Bee Sting Therapy

“BEE STING THERAPY” was another ‘alternative medicine’ treatment we explored.

 

Living at the time in College Park, MD, local news began to carry the story of Pat Wagner also seriously disabled from MS and from nearby Waldorf, MD who was reporting extraordinary results from “Bee Sting Therapy”.

 

Making NO ENDORSEMENT but for “inquiring minds” here is an additional link you can follow  for more detailed information about Pat Wagner and bee sting therapy from the Discovery Channel.

http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/sclerosis.html

 

Patti began a program of, at peak, two dozen bee stings every other day for almost a year and a half. Her vision and hand coordination had deteriorated beyond her ability to self administer so I had to do the ‘stinging’ for her.

 Patti went through some extremely rough weeks withdrawing from traditional meds nearly triggering an exacerbation to begin ‘bee sting therapy’.  

From a caregiver’s perspective this treatment took mind boggling courage. No matter how much ice and routine is involved the bottom line is you are receiving thousands of bee stings.  

 

Some particularly frustrating days it was also caregiver therapy. ‘Stinging’ Patti could have a therapeutic release <grin>. 

 

Though it was extremely time consuming, it was never boring. The honey bee is an amazing creature and a worthy adversary. Like something out of a Kung Fu movie you have to first catch one with a pair of tweezers out of a box containing dozens of other bees. Second, while holding the captured bee with the tweezers in one hand, somehow close the box with your other hand before the others escape.  Third, you have to hold the captured bee next to the patient’s skin at predetermined locations to ‘sting’. Fourth, you put the used bee into a container for release later. Then repeat the whole cycle over repeatedly. Periodically going back to remove any stingers left behind by some bees.

 

It became a family project every other evening. Patti was the stingee; I was stinger, and our daughter (at this point 8 years old) in charge of escaped bees. Amazingly neither our daughter nor I were ever accidentally stung.

 

Did it work? Once underway that hopeful pattern of positive immediate results occurred, followed by stability, and then after the year anniversary mark once again MS progression began to trump all. This too was chalked up to another valiant effort.

 

Next onto traditional AMA / FDA treatments that have also met similar fates against the relentless foe, MS …