In response to [log in to unmask] (Kevin & Shawna Roberts) It is a great pleasure to see postings on bee venom and bee venom therapy. >The most recent edition of The Hive and the Honey Bee (chapter 22, "Other Products of the >Hive", the section on Bee Venom) contains information about clinical tests conducted to verify >the efficacy of bee venom. Among arthritic patients, something like 60% reported moderate to >excellent results when they used bee venom for their arthritis pain. When tests where done on >arthritic dogs, the dogs had measurably more freedom of movement when they received bee >venom. The bee venom section is fascinating. If you have any sort of chronic joint pain, or you >know someone who does, it is recommended reading. . One of the best studies was conducted by Dr. Kim (USA) who treated 108 patients with arthritis (RA and OA). Patients had a minimum of five years of a chronic history of arthritis, treated by two physicians and had failed to respond to conventional medical treatment. They received almost 34 thousand bee venom injections collectively. Results: Patients with a minimum five years of RA or OA shown 89.8% improvement (moderate to exellent results). Dr. Forestier (France) demonstrated similar results when treating 1,600 patiens with bee venom injection. >Some people are concerned about the possibility of allergic reactions. Obviously, you need to >watch for any allergic reaction, but only about 1% of the population has a bee sting allergy. I >suspect that that is a smaller percentage than the people who are allergic to the drugs doctors >prescribe for inflammation. Definetly there is a certain risk involved using bee venom therapy. In practice, arthritic patiens are rarely sensitive to bee venom, but for safety reasons an Anakit, Epipen or Benadryl should be kept handy. It is suggested to follow the guidelines of apitherapy and consult with a physician. >The American Apitherapy Association has all sorts of information about bee venom therapy, and >what people are using it for. I don't have their number with me, but if anyone wants it, you can >e-mail me at [log in to unmask] The American Apitherapy Society, Inc address is: P.O.Box 54, Hartland Four Corners, VT 05049, Ph (802) 436-2708, Fax (802) 436-2827 References Kim, C. (1989) Bee Venom Therapy for Arthritis, Rhumatologie, 41, 3, pp. 67-72 Forestier, F. (1984) Bee Venom in Rheumatology - An Experiment Performed with 1,600 Cases, Apiacta, 19:19-22 Simics, M. (1995) First Aid for Bee and Wasp Stings, Apitronic Publishing, Calgary, ISBN 9697654-1-X, $8.95 U.S. Simics, M. (1994) Bee Venom: Exploring The Healing Power, Apitronic Publishing, Calgary, ISBN 0-9697654-0-1, $9.95 U.S. Michael Simics Apitronic Services 4640 Pendlebury Rd. Richmond, BC Canada, V7E 1E7 Ph./Fax (604) 271-9414 E-mail: [log in to unmask] P.S. My books are available for purchase.