement for it to make any impact on American
medicine.  It relies on us, the beekeepers; the suppliers of these valuable
medicines, for the populace to learn about them. Good doctors will learn and
expand from their patients.

The American Apitherapy Society (AAS) is not as effective as possible.  They
also don't have any money.  No surprise there.  How many beekeepers do you
know belong to the AAS, or have even heard of it?  While there is a whole
separate list devoted to apitherapy issues (apitherapy-l; go to
http://www.apitherapy.com for more info on that), the community on this list
can also carry the apitherapy torch.

I have been interested in apitherapy since I began beekeeping several years
ago.  I participated in the valuable email course conducted by Dr. Stephan
Stangaciu (an MD from Romania).  I recently received a copy of the CD-ROM
called "Treatise of Apitherapy" created by the Standing Commission of
Apitherapy from Romania.  The CD-ROM is a very beautiful interface for
tapping into the world of apitherapy.  The CD-ROM contains hundreds of
articles, pictures, and references about all aspects of apitherapy.  Created
by some of the world's experts on apitherapy, the CD includes information on
the many medicinal uses of honey, pollen, propolis, bee venom, etc. I
apologize for the plug, but without being a member of the AAS (which I am
not), it is unlikely that any of us heard about the publication of this
thing [one indication of the ineffectiveness of the AAS], and it is worth
knowing about.

Several years ago, only "health nuts" knew about the properties of arnica,
gingko, gingerroot, Echinacea, and other herbs and naturally-occurring
compounds that greatly enhance health, healing, and vitality.  Now you get
this stuff in every supermarket in America, in lots of different forms; even
in soft drinks.

We do not need to rely on doctors to spread the word about our "health"
products.  One of the prime objectives of my local bee club, The Catskill
Mountain Beekeepers Club (http://www.catskillbees.org) is to "Educate the
community about the joys, skills and fruits of beekeeping."  This obviously
includes bee products used in apitherapy.  Our club contains several members
who either administer bee stings to themselves or others and have lots to
share about this practice.  I don't think a meeting goes by without someone
piping up about it.

The bottom line here is that there is plenty that each of us can do to
forward this work besides relying on the AMA or your local doctor to
prescribe something.  Actions you can take are:

o  Start to include information about the health aspects of honey and pollen
in your talks about bees.
O  Educate your fellow beekeepers about the other products we can get from
our hives.
o  Ask the arthritis and MS suffers you know if they have considered trying
alternative methods of treatment (bee-stinging)
o  Mention bee-stinging and the use of honey, pollen, propolis, etc. to any
physicians you know.
o  Support the AAS (or your local Apitherapy organization) with money and
membership.

I have listed just a few things to try.  As you find out more about the
other treasures inside your beehives, you will find ways to express that
value and then sell those items to your customers.

___________

     //
 >8(())))-
     \\

John Sturman
Blue Moon Farm
Lexington, NY
-74.38711, 42.23688
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